Alice Cicolini’s traditional jewels are given a contemporary spin by Motley London, who have partnered with the fine jeweller for a heavenly new collection.
Moon Landing draws tantalising orbs in Cicolini’s signature enameling technique, bringing to life a host of other worlds and galaxies. For this collection, she has collaborated with artist Simon Emery, whose work with car paint results in swirling, marbled designs.
‘I’ve admired Simon’s work for years, and I’m the proud owner of a Porsche bonnet that he’s sprayed in his distinctive style,’ says Cicolini. ‘It wasn’t much of a leap for me to suggest we work together. He’s an extraordinary inventor and creative, and I really respond to collaborating with other artists who have that passion to explore and create something new.’
The resulting collection, composed of earrings, studs, rings, necklaces and more, is crafted in gold vermeil and sterling silver. Created in Motley’s Thai atelier, it was then hand-painted at Emery’s Essex workshop and finished in Hatton Garden.
Cicolini and Emery explored different techniques for the other-worldly effect, experimenting with a custom vintage paint for the distinctive moon crater texture. ‘I really wanted to bring some of Simon’s aesthetic of classic cars and circus typography to the jewellery,’ explains Cicolini. ‘It’s the first time that this car spray paint technique is being applied to jewellery, and we’re playing with vintage paint from House of Kolor in Minneapolis as well as techniques from the 1970s to create this distinctive moon crater texture. It’s just the beginning for me I think.’
For Motley, the chance to translate the artists’ visions into accessible jewels was too good to pass up. ‘We love that this came to life,’ they say. ‘When we first looked at it, it seemed like such a mad idea – getting tiny bits of unassembled jeweller made by stone cutters, silversmiths, casters polishers around the world, then off to a garage in Essex, then to Hatton Garden again. But like all genius ideas it was worth it.’
INFORMATION
motley-london.com
-
Seven designers rethinking wood at London Design FestivalAt this year’s London Design Festival, wood proves itself anything but static. We highlight seven designers shaping, colouring, and engineering it in surprising ways
-
Inside Kazakhstan’s brutalist Tselinny cinema – now a hub for contemporary cultureTselinny Center of Contemporary Culture, a modernist landmark redesigned for its new purpose by Asif Khan, gears up for its grand opening in Kazakhstan
-
Oliver Spencer’s orbiting installation offers a meditative shopping experience during London Design FestivalAt Oliver Spencer’s Shoreditch store, a sensory light installation by Studio Rhythmics offers a calming moment during LDF
-
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
