Dinny's Pearls of Wisdom

2012-01-30T04:46:00.000-08:00

2011-11-09T07:50:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite motifs to use in jewellery design is the star (and the moon for that matter). I first used these motifs when creating the catwalk jewellery for Rifat Ozbek- way back!

See below..

When you think about stars they make you think of all things wonderous, glamourous and fabulous. The moon is feminine, gentle and magnetic.

2011-10-26T05:29:00.000-07:00

I'm delighted to see one of the nation's favourite comedians Mirand Hart looking georgeous wearing my Toro pendant when she hosted the Olympic Ball earlier this month. The Toro pendant is fast becoming a Dinny Hall classic! Miranda was styled by the wonderful Angie Smith for the event and I think she looks incredible. The understated simplicity of the outfit really sets of the statement pendant.

Seeing Miranda in my jewellery got me thinking about all the brilliant comedians who have been fans of my jewellery over the years. To name drop a few Harry Enfield, Kathy Burke, Miranda Richardson, Frank Skinner, Paul Whitehouse and Jennifer Saunders have all bought jewellery from our Notting Hill and Upper Street boutiques.

Not to forget the hilarious Dawn French, who has been wearing my designs for 20 years.

Here she is seen wearing my vintage resin drop earrings.

2011-09-16T07:19:00.000-07:00

We're hoping for an Indian Summer,
but Dinny Hall is having an Indian Autumn
anyway..

Hailing from the pink architecture of Jaipur
we are excited to showcase the fabulous
gemstone jewellery by Amrapali for Dinny Hall.

Lemon Quartz, Tourmalines, shards and chips
of Diamond, Rubies, and Emeralds make up
just a few of the exotic gems used in their
jewellery for which Jaipur is so famous.

Come and see the jewellery, now in all of our stores. Prices range from £80 upwards

2011-08-25T09:16:00.000-07:00

Going to Notting Hill Carnival? Adorn yourself with some statement Dinny Hall bling, grab yourself a rum and get into the festival spirit! P.S. Our Westbourne Grove shop will be shut over the bank holliday due to carnival madness, but do come and visit one of our other branches as we have loads of lovely new stock in today.

2011-08-18T09:37:00.000-07:00

I am really pleased tell you about a new collection called Galaxy which is especially designed for Jigsaw by yours truly Dinny Hall. In fact the Galaxy collection is in 25 Jigsaw stores throughout the UK.

I’ve always had stars in my eyes even as a wannabe rock babe aged 12, when I longed for a pair of loon pants with stars all over them and I still love just gazing up to the heavens on a clear summer night

Stars are right on trend too so hurry while stocks last ….

2011-06-08T06:19:00.000-07:00

Friends of Portobello

I was a little sceptical when a friend of mine told me he was going to make jewellery from silver bits and pieces he had found on Portobello Road. Miles Chapman had been an editor at Vanity Fair magazine in the heady days of Tina Brown and it was during the same era, the late 1980s and 90s, that I used to sell my jewellery in some very classy New York stores. Miles used to take me to the Oyster Bar at Grand Central station, nearly every time I visited and gossip about the celebrities of the time. So his venture into the realms of jewellery making surprised me (in a nice way I might add). Diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease a few years ago, his doctors advised him to do something focussed with his hands as this can help with keeping symptoms of the condition at bay for while. Before long Miles had created some wonderful pieces of silver jewellery from antique chains, perfume bottles, charms, pen holders, tweezers and all manner of trinkets and was selling to some of those very classy stores that I used all those years ago.

I am delighted to be showing some of his jewellery pieces in an exhibition at Dinny Hall Westbourne Grove called Portobello Plunder until the end of June. You also have the opportunity to own a little part of the Plunder until the end of the exhibition.

On the subject of Portobello Road I do have a special love of the place. I came to live in Notting Hill whilst still a student and nearly all my clothes came from there; in fact it was the second hand cashmere stall that gave me a taste for expensive knitwear and I think I bought my first Gucci handbag from Portobello.

Sadly, change must come to all things but we should do our best to keep at least some of Portobello’s charm since it is very gradually disappearing under ones very nose! So check out www.friendsofportobello.com if you too want to see Portobello survive and thrive.

Beautifully Britsh and proudly flying the flag

2011-04-27T05:14:00.000-07:00

Our little patriotic nod to the Royal Wedding and current Anglo-mania; customised Union Jack flags dotted around our stores tweaked to our Dinny Hall brand colours. Just a little bit of fun more than anything but have you spotted them around our stores yet?

