Meet The Member - Harriet Kelsall Jewellery
Meet The Member - Harriet Kelsall jewellery
We caught up with our member Harriet to talk about everything Jewellery.
Hi Harriet, what a pleasure to have you as a member and we’re excited to chat with you today! You started Harriet Kelsall bespoke jewellery all the way back in 1998 from your kitchen table and now you have a team of 40 people and stores in Hitchin, London, Cambridge, and St. Albans. What an amazing journey.
What do you think makes Harriet Kelsall jewellery such a success story?
The biggest success for us is that we are truly bespoke specialists and are now the lead bespoke jewellers in the industry. The versatility of skills combined with our expert knowledge helps us stand out; most bespoke jewellers focus on one type of making (either hand or Cad), but we embrace all types of making and construction.
We love that through our mixture of skills and open-minded approach to designing, we can celebrate individuality and let our creativity flow to come up with the best possible designs and final piece. Our whole design process is unlimited, and each one genuinely starts with a clean sheet of paper, designed specifically for an individual- not made of pre-formed parts. This includes when we re-design family heirlooms for future generations too, it can remain like the original or transformed into something new, options are endless.
Another one of our big successes is that we’ve also trailblazed ethics within the industry. We are making positive changes, lobbying Fairtrade, and responsible jewellery. We don’t want anyone being harmed in the supply chain.
You’ve obviously had a passion for jewellery from a young age. What do you think it is about jewellery that has you gripped?
I love the whole design process. Creating that one special piece that people love to wear, something that represents their journey or is a symbol of a part of it. It is more than just jewellery, it’s a creative form that has sentiment. It’s something intimate and special, that when worn it almost becomes a part of your body, that represents you or a loved one, every day. It’s the perfect reminder of who you are.
As a team, we all value the beauty of jewellery, it can be a statement, or sparkly, or low key but regardless of what it becomes, where it comes from is just as beautiful and as the final piece itself. When you think the gemstones and the metal have all formed underground, it is so fascinating. Knowing that we are wearing something that the earth has spent billions of years creating, and through the piece it can pass down to generations to come.
What do you think makes your designs stand apart?
Our customers are the inspiration that makes our design stand apart, they come to us with wonderful inspiring ideas. Unlike others, we work like architects, listen to the ideas and inspirations, and start turning those into sketches- we are experts at working with what we have, interpreting the customer’s style and creating a piece that suits them and their lifestyle.
I think we stand out because, rather than creating pieces of jewellery and marketing it for someone to purchase, we use the design process in its truest bespoke form, for every single piece. We offer each individual options, working together to decide what reflects their style most. Our talented team are motivated by pushing the boundaries of jewellery design and construction, when people come to us with big ideas, we make it happen.
Each design is so personal, that nothing stands in our way in reaching our customer’s idea of perfection. This part is what we enjoy, that interaction, joining a customer’s journey - making it utterly unique to them.
Do you have a favourite piece from your Ready to Wear collection?
I designed a piece that could be worn as either a pendant or brooch, which was originally for a competition to showcase my apprentice’s skills, and to raise awareness of ethics. This is a representation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
We got 17 beautiful, subtly coloured gemstones custom cut to match the SDGs. I think the piece is a beautiful representation of our position on ethics as well as our skills in creating wonderful jewellery. Although one of a kind, it is now a collection piece on sale.
The great thing about our other RTW pieces is that even they can have personalised elements included. We have just launched a new piece into our collection, a delicate pearl pendant sits alongside a disc which can be stamped, engraved, set with a birthstone or other gemstone. It is a beautiful, delicate piece that can mean so much to whoever receives it. See here, and here.
Can you talk us through some of your inspirations?
There have been more than 25000 inspirations over the last 25 years, since starting the business from my kitchen table. It’s hard to choose but there are a few that have stood out over the years. It was amazing to work with a magician, on a ring with a secret opening door that was completely invisible to the naked eye, even when examined closely.
Another one was concealing water taken for the top of Mount Everest, behind a sapphire in a beautiful engagement ring. He was the first person with Cystic Fibrosis to successfully climb Mount Everest, so it was a magnificent sentimental element to include. We are very proud to have designed a stunning brooch for Queen Elizabeth II, especially when we saw the beautiful pictures of her wearing it which featured on her Wikipedia page for a while!
Some of our favourite designs are when someone comes in with a jewellery box of unworn, old jewellery. We design and make pieces that celebrates their style and story, breathing new life into the beautiful pre-loved, raw materials.
You’ve won a whole range of awards. Which are you most proud of?
It’s incredible, over 30 in total! We aren’t proud of just one alone, we are proud of the huge range of different aspects of our business that have been recognised. This shows the scope and breadth of our expertise, for example these include awards for bespoke design, innovation, trailblazing bespoke on the high street, Ethics, technical expertise, and customer service.
Which local fashion St. Albans brands are you a fan of?
We are big fans of Chloe James Lifestyle and The Dressing Room.
When you want to show off a Harriet Kelsall piece, where would you go locally?
We’ve embraced being back in St. Albans and have been so welcomed by the community. Knowing our pieces are making appearances in places like Brunch in Hatch, Hollywell Hill, St Michael’s Manor and Sopwell House is amazing. I quite like casual dining too, and Little Marrakech and Tabure have stunning interiors that inspire our creative thinking, our pieces would look fab there.