With whimsical designs that range from desserts to potted plants, the UK-based jeweler recently celebrated her brand’s 20th anniversary.
Cora Sheibani launched her own business in 2002, but her interest in making jewelry began at a young age.
“Like all young girls, I used to string beads together,” recalls the London-based jewelry designer, who came to jewelry following her own inspiration, rather than the traditional route of art schools and goldsmithing practice. Her father, Bruno Bischofberger — an art dealer in Zurich, Switzerland — and her mother, Yoyo, were hugely influential in her artistic formation.
Today, her captivating and original designs offer delightful surprises at every turn. From delectable miniature cakes and jellies that tempt the eye, to radiant rings and bracelets that illuminate the darkness, her jewelry pushes the boundaries of the imagination. She crafts shimmering clouds with diamond raindrops, eye-like jewels that seem to gaze back at you, and potted plants overflowing with lush greenery. Boldly blending form and color, her design language embraces playfulness and contradiction.
Reading between the lines
Earlier this year, the book Cora Sheibani: Jewels was released to mark the 20th anniversary of her eponymous jewelry brand.
Sheibani personally asked William Grant, author of Andrew Grima: The Father of Modern Jewellery, to write the book for her. “He is not a jewelry historian, but I decided that he was the right writer because he also talked about who were the gem cutters, who were the goldsmiths,” she explains. “It’s a team effort, not only the creations of a single jeweler.”
This beautifully illustrated volume, featuring a shell-pink cover, is a window into the most intimate aspects of the designer’s life and art. It sheds light on Sheibani’s background, as well as her love of cooking, baking and gardening — themes that are well represented in her jewelry.
Breaking the mold
Between 2006 and 2021, she made a series of eight themed collections with strong storytelling elements, taking inspiration from childhood memories, objects she loves, and everyday locations.
One of the most popular is Copper Mould, which launched in October 2008 in downtown New York. Sheibani collaborated with her goldsmith Sebastian Fässler on this line of dessert-shaped jewels, including gold and gemstone ice cream cones, cupcakes, Christmas puddings, berry tartlets, and even a pretzel necklace.
Among her most recent collections is Pottering Around — an English expression that means indulging in enjoyable, relaxing activities without having much to show for it at the end. Sheibani conceived this collection during the pandemic, when she was spending a lot of time in her London garden rearranging and repotting her plants. The inspiration came from the striking contrast between the untamed, uncontrolled nature of the plants, and the rigid, sculptural vessels that contained them.
“What unites all these collections is color,” she says — an aspect that the cuts enhance in the hard gemstones she favors. “I like diamonds, jasper, jade and all the stones, regardless of what is valuable or not valuable.”
Main image: Cora Sheibani. (Cora Sheibani)
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