Flowers for spring and summer isn’t a novel concept, but it’s a strong, steadfast one that we can rely on year after year.
I love a good flower—in a jewel, a print, a picture. Any variety, too. But most of all I love a daisy.
So I absolutely melted at the first sight of Kitty Joyas’ In Full Bloom collection, a new release inspired by the summer season in England, a vibrant, celebratory occasion.
I mean, the Daisy Chain choker (at top), the Dahlia studs—are you kidding me? Summer embodied. And the collection’s use of recycled silver and gold plating means it’s totally attainable for the season—and beyond—and the pieces lend themselves to be mixed and matched beautifully.
Below, the brand’s founder and designer Kitty Fuller gives JCK the lowdown on In Full Bloom and what else is in store for Kitty Joyas.
Can you share a little more about the ideas behind this line?
In Full Bloom mixes new inspiration with our signature hammered textures and organic forms. The new collection draws on the bright vivid hues of spring and summer in the U.K.; this year has felt particularly full of bloom, and I have always been super inspired and happy around the color found in nature at this time of year.
Handcrafted daisy and dahlia silhouettes are peppered throughout the collection, while references to England’s vibrant summer palette have been embedded in playful, highly wearable earrings, rings, and necklaces. Garden green grass, sunset oranges, seaside blue hues, and floral pink tones are balanced with the use of recycled gold and silver, as well as some quintessentially English touches like the addition of baroque pearls.
As well as the English aummer, I found huge inspiration when I visited the Klimt and Mondrian exhibition at the Tate Modern in April. Visiting the exhibition allowed me to revisit the bench and some existing design ideas I’d been working on, and make much braver decisions about how I used color in the collection.
For me, inspiration has always been really instantaneous. I had been waiting a few months to get the right inspiration for a summer collection that felt authentic to my core design values, so I am over the moon to be able to translate my ideas for In Full Bloom into everyday, highly wearable jewelry. I dedicated a lot of time to perfecting this collection and making sure the proportions and sizes would suit our customers—I feel there is something for every occasion!
Which style is your favorite?
I am in love with the Daisy Choker—it feels bold and playful, but still a piece that can be worn and enjoyed in an everyday context. I adore it.
Take us through the creation process. How is the hammer technique done?
I began by sketching out every single idea and trialing out the different color options using my watercolor pencils. Once I had narrowed down the designs and color combos I like, I then got straight to it and bought some recycled sterling silver sheet and wire from my local bullion dealer in Hatton Garden. I then hand-drew (with a metal scriber) the designs and shapes and pierced these out with my bench saw—for me, this is key to be able to see pieces come to life before I make the final decision and solder them together. I use my Bronze Age hammer to create the “perfectly imperfect” shapes and texture to my pieces, and the hammer also helps to naturally form heated wire into more interesting, unique shapes.
For the enameling process, I use a cold cure enameling technique, allowing for much more possibility than the vitreous enamel technique. Cold cure means I have more flexibility in terms of color mixing and I’m able to add enamel to pieces that have soldered parts, unlike with vitreous enameling where I’d have to put the pieces in a kiln, and often this damages small solder joins.
Finally, pieces are locally cast, polished, and plated (using fair mined gold plating) in a family-run business partner that we work with in Hatton Garden.
What do you hope clients will feel when wearing this jewelry?
When everything suddenly comes alive in the U.K. around March/April, I always wonder how we live through the dark and gloomy winter months! This collection celebrates this joyful feeling of entering the new season, and my aim was to make people feel like this when wearing the pieces. Each piece is a nod to a forever summer feeling and aims to make people feel optimistic when they wear it—something I aim to deliver with any piece I design. While the collection is a spring/summer launch and based around a seasonal color palette, my hope for the collection is that, like all my designs, it becomes a seasonless forever favorite in someone’s jewelry box. I want people to buy, wear, and enjoy their Kitty Joyas jewelry all year round, for many years to come. This is why I launched Joyas Renew, a refresh service for pieces to be repolished, replated, etc., so customers can enjoy them for as long as possible.
Does the brand have any plans for other summer releases? What can we expect in the future?
Yes. Midsummer we will be launching a new style of pearl earrings in both gold and silver, which I am really excited about. Beyond this, as a small team, all of our energy is being channeled into our first fine jewelry collection, which will be live before the end of this year. This will be a huge moment for us, and we’re already well into the planning and designing process. I can’t wait to share more!
See the collection in its entirety here.
Top: Daisy Chain choker necklace in recycled sterling silver and 18k yellow gold plate, £545 ($690); Kitty Joyas
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