Birthstones, traditionally thought to confer protection, have long brought a sentimentality to jewellery design.
April: The diamond
As the strongest gemstone, April’s birthstone, the diamond, symbolises love – making it not only an obvious choice for engagement rings but also for more off-beat and contemporary jewellery. With some jewellers opting for a more sustainable focus, with lab-grown diamonds, and others pairing diamonds with pearls, gold and a plethora of brightly coloured stones, the choices are endless. Here is our pick of the best.
Nomis
The diamond ear pin from Nomis is designed to be worn as a glittering spike through the earlobe in a rethink of the classic diamond earring. Pair with the ear oval, which loops around the ear, for a geometrical play on precious ear adornments.
Sylva & Cie
Sylva & Cie jewellery juxtaposes unexpected cuts and embraces embellishment for dazzling statement pieces. These ‘Diamond Spike’ earrings unite pear-shaped and single-cut diamonds in a vintage-inspired aesthetic.
Diamonds become precious play things in Caye Joaillier’s pieces, which celebrate fluid forms. In the ‘Dizzy Delight’ ring, three fancy-shape diamonds move as you do in a brilliant refraction of light.
By using only recycled gold and lab-grown diamonds, Matilde put an emphasis on creating jewellery which is as sustainable as possible. It is an ethos carried through into thoughtful jewellery design that features sensual shapes, such as in these ‘Tide’ earrings that elongate the hoop for a chic update of a classic.
Prefer a more understated edge to your diamonds? We love the subtle glitter of Carolin Stone’s ‘Hidden Inner Strength’ ring, which forms an undulating wave of hammered gold around a lab-grown diamond. With three gemstones of your choice hidden inside the band, this will make a chic gift for a friend with an April birthday.
Ritique
An unusual placement of diamonds gives hexagon threaders a contemporary uplift in the ‘Hex’ earrings from Ritique. With their angled silhouette and restrained diamond edge, they are an easy way into the diamonds-for-day trend.
Flora Bhattachary
Flora Bhattachary explores unusual forms for edgy fine jewellery. By studding the spiky silhouette of an open star with diamonds in the ‘Taxila’ pendant, a classic motif is brought to life.
Maya Gemstones
The Out of Office collection from Maya Gemstones studs paperclip earrings in diamonds or coils rulers of gold around the wrist for a tongue-in-cheek ode to office attire. The ‘Pencil’ earrings, with a sharply pointed ruby tip, will set the celebratory tone upon the eventual return to the office.
-
This is your chance to invest in some ultra-rare Maison Margiela Tabi bootsPart of the new ‘Tabi Collector’s Series’, these one-of-a-kind Tabis are adorned with 8,000 hand-embroidered beads, sequins and metallic shards – an ode to the pioneering split-toe style, introduced by Martin Margiela in 1989
-
Robbie Williams' chair for Moooi 'is a complete mood'Softly padded and cocoon-like, Robbie Williams’ Introvert chair makes a surprisingly gentle addition to Moooi’s theatrical universe
-
Nordic Knots arrives in London with a stylish pied-à-terre in Mayfair‘Design has always been about creating a feeling’: Nordic Knots brings its vision of home to Mayfair
-
Art takes London: Tiffany & Co, Damien Hirst and artists take over Selfridges' windowsFour British contemporary artists celebrate Tiffany & Co's pioneering history with a series of storied window displays
-
All smiles: How a grillz jewellery making class in London became an international hitWhat started as a passion project quickly exploded in popularity. We get the story behind the grillz-making workshop at Cockpit London
-
Emerging jewellery designers to get to knowThese independent, new and emerging jewellery designers and brands from New York to Paris are firmly on our radar
-
Playing it cool: pearls are having a momentWe'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
-
Eternity rings for the modern coupleEternity rings, whether sleekly minimalist or sprinkled in diamonds, can be a chic and contemporary love token
-
CryptoPunks come to life on Tiffany & Co pendantsTiffany & Co has partnered with blockchain infrastructure company Chain to create custom pendants and NFTiffs
-
Order of the day: Pomellato’s high jewellery takes us from dawn to duskPomellato’s new high jewellery collection, La Gioia, tells the story of a day in precious stones
-
Anklets welded onto the body make romantic and enduring jewellery tokensAtelier VM’s ‘L’Essenziale’ jewellery collection now includes slender gold anklets
