Hannah Martin celebrates a decade of design with a Pierre Molinier-inspired cache of jewels
Hannah Martin first discovered the work of French photographer and painter Pierre Molinier while writing a thesis on the subject of masculinity as a student at Central St Martins, London. Known for his fetishistic photographs, paintings and photomontages of entangled stockinged mannequins and humans, Molinier was embraced by André Breton and the surrealist movement in Paris in the 1950s.
Now, with her latest collection, 'Somebody’s Sins’, the London jeweller is fully referencing Molinier for the first time in her work: 'His themes resonated with me immediately, but the biggest challenge in incorporating them was to not make that obvious. I wanted to avoid clichés and to capture the spirit of what I love about his work without creating a collection that looked simply like bondage jewellery.'
The resulting pieces nod to Molinier’s themes of dominance and submission: ropes of rose gold wind tightly around carved black jade earrings, while the Restraint cuff is opened by a secret clasp hidden beneath rows of sapphires and diamonds. The collection’s pinnacle is the Unknown Pleasures collar, a structured white gold choker lined with pavé white diamonds that is bolted across the throat by bars of black jade.
Form and sculpture create the illusion of tautness in solid metal: the Tension necklace is made up of two curving pieces of white gold lined with sapphires, held together at each end by rose gold and amethyst 'bullets'. A flash of skin is just visible through the resulting gap.
The mixing of metals and hues was deliberate, says Martin: 'The whole collection is about contrasts and juxtaposition. I countered the cool strength of white gold with the warmth of rose gold, balancing the masculine with the feminine. I wanted to go back to the roots of what I started ten years ago – jewellery that is sensual, that is seductive, that has weight and sculpture to it.'
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Hannah Martin website
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
-
Pininfarina Battista Reversario is a new one-off electric hypercar
The all-electric Pininfarina Battista Reversario is joining its aesthetic inverse in an ultra-select car collector’s garage. We take a look at a car built to a very precise order
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Fernando Jorge’s fluid diamond earrings show his curve appeal
Discover Brazilian jewellery designer Fernando Jorge's snake-like silhouettes and graphic shapes
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Abreham Brioschi debuts Ethiopia-inspired rugs for Nodus
Abreham Brioschi teams up with luxury rug experts Nodus to translate visions from his heritage into a tactile reality
By Ifeoluwa Adedeji Published
-
Emerging jewellery designers to get to know
These independent, new and emerging jewellery designers and brands from New York to Paris are firmly on our radar
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Jewellery designers share their most precious personal pieces
A host of jewellers give us a peek at the jewellery which brings them joy and solace
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Playing it cool: pearls are having a moment
We've been deep-diving into boutiques around the world to find the very best calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form. It seems jewellers have been busy rethinking pearls, with contemporary (and often affordable) results
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Eternity rings for the modern couple
Eternity rings, whether sleekly minimalist or sprinkled in diamonds, can be a chic and contemporary love token
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Alternative engagement rings with an edge
As the sales of engagement rings sky-rocket during lockdown, enjoy our off-kilter curation of edgy and unconventional engagement rings
By Hannah Silver Last updated
-
Hair jewellery to covet and collect
Today’s hair jewellery is both practical and pretty. We're pinning our hopes on these simple and elegant accessories
By Hannah Silver Last updated
-
CryptoPunks come to life on Tiffany & Co pendants
Tiffany & Co has partnered with blockchain infrastructure company Chain to create custom pendants and NFTiffs
By Hannah Silver Last updated
-
Andreas Kronthaler’s costume jewellery for Vivienne Westwood is fun, flirty and fabulous
Andreas Kronthaler’s new jewellery draws on romantic and theatrical motifs
By Hannah Silver Last updated