Award-winning jewelry writer and curator Melanie Grant explains the criteria that aspiring collectors of wearable art should have in mind when looking for their pieces.

Jewelry Connoisseur Podcast – Episode 6 – Season 2

Welcome to the Jewelry Connoisseur podcast. And now your host, Sonia Esther Soltani.

Welcome to the Jewelry Connoisseur podcast, a podcast for people in the jewelry industry that want to learn more and jewelry lovers, who want to expand their knowledge. In this podcast we talk about everything that has to do with antique and vintage jewelry.

I am your host, Sonia Esther Soltani, the editor in chief of Rapaport. I edit a monthly magazine for the trade that covers everything from mining to retail. I'm also editing an online publication, Jewelry Connoisseur, like this podcast and an Instagram account, Rapaport Jewelry Pro. We cover gemstones, estate jewelry and contemporary design.

Sonia: Hi, Melanie. So nice to have you with us today. How are you?

Melanie: Hi, Sonia. Fine. I have a bit of a cold, so I'm a bit chesty, but I'm very excited by this conversation and I've had to really think about, you know, what I'm doing because you don't really think about collecting. You just sort of end up doing it. So made me think about how it works.

Sonia: Absolutely. And I know you started as a collector with antique silver jewelry. Can you tell us how you started?

Melanie: Yes. So I started as a teenager. I was a goth as a teenager. So I was quite punky. And I used to wear a lot of black leather and black chiffon and silver jewelry, massive crosses and like really big set of jewelry. So I used to go to flea markets in London like Camden and Notting Hill, and I bought things, you know, haggle for hours with these poor people so I could sort of bedeck myself in silver. And then my grandma really had a nice collection of Marcasite, which are not a lot of people know about these days. And it was very popular in ancient Greece, Victorian times, Art Deco, sorry Art Nouveau eras, and it's kind of polished pyrite, which is fool's gold. And you could put it, you know, you could buy it in silver. And it was actually kind of a bit diamondy, but obviously not diamond. So I got into that and I had a lot of that and then I went into vintage jewelry, vintage costume. So it was really I bought Trifari, Goossens, Robert, Weiss, Gripoix, but very affordable, quite big spangly pieces. But, you know, not Dior and Chanel, I couldn't afford that at the time. And then I sort of got into the real stuff in my thirties and forties.

Sonia: The real stuff. Well, we'll talk about it. Before that what kind of learning experience was it for you to be a collector? What are the best ways to get on about starting a collection?

Melanie: Well, I think I was inspired to collect because women around me who are really stylish and powerful always had good jewelry. I noticed that about powerful women and I was intrigued by the connexion and the relationship between their style and social kind of personal power and the jewelry. So I would sort of, you know, my grandma was very stylish and there was a couple of other women who I used to sort of notice, like mothers of friends. I was intrigued by their jewelry and so I think I started quite young, being quite intoxicated by other people's jewelry. And then I started saving up and I had various jobs as a teenager and I loved waiting to buy something that could then learn about in the process of waiting for it. So I think I started the journey quite young, but I didn't really buy anything I truly loved probably until I was about 16, so I didn't have that much money. But by then I was very curious about what jewelry meant.

Sonia: And you actually wrote a whole book two years ago, Coveted, which has become the reference for everyone that likes art jewelry and wants to know about the names, the big contemporary designers, the different themes. And I think maybe there's something we could just define now for our audience what you call art jewelry. Because I think this today what we've tried to look at not just the antiques but more the art jewelry that people want to collect for the future, creating this long term, valuable, not in terms of money, but valuable in terms of meaning, collection.

Melanie: Yes. Coveted probably you know, asked me about the process, my journey of collecting. I think the last leg of my journey that was becoming a curator and a writer and a commentator after a lifetime of collecting. So Coveted sort of came out of 20 years of real obsession. And I asked the question, can jewelry be art? And I discovered that it can at the very top level, when it's rare and unique and handmade and it makes you feel something. It might be changes design, it changes the perception of reality, and it tends to be big, and it tends to be sculptural, and it tends to change you when it comes into your life. And I realised for me that definition of art jewelry is that not to be confused with artist jewelry, which is when a fine artist then extends their practise into jewelry. For me there's no separation. Doesn't matter what discipline you're working in. You can be a sculptor who makes jewelry, or you can be a glass maker who makes a necklace. It's just, is the piece itself a piece of art. So I would say art jewelry is something that stands apart from fine jewelry in that is more than product. It is an entity within its own right.

