Punk, pearls and politics: a new book pays tribute to Vivienne Westwood's glorious jewellery

Jewellery was never an afterthought for Vivienne Westwood, who began to create extraordinary pieces at the intersection of jewellery and fashion upon the opening of her King’s Road boutique in 1971. Then, chains hung from T-shirts dotted with studs, or emblazoned with statements - ‘Rock’, ‘Perv,’ ‘Fuck’ – spelt out in chicken bones.

It marked the beginning of a distinctive jewellery style which encompassed everything from punk to pastels. In Westwood’s hands, jewellery was daring, fun, fearless and feisty, becoming something entirely her own.

Westwood’s love of the medium is the subject of a new book, Vivienne Westwood & Jewellery, published by Thames & Hudson. 'Safety-pins piercing faces. Pearl chokers and droplet earrings borrowed from Elizabethan portraits. Bondage chains and sado-masochistic buckled cuffs and dog-collars. Crowns and medallions and bejewelled regal orbs. The jewellery vocabulary of Vivienne Westwood is as distinct and immediately recognisable as that of her clothing,’ says author, fashion critic Alexander Fury.

Ten chapters pay homage to the jewellery which defined Westwood’s style, from pearls to bows, a DIY philosophy to memento mori. Throughout, we notice omnipresent themes. Sex is a frequent reference, particularly when translated into the embellished cuffs and padlocks synonymous with BDSM. Activism, too, is key, with political slogans and recycled materials an enduring favourite for Westwood, while punk, safety pins and badges will always remain a hallmark of Westwood’s style.

‘Jewellery is powerful, and it can be loaded with meaning,’ adds Andreas Kronthaler, creative director, Vivienne Westwood. ‘It marks life, and it gives importance to it. The Orb logo itself is a jewel, symbolising the world with its past, its present and through adding the Saturn ring, its future. It’s very British and very Vivienne.’

'Vivienne Westwood & Jewellery' is published by Thames & Hudson