Emily
A born and bred Londoner, Emily’s background in animation, natural talent for sketching, and her love of all things vintage keep her creative flame burning bright. She delights in working directly with people who receive, wear and treasure the rings she so carefully designs.
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Before joining Taylor & Hart, Emily would foster her interest in jewellery by perusing local auction houses and jewellery exhibitions. She would frequent Sotheby’s to search for unique and odd vintage trinkets that she could add to her eclectic collection. From delicate Edwardian pieces to retro cocktail rings, Emily fully immersed herself into the industry, developing a contextual and historical knowledge of jewellery.
I’m always amazed at the variation of jewellery there is at auctions. Surprisingly, there’s a lot of modern jewellery. However for some buyers, it’s all about provenance. Sometimes there are ancient Roman rings for sale, I’d really like to own one! There was once a ring with a green man carved from an emerald. At auctions you can find odd things that you wouldn’t see anywhere else!
Emily
Quickfire Q&A
What is your favourite metal?
Yellow gold. I used to love only white metals, but recently I have become drawn to yellow gold as it emits a subtle warmth.
What is your favourite gemstone?
My favourite gemstone is a sapphire, as they come in so many rich colours. When you get a good sapphire, it’s as bright as a diamond. I love them because they can have a lot of life and a really intense colour!
What is your favourite stone shape?
I like the radiant shape. It’s geometric like an emerald cut, yet sparkly like a cushion cut, so a radiant cut is a good combination of the two.
How would you describe your design style in three words?
Geometric, vintage, expressive.
Sources Of Inspiration
Salvador Dali | Surrealism
During the creative process of designing a ring, Emily draws inspiration from her favourite artists and designers. For a sense of meaning and flair, she looks at the works of artists such as Salvador Dali–his surrealist style is encapsulated in his famous Royal Heart pendant, symbolic of passionate love and desire.
“Salvador Dali’s “Royal Heart” was created in honour of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, signifying “the ruler whose heart beats for its people”. I loved that Dali started with a concept and used it as the foundation for his design, before considering the execution. It wasn’t about what he could do, but instead the project was led by his imagination, figuring out how he would technically achieve the idea afterwards. He looked at the medium of jewellery from a completely new perspective” – Emily
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Rene Lalique | Art Nouveau
Rene Lalique’s ornate, masterful glass and jewellery work also provides a great source of inspiration for Emily, as his work is an example of master craft and originality. Emily tends to look at Lalique’s interpretation of naturalism in jewellery when designing a vintage or organic piece.
“Lalique shows that jewellery doesn’t have to be what you expect. He created beautiful pieces of jewellery which were pieces of art in their own right. Lalique captured the art movement of the time perfectly in exceptionally crafted items of fine jewellery, which were as suitable for wearing as they were to be admired”. – Emily
Byzantine Era
With a passion for antique jewellery, Emily takes inspiration from the Byzantine era–an eastern Roman empire existing between 330 and 1453 CE. At its height, the empire’s borders crossed the Mediterranean and into the northern African coastline. As the strongest economy in Europe at the time, the empire produced a wealth of culture, most commonly rooted in church theology.
Religious iconography was prevalent at the time, but jewellery was also heavily influenced by the intricacy of the artistic movement, featuring cabochon gemstones and detailed embossed motifs–both of which still feature in modern jewellery design. Particularly inspired by organic motifs, flora and fauna from the natural world were ornately weaved into designs crafted in gold and silver.
Emily’s favourite design
Every ring we craft tells a story. Each of our incredibly talented design consultants are tasked with weaving this story into a fully-realised design, subtly imparting their flair and skill along the way. While each ring is designed with the utmost care and thought, our design consultants do have their favourites…
“This was the first bespoke ring I designed for a customer. I love that it’s vintage and has different coloured custom cut gemstones. The ring had a leaf engraving, which I thought was a beautiful touch. It’s also in my favourite metal, yellow gold”. – Emily
With a natural passion for jewellery, Emily has developed a distinctive, nuanced approach to design. She combines her love of vintage with a touch of bold flamboyance to visualise each one of our customer’s stories in an engagement ring. With a relaxed demeanour and gentle approach, Emily brings a touch of magic to each engagement ring she designs.