Sonia: And what would you advise someone who just wants to start someone that's got offered Coveted, they loved it and now they want to start the journey themselves. What would you tell them? What's the first steps to take and the advice and the pitfalls to avoid?

Melanie: So I'd say if you're going to start collecting, become a patron and by that patrons are like a support system to designers. It's not just here is money, give me a piece. It's about a collaboration between somebody who wants to wear a piece of a designer and somebody who wants that piece on that person's body. So take it quite seriously. You know, go to galleries, get to know dealers, read, take your time, don't buy on a whim. Really think about carefully what you're creating. And have something which resonates with your life that you can wear that's comfortable. You know, there are practical elements like if you're collecting antique jewelry that needs to be signed, have an original box and paperwork. If it's contemporary jewelry, then ideally you want some kind of connexion or relationship with the designer. But I would say start small and build and buy what you can afford. Don't overstretch yourself to buy something which you think is going to make money down the line. You've got to wear it. It's a lifelong endeavor. It's not something that you just buy and put in a box and that's it. Is something which evolves with your life. So, you know, just go into it with that kind of mindset, I would say.

Sonia: And I know your passion is contemporary designers and the designers of the future to identify who's the next JAR or Wallace Chan... You actually wrote also chapter for a book on Wallace Chan last year. Who would you say today are the interesting names to follow, even if you don't buy them yet, but at least you know they are out there, and what they doing?

Melanie: Even the expensive designers often have much cheaper things I don't really talk about which you can buy. But we mentioned JAR. He's obviously a big name. He sells probably for 10 times the original price auction. But, you know, you can buy some titanium earrings from him, which aren't too expensive. Other big names, you know, you mentioned Wallace Chan, who's probably one of the biggest names from the east, from China. And he does sort of titanium butterfly brooches. So even the big names is a way in. If you do your research, Viren Baghat is another one. I mean, he's probably a bit more expensive. You know, he has a lot of platinum and diamonds. These are all designers who at auction do very well. So if you're going for an investment angle, they're quite a good place. If you've got the money. More affordable people still quite expensive, but more affordable, probably in people like Hemmerle, Taffin. I very much like David Michael, the Australian twins, because they do five pieces a year and I think they're very collectable. Obviously they're classics like Belperron. I'm also quite a fan of Vanguard who are from Rome, and Daniel Brush, who again, you know, is a multidisciplinary artist. A more affordable still, a good place to start, I would say, in terms of budget people like Capucine Huguet. She's a French designer who is based in London and she won a competition last year and I think she's going to have some very interesting things coming out. Jacqueline Rabun is very good and has a lot of very nice pieces at the Carpenters Workshop. I think Ten Thousand Things in New York, again, quite affordable and they'll make hand-cut things for people so you don't have to go big. Joy BC in London, Nicholas Lieou in Hong Kong, and Lola Fenhirst in Paris. Three other side mentioned. So all of those people, you could probably approach them with a half decent budget and get something completely original.

Sonia: What advice would you give to someone who works with a high-end designer, who has an artistic personality?

Melanie: You've got to be patient. You've got to understand that it's not about you. So sometimes collectors who have a lot of money go in saying, I want this and I want a big diamond here, and anyone good is going to just say that. You know, you have to trust them to do what they do. And what they do is see who you are and give you something which they think you should have. We sometimes you have to grow into many years later. I've bought things which I didn't actually like at the time, and I've been them wearing for 20 years. You know, they see something in you, you don't necessarily understand at the time. I would say it's definitely worth having a budget, a top budget in mind, because often as creative people, they'll say, but we could do this, this and this, and it's like twice the price. So you have to say, I can not go over this budget whatever happens, if there was a biblical flood, we still can't go over this budget. So just understand that, and you have to give them a long time because a piece can take years and you have to be prepared to be challenged because they might not agree with you. But the main thing is you have to understand your role as a collector. I mean, your role really is to support and collaborate, but not to direct.

Sonia: And I think we talked earlier about going to galleries and auctions to have an idea of the value, because even if it's an artistic approach and it's a creative collaboration, even if you're going to wear it, you still see it as an investment. So would you recommend people start to see what the names are selling at the auctions just to have a frame of reference or to be a bit braver and just go to galleries that show young designers, the young artists, and just follow their feelings more.