Flying the flag that we are a British brand and proudly so!

Whilst we’ll of course be wishing the lovely Prince Wills and Kate all the luck in the world, we wanted to let you know that if you are celebrating nuptials of your own our team of skilled in-house goldsmiths can create bespoke items especially for you and your special day. Please ask in one of our stores for more information!

Forget Me Not... This Easter

2011-04-21T05:49:00.000-07:00

I'm off away now for a long Easter break, which I couldn't be more ready for, it's definitely time to relax!
But before I go I wanted to tell you about my beautiful new Flower rings...

They are not only exclusive to our Dinny Hall Liberty concession this Easter but they are my pick for styling out Spring too!
Pictured above is the 'Primrose' version of the Flower ring, a twinkling multi facetted yellow beryl surrounded by five amethyst set in solid sterling silver, £365.

The Flower ring is also available in selected semi precious stones: You can make a ‘Forget me Not’ with blue topaz or a ‘Daisy’ with white topaz.

Or why not be creative and commission another flower of your choice to celebrate Spring in your own style!
The Flower ring is available in any combination of these semi precious stones, price on application:

Amethyst - Pale purple
Blue topaz - Aqua blue
White topaz - Clear
Apatite - Turquoise
Rhodalite - Burgundy pink
Yellow beryl - Yellow

I wish you all a happy time in whatever you choose to do this weekend,
whether it be fun filled, peaceful or both!
Happy Easter all!

W11 en Francais

2011-04-14T07:36:00.000-07:00

Over the years I have appeared in various publications focussing on the fact that I really have been selling my baubles in Notting Hill for along time. So Rachel has dug up a few press cuttings to show just for fun.
Much has changed since we first opened the shop in 1992, gone are all the junk shops and small independent boutiques, the post office, the newsagent, the garage and the pub next door where we watched the collapse of the Twin Towers in disbelief.

The transvestite no longer roller-skates by in hot pants led by a coiffure giant poodle and even the was cool celebs (like Hugh Grant and Robbie Williams) that used to hang out here seem to have gone.

It's still all very smart though and some of the new shops are full of very desirable things (202 next door has a fab new clothes emporium down stairs it's no longer Nicole Farhi by the way and I love Theory and Matches of course ) but over all we seem to be going French.

Don’t get me wrong, I love all things French, but I hope that these new people frequenting (a lot of Euro banker types) my patch here in W11 love Dinny Hall jewellery truly a Notting Hill brand with genuine credentials.

Spoiling Mum this Mother's Day...

2011-03-25T09:37:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day is only around the corner, Sunday April 3rd to be exact
(there's no excuse for forgetting now.)
So some of us here at Dinny Hall head office have been pondering over what we are going to be spoiling our marvellous mums with...

Hope we've given you some ideas maybe!

Reasons to be cheerful

2011-03-07T09:36:00.000-08:00

Even though the cold weather continues my view on life (seen through rose tinted glasses I might say) is one of brightness.

So here’s a list of 10 reasons to be cheerful...

I don’t live in Libya, so my prayers go to all who do.
The daffodils are out and early blossom too so Spring is finally on its way.
There’s Master Chef on the telly.
London is the creative and cultural epicentre of Europe and I live here.
I’m friends with Georgina Goodman and I’ve just got three pairs of shoes from her for a song.
My team at Dinny Hall are the best and that was confirmed when we all went out for an Italian last week, such fun.
I love my son, my partner, my family, my friends and my work, what more could I wish for.
I never ever tire designing jewellery and I’m just about to design some more (this is reason why I do this job)
My dog Bo can do pirouettes.
I am alive and well.

Halston, Gucci, Fiorucci

2011-02-15T02:19:00.000-08:00

Yesterday's sunshine lifted everyone’s spirits and assured me that the dark winter days are numbered and now I’m dreaming of those long hot summer days to come. I am so excited about the new season’s style with big floppy hats and all things circa 1970's, which bring back mischievous memories of stealing my Mother’s Biba black floppy hat. Never one to miss a fashion moment I'm already channeling my take on that 70's feel with my Toro Bracelet, a grown up glam nod to both Halston and Gucci all those years ago.

Did you also spot our Toro bracelet looking all glammed up in Stylist Magazine this week?
The 70's inspired shoot was styled by the very talented Angie Smith who also has a really interesting and fun fashion blog which you can read here.

