The designer’s innovative use of color in her designs means her collections have found admirers from across the globe.
Solange Azagury-Partridge, one of Britain’s most famous jewelry designers and a former creative director of Boucheron, finds her inspiration in color rather than gems. “When I use color, the design is about color – not about the stone,” she says.
Her love of color is reflected in her sumptuous showroom in West London. Azagury-Partridge’s designed it to be a bold statement using an exotic combination of hues which are also reflected in the pop-inspired jewels of her brand, Solange.
Her jewels can also be found at a very different London address – they are on show at the Victoria and Albert Museum, while in Paris they are on permanent display at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs. But it’s not just in Europe where Azagury-Partridge has gained a following for her colorful designs. She often travels to New York, where she has a boutique on East 68th Street.
Azagury-Partridge’s latest collection, Scribbles, was inspired by the musings she ‘scribbled’ around her jewelry designs, and includes pieces such as the Orange and Pink Ring, set with a fire opal. Here she tells us more about her approach to design:
What inspires you?
Everything and anything. If a subject interests me, I will attempt to turn the ideas into jewelry. For example, Supernature was about the five classic elements of nature, so the fire of a lightning bolt became a diamond earring and the water of the sea became the carved gold waves supporting a pearl emerging from them. Chromance was a collection about my love of color. I designed one or more pieces expressing every color, for example the Blade and Chlorophyll necklaces and Kryptonite ring, for Green. I want jewelry to be a joyful addition to people’s lives. That’s what jewels should be.
What made you choose a career as a jeweler?
As a frustrated visual artist, I accidentally found myself working firstly at costume jewelers Butler and Wilson, and then with the antique dealer Gordon Watson. My fascination for jewelry evolved during those years and I designed my own engagement ring (a simple gold band with an uncut diamond), which led to earrings, a bracelet and then requests from friends to make pieces for them.
How do you work on your creations from sourcing to designing?
I start with a concept, create the design, work out which will be the best method and craftsperson suited to the task and then source the gemstones associated with the piece. The Metamorphosis collection required virtually everybody in my contacts book – wax carvers, stone cutters, mounters and setters.
Who is the Solange Azagury-Partridge jewelry woman?
I’m not 100% sure, but perhaps she’s a person who definitely would rather have a piece of jewelry that isn’t ubiquitous. Somebody who loves the individual, and the unusual.
Can you tell us more about Hotlips?
Hotlips is my most accessible piece of jewelry. In silver and color saturated lacquer, sold on a standalone website it’s fashion and zeitgeist led. I use the structure of the ring as a blank canvas upon which to support any design, such as the Summer, Leopard, Icicle or Flags. This enables the ring to constantly evolve and remain endlessly modern.
Which designers do you admire?
I’ve always loved Lalique for his poetry, artistry and supreme craftsmanship.
Can you tell us more about your creations that made their way to the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris?
It was a privilege to be asked by the Museum to choose some pieces they would include in their permanent exhibition. I chose a cross-section of pieces that best described my work and spirit and some kinetic pieces like Days of the Week and Round Spinner. The Afghan bangle is imbued with meaning and has a secret compartment containing the stoned woman while the Broken Heart Ring, worn on two fingers or separately, was an idea that came to me in a dream.
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