Melanie: I think it depends how you're going to collect, you know, what your parameters are. You're going to collect a certain era. You could just collect rubies or you're going to collect contemporary titanium jewelry. I mean, you have to decide what kind of jewelry you're going to collect. And then when you've done that, intrinsic value and jewelry are obviously very closely linked. I would advise people to go with their gut and not trying to buy something which they think will get more expensive because that is a bit of a fool's errand. And I find that men in general are more interested in investment potential than women because women are buying to wear and most men are buying to have investment. So I think if you're going to actually wear the piece, it means something different to you. If you're a good collector and you have a vision because it is yours, it will acquire value. If we look at someone like Liz Taylor, it's a random selection of things. She had some Bulgari. She has some Cartier. She had a lot of different things. But because it was hers, we wanted, it had value. So I would be much more concerned with creating something that you loved and that itself will have the hold, the highest value and you'll be part of design history. So I think great collectors don't collect to make money. They collect because they can't not collect.

Sonia: I think that's your case as well. I think over the years you've collected a lot of pieces that you cherish and without going into the collection in specific names or specific pieces, what did you think was like a completely unexpected find in your journey that you still cherish today? You said something very interesting about designer creating a piece, at the time you didn't like it and you've been wearing it for 20 years. So they saw something.

Melanie: Yes. I was photographed for a book a couple of years ago about women in the arts. And I really wanted to wear an original piece of jewelry. So I asked Ute Decker, who's somebody I really like who does very contemporary fair trade silver and gold. And she'd make me a bracelet for the shoot. I wanted it, but I couldn't afford it at the time. I did buy a ring from her, which is sort of curved silver and it's a fascinating thing. It's not really my style, you know, it's very big. But I often like things with a lot of stones quite over the top. But it was very simple. And every time I wear it, it does something. People have to talk about it. And so I think sometimes you surprise yourself with things that you want, and it's an image which I'll give you of myself. And people often ask me about the jewelry I'm wearing in that. So it's been great because I started buying her work, you know, I think I bought the first thing at Masterpiece seven years ago or something. And now we're at a stage where she's having solo shows and she's become somebody quite well known. And I think that's I've loved being on that journey with her, just sort of silent in the background, you know. So I think that is a great part of collecting. You can become something more with that person as they grow as a designer.

Sonia: I remember I discovered Ute's work thanks to you. I think I saw a picture of you and you had the piece of jewelry. It might have been for the Phaidon book. Actually, I think that you were wearing it on one of the shoots and it's just superb and it fits you, it is just everything is so connected to you, to your personality, it's just a piece of you it became like an extension of you.

Melanie: Yeah. And I love that. The more you know, the more you want something that's probably independent, that's not to say if I could afford some vintage Cartier, I wouldn't buy it. Of course I would. But the same budget probably would go a bit further, you know, with an independent designer. So you do end up wanting to discover new people and get in at the stage where you can afford to buy something quite incredible. And I think that's very exciting as a collector, discovering somebody you know is going to be quite interesting.

Sonia: Investigative work is not just for the present to find this new upcoming designer, but I know you also love to know who are the makers. So when you think of Bulgari or Cartier, you also want to know all the big names who were the first makers of a specific style? Can you tell us a bit more? Because I think that's very interesting for people who are interested in jewelry and history and looking for information and more from a piece than just the piece itself.

The Jewelry Connoisseur Podcast will be back after this break.

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Sonia: Do you feel like sometimes collectors are not brave enough? Like they don't go to names they really have never heard of because they feel the safety net of buying the Van Cleef, the Cartier, the Bulgari. It could be a beautiful piece. They cou ld see this amazing, amazing creation, but they just don't want to put the money yet into the creator.

Sonia: Talking about being bold, you created your first piece of jewelry yourself last year for an exhibition. I just wanted to know, did you have a collector in mind? Did you think of who would wear your cuff, obviously yourself, it's your personality in it. But who did you think would be the next owner of the piece?

Melanie: You know, that was a terrifying experience because. It was in my mind for a long time and then Elisabetta Cipriani said to me should we make something together? And I said, well yes, but you know, we made it. I designed it at her workshop, you know, it was a long process of going back and forth, her workshop in Italy and I didn't have anyone in mind. It just sort of came out of me a bit like when I write, that comes out from I don't really think I'm going to write this person might like it. It just comes out of me. I have an idea, I do some research, then it comes out. So the same sort of process. And then when it came out, I was too scared to show it to anyone. So I had lunch with Jill Newman from Town and Country. She came to London and she was like, I want to see it and I'm like, not sure it's ready, Jill actually. She was just like, Get out of the box. And you realize how terrifying and personal and how difficult it is to show anyone. It felt like it was part of me and I thought, If she does a face that says like she feels sorry for me is not very good, I'm going to like literally just cry at the table. And luckily she liked it. But it was one of the scariest things I've done in a long time. And also I thought people might say, like, why are you designing something you don't know anything about? It's different writing about it. But it was a really nice process to actually do it because I write about it all the time and so much you have to remind yourself how absolutely terrifying it is to actually make something and put it into the world and hope that somebody else likes it enough to actually buy it. So we did a series of eight. I'm hoping for great things, but we'll see. But I like wearing my jewel. I wear it all the time, but it's still quite scary to even wear it because it's like having your heart, you know, out there.