So signing off our 70's moment with Sister Sledge, queens of glam disco.
We definitely had a bit of a giggle singing along to this.

"From his head down to his toes
Halston, Gucci, Fiorucci
He looks like a still
That man is dressed to kill"

The Real Gems In Our Business – Our Westbourne Grove Sales Team

2011-01-28T05:30:00.000-08:00

Leaning against the counter at our Westbourne Grove shop are left to right Shai, little Ruby and Becci, who are the full time sales team at our flagship store (although Ruby can’t reach the till yet!).

First let’s talk about Becci who has been at Dinny Hall Westbourne Grove for 2 years and already it feels like our team would be lost with out her. Not only is she a great sales person, but she also has a real talent for jewellery merchandising, so when she’s not dealing with customers she is often to be seen making wonderful creative window displays for our all stores. On the shop floor there is no problem too big or too small for her to solve and she’s got the best sense of humour ever.

Then there's Shai who has been managing at Dinny Hall Westbourne Grove for 12 years and who is mother of the delightful Ruby. It's only one week until her second “little gem” is due and we wish her all the joy and love in the world. We cannot believe that she is still standing and giving 100% at 9 months pregnant, what a star! Nobody knows the Westbourne Grove customer quite like Shai, who has lived and worked in the area nearly all her life. No celebrity intimidates her, she can turn around the most difficult customer (and believe me the odd one can be challenging) and she is quite simply irreplaceable.

Now let’s not forget Ruby, who comes every night to pick her mummy up and already has a great eye for jewellery. We made her the most beautiful little ruby necklace when she was born - which leads me to think what else do we sell for the customer to give a new born child as a birth or Christening gift?

Ruby's Ruby Necklace

So here are some suggestions from our beautiful 18k gold and diamond bijou range. Tiny, precious pendants and wristlets something for your little one to cherish forever and cute on mum in the meantime!

Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining

2011-01-11T08:36:00.000-08:00

I’ve emerged from dark clouds upsetting all my fun over Christmas and the New Year having contracted the dreaded swine flu. Enforced rest maybe not be such a bad thing, though, as I have emerged like the sun bursting through those dark clouds full of brightness and enthusiasm with a renewed creative energy.

So here are my New Year resolutions.

· Never ever even look at the ‘sweetie table’ at head office where every day some well-meaning person places cakes, chocolates or indeed sweeties to tempt me into a sugar high.

· To juggle fewer balls at any one time as I have been taking multitasking to its limits; I must remember that ‘the jack of all trades is the master of none’.

· Whilst wilfully wanting to remain a creative maverick I wish to ‘toe the line’ a bit, most particularly in relation to parking and turning right when I should not!

· Listen more talk less.

· Let all my staff and colleagues know how fabulous I think they are particularly those who were working those long hours over Christmas.

This leads me to think that I should introduce you to some of the team who you have not yet met - so keep checking my blog for the intros. In the meantime we have a fabulous sale going on in all our stores, just look at Alice modelling the Goddess collection which is marked down now! So hurry.

Happy New Year to you all.

Gem Of An Evening

2010-12-14T04:39:00.000-08:00

Last week my old friend Guy Clutterbuck, gemologist extraordinaire, brought a wonderful array of sapphires and aquamarines all the way from his mines in Sri Lanka and Zambia to our Westbourne Grove store. Then together we held a very special evening and a ‘pop up’ exhibition of a plethora of these most gorgeous gemstones.

Guy previewed a short film he'd made about the mines which gave the viewer a little insight as to how some of these precious gems are prized from the earth. There was a Q and A session and Guy explained how we can buy the most precious and beautiful treasures of the earth whilst benefiting the local people. In a nut shell Guy told us that he pays a special premium for the stones allowing the miners to become more efficient and therefore increase productivity whilst also enabling a safer than usual environment for the workers.

All this was accompanied by champagne, mince pies and smoked salmon blinis. We tied in our 'gem of an evening' with the local Westbourne Grove Christmas shopping evening (all the shops on our street were open late and offered discounts and drinks). This year it was in association with the Rugby Portobello Trust too so it was all for a good cause and great fun it was too.

Thank you to those who came by and very special thanks to Guy Clutterbuck.

