Ileana Makri’s Baguette collection gives a new edge to the graphic cut

Greek jewellery designer Ileana Makri has always been drawn to the perfect simplicity of a baguette cut and the Baguette collection, the latest addition to her signature fine jewellery line, is an appropriate tribute.

It is composed of clean, linear lines that need little enhancement, a truth Makri heeded with the almost invisible settings the stones sit in. The only embellishments come from the black and yellow gold colour palette and the twinkling of the clear white diamonds themselves.

‘The baguette cut expresses perfectly the minimalist mood I wanted to create in antithesis to the noise and over-design of today's world,’ she explains of the pieces that have just landed at Dover Street Haymarket. ‘Going back to classic shapes with a modern edge was what I wanted to achieve.’

Considered design detailing ensures the pieces are understated without being bland – baguette diamonds glint in random combinations of one, three or five, creating a pleasing irregularity when stacked and adding an edge to the perfect uniformity of the cut. Clusters of diamonds, paired with 18 carat gold and rhodium plating, gather in studs, rings, necklaces and bracelets in a plethora of combinations and designs for a clean, unfussy aesthetic.

Makri's previous collections concentrated on her preoccupation with the natural world: the best-selling Snake Collection offered sensual renderings, while her fascination with the lustrous beetles in her home country led to the creation of colourful, gem-studded bugs. She has come full circle with these newest pieces, which are a return to focusing on the fundamentality of the stone itself, a natural development of Makri's Classic collection, which united simple shapes with a vibrant selection of jewels. Baguette is a natural next step; a pared-back return to the essentials. ‘These are a modern interpretation of the Ileana Makri core,’ she says. ‘Pieces that can be layered and easily combined with one's own jewellery.’

INFORMATION

For more information, visit Ileana Makri’s website