Why broken chandeliers?

The Broken Chandelier collection is close to my heart. It epitomises what Adornment is all about because it reuses and revives totally unwanted, old shiny things that no longer have any purpose.

I found the hoard of broken chandelier gems that inspired and form the focus of the collection in an old mug in a north eastern antique shop when I was on holiday. I’m convinced the owner had forgotten they were there!

While I wasn’t sure how I could use them at the time, the chandelier gems inspired the same feeling as when I was given my first ever beads by my Grandma when I was 10 - that I was holding treasure.

Read more about Adornment’s origin’s here.

I shared how I prepared the gems for reworking on Instagram in this reel. After which it took me a few months of tinkering with ideas and sourcing a good selection of vintage chains and preloved pearls before I had managed to pull together the ten piece collection.

The six necklaces and four bracelets are all unique but share the same, ultimately simple materials of the chandelier gems in different 'cuts’, lustrous preloved pearls and beautiful vintage chains.

Each piece is named after a classic movie star because of the old school glamour of the chandelier gems; from Janet Leigh to Sydney Poitier. Which may also hint at the fact that when designing this collection I sought to create pieces that are gender neutral because I really believe everyone should be able to adorn themselves sustainably.

Hope you love the collection and the inspiration

Katy