Festive Foraging

2010-12-10T10:24:00.000-08:00

Festive foraging for Christmas display at Dinny Hall and an excuse to get out to the wilds of the countryside; my little dog Bo, more than enjoyed the walk too! This year our shops have been decked with goodies from the forest and we have gone to great lengths, even as far as rowing out on the Norfolk Broads to collect Alder firs and such the like.

Prime pickings on the waterside.

These firs (you can just see them in my hand in the above picture) look perfect touched with gold leaf and displayed in our shops with branches of Yew and Ivy.

Oranges with cloves and hand made paper chains, with the burning aroma of Frankincense and Cedar all complimenting the jewellery. We're channeling a crafty, homely, vintage vibe for Christmas at Dinny Hall; comforting but luxe.

Liberty Love & Celebrating 25 Years...

2010-11-29T10:13:00.000-08:00

This November Dinny Hall Ltd celebrates its 25 year Anniversary. (One could say I'm officially vintage!)

To celebrate this momentus occasion I have launched a limited edition range of the Alhambra collection which was my very first collection fresh out of Central Saint Martins. I was lucky enough to catch the attention of the press and buyers alike, including the fabulous department store Liberty.

A selection of press coverage on the Alhambra collection, from our archives.

So we are delighted to be showcasing our limited edition vintage pieces at that most special and truly British department store, Liberty. Where we have a little shop within its walls 25 years after it was first sold there. Now that's an achievement.

I'll be showing old alongside new; the juxtaposition of my current designs together with my first collection, celebrating my journey through jewellery: From catwalk extravagance to the understated elegance you have come to know and (hopefully) love from Dinny Hall.

18ct vermeil 3 tier Alhambra earrings

Sterling silver Alhambra rings set with Amethyst, smokey Quartz and Citrine.

The collection is limited to 10 editions of each piece and is available for special order from our Liberty concession now. We also have 10-20% discount in our concession from 1st - 4th December so happy shopping!

Tales from old friends and a chance to win

2010-11-12T04:35:00.000-08:00

Out on the town again last week, this time to the book launch of my friend Polly Samson. I wrote a book once many years ago called Creative Jewellery and it was Polly who publicized the book even getting me on breakfast TV at the ripe old age of 24. Polly went on to work with great authors such as Bruce Chatwin and Tom Wolfe, wrote for the Sunday Times, became a mother, married a rock star, had three more children and has now written her third book. You could be envious of her “perfect life”, as she is also a great beauty but she has had her fair share trials and tribulations over the years.

Polly and Romany, photo by Jake Gavin

So the party was at the Twentieth Century Theatre, the very place where I hosted a party in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital last year, a wonderful little Edwardian theatre hidden off Westbourne Grove. And what a fun party for Polly it was - I’m still recovering. Funnily enough Polly’s book, a collection of short stories, is called Perfect Lives and Polly weaves a thread which connects these tales in an unpredictable way. A gem of a tale is about an ex-child prodigy piano tuner who obsesses about a Rolls Royce of a grand piano he is about to go and tune, but the experience does not live up to his expectation. A perfect little story written with a subtlety and sensuality and what’s more Dinny Hall jewellery even gets a mention.

I am delighted to have five copies of Polly's fabulous book to give away along with a little something from my dh bijou range. So to be entered into our prize draw for your chance to win, email my PR Assistant Rachel at Press@dinnyhall.co.uk with your names! And we will draw names next week!

We've drawn the winners now and you know who you are.
Do hope you enjoy Polly's book as much a I did.

Hot off the press. Get it before it goes...

2010-11-02T09:30:00.000-07:00

18k gold vermiel Statement Toro Hoops as worn by the beautiful Roxanne McKee
in Fabulous magazine

18k gold vermeil Wave Bangle as seen, stacked up, in this months Glamour magazine December 2010

For more of our latest Press coverage you can click this link to our website

Partying with make up artist par excellence Mary Greenwell

2010-10-25T09:32:00.000-07:00

At Mary Greenwell's launch for her deliciously fruity and fabulous perfume, Plum, which took place at the Connaught's gloriously refurbished ballroom. Weren't we the lucky ones sipping on jolly good Champagne and eating really good canapes provided by that famous kitchen of such a wonderful old English hotel.

Bumped into my dear friend Stephen Jones on the way in then on to mingle with many fashion fabulous people.
Chats with Penelope Tree (much to my ex fashion student and just 22 year old Press Assistant's awe) never the less a conversation about fashion icons ensued. Man talk with Venetia Scott, sharing chat and tartan attire with the lovely Amada Harlech (of Chanel no less). And picture posing with my dear friend Selina Blow.

