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Solange has the best jewels in town.
No, not Beyoncé’s sister — Solange Azagury-Partridge, the jewellery designer, holds more sway among west London’s fashionistas, anyway. Now celebrating 35 years at the top of her game, the inventor of the “hotlips” enamel ring is publishing her first book with Rizzoli. “I used to write letters and I’d kiss the paper with lipstick — that’s where the lips came from,” she says.
Below, she shares everything she has learnt about how to accessorise-up.
When it comes to buying jewellery, I like to think of it as building up jewellery wardrobe. So you've got your hoop earrings, your chain necklace, your pearl earrings and maybe a pearl necklace: the classics. They can be more generic and you can kind of buy them from anywhere, in a way. Anything that has more individuality to it, and anything you’re going to spend a lot of money on, you've got to make sure you love that jeweller.
Antique and vintage jewellery can do it, too. You can really get good value for your money. But I think you just need to educate yourself on who the people are you should be spending your money with.
Avoid tradition. The first thing I designed was my own engagement ring. I was pretty sure about how I wanted my one to look, and I didn't want it to be traditional for a start. I wanted something that felt very me, and that felt a bit youthful, a bit rough around the edges. It ended up being a big dome of gold with an uncut diamond sticking out of one side.
I don't paint my nails. I used to when I was much younger. I find that having painted nails and jewellery is a bit like tautology. One negates the other, or it's just all a bit too much. I put my colour in my jewellery now. It's a way of adding colour to your hands without having to paint your nails. I don’t wear lipstick either; I put the lipstick on my ring instead.
It's imperative to mix and match, in the same way as one would do with clothes. I just think to be head to toe in one look is kind of dead. You're not really expressing yourself. Some pieces you have are sentimental, they're not necessarily intrinsically valuable. Some pieces are a bit more fun, some more serious. Just mix it all up. It's who you are, isn't it?
I'm definitely an accessorise-up rather than a dresser upper. I won't really dress up. My shoes will be great. My bag will be great. My jewellery will be great. But the clothes in between… maybe not so much. I suppose the earrings get a bit bigger in the evening.
I'm not sure I believe in trends. I think it's down to the person. Some people don’t want their jewellery to make them stand out too much, they just want to be covered in a kind of glittering glow. Some people don't want their jewels to be at the talking point, and that’s ok.
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The jewellery muse of every jeweller is Elizabeth Taylor. She just loved it and wore it and bought it and wore it again and again. She wasn't a borrower, she would wear her emeralds or rubies to premieres and they would be the same she always wore. She wore her big fat diamond ring every day. She was the kind of person that wore her jewellery and way you want.
Jewellery should be worn, you know. Don't keep it hidden away. Don't put it in a safe. Just wear it and enjoy it.
Solange: Jewellery for Chromantics (Rizzoli, £73); solange.co.uk
