Olivia Creber’s twisted, oversized hoops encrusted with organic, uncut crystals are inspired by the geographical extremes of the Australian Outback and the jagged cliffs of the Sussex Downs. ‘I grew up spending half of my time in each place,’ explains the West Sussex-based jewellery designer, who admits that she has ‘never really thought on a small scale’. Rather, Creber is drawn to the idea of ‘being inspired by something enormous and factoring it down to a wearable form.’
While her earring designs curve like tree trunks or spindly stalactices, these organic instincts are offset by the use of opulent gold vermeil in her designs. ‘When I am creating something I want to make layers,’ says Creber – who completed a Jewellery and Metal Masters at the Royal College of Art in 2016. 'I really double take at anything from the Baroque period, due to all the different facets. Everything about that period is glamorous and dramatic.’
The biggest challenge when creating her current Beyond Crystal Planes hoop designs, Creber says, was trying to make something ‘that was large but also light’. Clusters of uncut stones, sourced in Sussex, are bound in electroformed sterling silver, creating a shell of metal around an internal weightless structure. ‘They have the illusion of weight,’ she points out. ‘That aligns with my concept of having magical surprises in my pieces, like the landscapes they are inspired by.’
Left, encrusted hoops in sterling silver, gold vermeil, Herkimer diamond and silicone. Right, a rock formation of the Sussex Downs.
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Olivia Creber website
-
Meet Malak Mattar, the Palestinian artist behind the 'Together for Palestine' concert at London's Wembley ArenaThe London-based artist curates a landmark concert of music and art in support of Gaza, alongside Brian Eno, James Blake, Jamie xx, Neneh Cherry and more
-
A new coffee table book proves that one designer’s trash is another’s treasureThe Rizzoli tome, launching today (16 September 2025), delves into the philosophy and process of Retrouvius, a design studio reclaiming salvaged materials in weird and wonderful ways
-
A carbon-emission-busting house, yeast-biomass building, and more ‘Designs for a Cooler Planet’‘Designs for a Cooler Planet’ returns to Aalto University in Finland as part of the annual Helsinki design and architecture week, highlighting buildings, materials and solutions towards a better future
-
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