Sonia: How would you describe it for people who are listening to this podcast and haven't seen it yet just to have a feel for your creation?

Melanie: Well, it's a kind of mediaeval meets modern, which is very me. I love history, but I also love cutting edge contemporary jewelry. So it's a cuff. It's got studs on it. It's two tone. So it's kind of a dark, oxidized silver and gold plate. It has a big dome that you can peer into. The whole point of that is to look into yourself. And it was a statement that was called Self. It was about in Covid, we had to look into our own lives and figure out if we wanted the lives we created for ourselves and many of us didn't. So it was a lot about self reflection and just taking risks. It was a risk for me and I'm a huge fan of risk taking. But you know, it's one thing talking about it, another thing doing it. So yeah, it's quite big and it's definitely very shiny, which is why I like jewelry. I think I love metal, which is possibly another reason I ended up in jewelry.

Sonia: It's a beautiful statement piece for people who haven't seen it yet. Really strong statements like a real piece of art. So I think the collectors will really enjoy wearing it. To wrap up this really interesting conversation, Melanie, I would like to know what's in your ideal jewelry box, the dream collector, there is no money, there's no budget. The sky's the limit here.

Melanie: Obviously, if I had an unlimited budget, I would probably ask for all of the pieces to be created from scratch. I would definitely get a Van Cleef pylon ring. I think I've seen one in blue sapphire, but I hear there's a rumor that there was one created in ruby I've never seen, and they're like big conical structures. I definitely get one of those. I've always wanted some Vhernier. There are Milanese design and their titanium is fantastic, but I've never managed to actually buy anything. Obviously I'd have to buy some Hemmerle. The Eye of Horus earrings are from their Egyptian collection are fantastic. I'd have to buy an Egyptian piece from them. I'd have to somehow wrestle the JAR sheep's head brooch off the last person people who bought it at auction. I'd to track them down and offer them something they couldn't refuse. Anything by Grima anything at all. I might try and finally get Castro NYC to sell me a very large dolly with articulated gem-set wings, I'd love that. I could go on and on, some Belperron, some Fabio Salini titanium earrings, and definitely a massive aluminium and oxidized silver necklace by John Moore.

Sonia: The John Moore that was on the cover of the Economist Luxury Edition, I think a few years ago. That was absolute spectacular the photo shoot you directed, I think that's really one of the most amazing pictures I've seen of jewelry in a long time.

Melanie: John came to that shoot and his pieces are like living art. You know, they move around. I mean, some of the piece he does are huge. He's going to be absolutely at museums as time goes on.

Sonia: I'm loving your dream jewelry box, I might call in and ask to borrow a few pieces from time to time in that dreamland of ours.

Melanie: Take whatever you want, you know, it is the dream. And I'd definitely be buying a piece of day, I think for at least a year.

Sonia: This sounds like a wonderful plan. I think people who are just starting on their journey as collectors hope they've learn something that you gave them a lot of food for thought, a lot of very interesting names as well to discover and to explore. So I encourage everyone to go to see who the artists Melanie mentions on this podcast are if you don't know them yet. And just to open your heart and soul to new things in jewelry.

Melanie: Absolutely. It's a fantastic journey. So don't be shy.

Sonia: And I said it a few times before, but I'll say it again. For anyone who loves jewelry, you have to have Coveted on your bookshelves. But to read it as well, not just on the bookshelf. It's beautiful, it's purple and looks great. But open it and read it. You learn so much with Melanie. Thank you so much, Melanie, for this lovely conversation today.

Melanie: Thanks Sonia and all the team. And see you soon. See you on Instagram.

Sonia: Yes. Follow Melanie also on Instagram, obviously. Melanie shares beautiful stories every day, personal stories linked to jewelry with a history background as well, and nature and fauna, flora, you name it. So I can't encourage you enough to follow Melanie. Once you've read Coveted, you want to have a little dose of Melanie every single day, if you are a real jewelry lover. Thank you.

Thanks for having joined us on this latest episode of the Jewelry Connoisseur podcast, you can find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google and YouTube. If you like this podcast, give us your feedback and make sure that you subscribe so you won’t miss any single episode. You also can find information on estate and antique jewelry on jewelryconnoisseur.net