FASHION

collection interview
Left to right:
Crystal Haze Helix
Marquise Ring with
Green Agate
Murder She Wrote
Poison Apple Ring
Jewels Verne Caged Cuff
30
from a market that had supported him throughout those
early years.
For a time, American success was enough, but the tide
was turning and Stephen knew it was only a matter of time
before Britain woke up. In 1995 renowned jewellery house
Garrard gave Stephen a show, which he says was the first
sign of anyone in Britain showing any interest. “In some
ways we were ready for when the rest of the world began
to embrace jewellery as the next thing in fashion. By that I
mean that it became fashionable to wear jewellery again. By
then my style was edgy, inspired by tattoos and rock ‘n’ roll -
the press got hold of me, because they needed characters and
a story, and things started to shift. Since then it’s felt like we
are trying to run to keep up.”
Despite this mushroom effect on his business, and the
fact that he now boasts a team that includes a designer
from Chanel’s own jewellery house in Paris and graduates
from the Royal College, Stephen refuses to stop being
involved with design. “If I’m not involved people will know.
There’s something in the DNA and you can get it right or
wrong, and that’s the challenge.”
It’s now 16 years since Stephen’s
first show in London and he is still
credited as one of the great jewellery
innovators, working with new materials,
designing new techniques and being at
the forefront of a trend that has seen a
massive upsurge in jewellery for men.
“It was a really conscious choice to get more men wearing
jewellery. For a long time there were few places for a guy to
look at a whole collection, all that was on offer to us was
cygnet rings, cufflinks, pens and some other hideous things!
I launched the Ray Man collection which got a lot of press,
and then another collection using iron which our male clients
went mad for. It pushed enough boundaries but offered
something men really loved to wear. And I think that’s where
a lot of our success has been, understanding our clients. Men
are loyal; once you’ve got them as a client they don’t stop
buying things, they get right into it and buy into the lifestyle
you’re offering. They’re the perfect clients really!”
Stephen didn’t stop pushing the boundaries there, crediting
his unique Crystal Haze collection as not only his favourite,
We were cheeky and
bold and had an
attitude in a world
that had no attitude
but a vital chapter in his life. Crystal Haze is, essentially, a
technique that Stephen invented and has used to great effect.
The process involves layering a stone under another stone, to
make it look bigger. “The concept is extremely old, dating back
to the Victorian era, but the way I used it was very new. And
I suddenly had something no one else had,” explains Stephen.
“It changed everything for us. It felt really rock ‘n’ roll, like an
illusion. I was credited with reinventing the cocktail ring, which
set off something in New York, then Madonna had one, and
then Crystal Haze became a whole collection.”
These days Stephen is still designing some of the most
imaginative and exciting collections around; you only have
to look at his latest Murder She Wrote range to see its genius
lies in his playful and subversive streak. Then there’s the other
side of his focus, his role as creative director of Garrard which
sees him working with an established name as custodian of the
brand. “It’s been really cool being part of that, especially since
they gave me my first show in the UK. And something as old
and respected as Garrard comes with a clout which is different
to my brand – and it’s been exciting watching it develop.”
A busy man, then, but Stephen’s home
life, split between Marylebone and the
Kent coast, offers a place to get away and
find new inspiration. “I love London - my
walk to work has got to be one of the best
walks to work in the world, from my flat
on Monatgue Square down to Mayfair.
But my home is Kent. I have to be by the
sea. It’s my second biggest inspiration, its rich blue colours,
and its changeable nature – it has a really strange influence
on my work and I love it. I wake up and can see France from
my window, it’s magic.”
Stephen clearly finds inspiration everywhere and perhaps
most pertinently is still moved and motivated by the rich
history of his industry. “When you think about Lalique
or Cartier, these people were incredible – you look back
through their body of work and get a bit blown away by it.
And I love the way that a jeweller in history has been looked
at differently over the years. Do you know that in Saxon
times the craftsmanship was so incredible, that they’d cut the
jeweller’s Achilles tendons so he couldn’t leave? It was better
to cripple a jeweller than lose him!
“Even these days, people like my good friend Turkish
designer Sevan Bicakci, amaze me. His headquarters in
Istanbul are like an old jewellery house, this
incredible building full of artisans. I
love it when I see something that’s a
combination of incredible design
and craftsmanship, – because
jewellery has got to be both.
You can be the best designer
in the world, but it’s only
half the story. Jewellery is a
craft; we’re not artists,
we’re artisans.” n
Stephen Webster
jewellery is exclusively
available at Charles
Fish, Cabot Place
www.charlesfish.co.uk