Selina is also the mother of one of my Goddaughters called Violet, (who I have blogged about before) and you will never guess what? Little Violet is now a cover star and I can see it won't be long until she too is mingling with the fashion fabulous at the Connaught ballroom or some such equally glamorous place.

p.s You can buy Mary's gorgeous Plum fragrance exclusivley at House of Fraser.

The weekend is nearly here...

2010-10-20T10:02:00.000-07:00

How about a little cocktail ring bling for the coming weekend? Not all at once of course.

I know which one is my favourite... what's yours?

It's been a busy here at HQ, planning press day, new collections arriving and I've even moved house.
So grab your best ring and your favourite tipple and say chin chin!

Introducing Talitha...

2010-10-05T07:11:00.000-07:00

I briefly touched on our new collection in a post last week. But I really am so excited about the new Talitha Collection that I wanted to talk about the inspiration behind it; the iconic and fabulous Talitha Getty.

One of the 1960’s fashion icons Talitha Getty was the unofficial queen of Marrakech and boho luxe.

I wanted the Talitha Collection to embody her decadent, outrageously indulgent life style and the myth that surrounded her, yet of course still remaining consistent with the understated and simple elegance you have come to expect from the Dinny Hall brand.

When designing, I looked to Moroccan and Persian pattern from architecture and textiles. The delicate collection plays with repeat motifs and tessellation; it is crafted in solid sterling silver and 18K gold vermeil.

My lovely god daughter, Alice, modelling the Large Talitha Earring.

A statement earring which we think is party perfect and holiday chic! It is selling fast already, I better get myself a pair before they go!

Out and About and New Things.

2010-09-29T06:48:00.000-07:00

So we've been off out again this time to the opening of the London Design Festival, a nine day celebration all things design in the capital. Last week or so ago, Trafalgar Square was transformed into an art and design event extraordinaire with an installation by Clements Weisshaar and Reed Kram. Looking suspiciously like something from the movie Transformers, although I also thought it looked like a Dyson vacuum cleaner gone mental. Any how, the installation transmitted messages into the sky by drawing with lights and as if by magic these 'transformer hoovers' miraculously spelt 'Welcome to the London Design Festival 2010'. It was quite something.

Please excuse the blurry pictures, was snapping away on my phone.

Boring, we drank non-alcoholic cocktails much to our disapointment but to make up for it we hobnobbed with Ministers, Arts Council types and friends alike. Also the lovely Head of the Arts Council, informed us she had indeed been a customer at Dinny Hall Upper Street which is always so nice to hear!

Moving on through the week we visited the London Fashion Week Exhibition at Somerset House and went to numerous design festivities including a rather posh dinner affair.

All this new design and creativity going on, brings me to our new Talitha Collection. My own contribution to the world of design this week! In an earlier blog post I talked about a particular motif (along with a collection inspired by the Amalfi Coast) now used in the Talitha Collection, you can see motif again below in fledgling form, which has in turn, been made into an amazing pair of earrings...

So I am delighted to finally introduce one of the most inspirational collections I have created at Dinny Hall for a while: Talitha.

The Talitha Earrings, my most favourite earrings at the moment.

Because I do, so adore...

2010-09-20T03:15:00.000-07:00

...a bit of understated subtle bling.

Come visit us in store and create your own combination of 18K gold, diamond and precious gem stone ‘Sheba’ stacking rings, with a little help from our friendly and helpful staff.

For a personal touch commission your own diamond and precious gem stone stackers or compliment your wedding set with a Sheba stacking ring.

My Pick Of The Week!

2010-09-13T05:01:00.000-07:00

wish upon a star...
with our 18k gold & diamond dh bijou wristlet
you can shop the full dh bijou 18k gold collection in our stores or online.

John Lewis gets a fashion makeover!

2010-09-10T06:58:00.000-07:00

Hey guess what, Dinny Hall is now stocked in a selection of John Lewis stores as well as John Lewis Direct their online shop! Why John Lewis, you may ask??! Having always got my washing machines and all my tights there. (They really do the best tights). I can't think of a better place to sell my fashionable silver lines and the glamorous Pearly Queen collection too. When asked the same question, as to why he was now working with John Lewis, the fantastic hat designer, Phillip Treacy said 'well why not!' to an inquisitive member of the fashion press. And whilst chatting with him over cocktails he said, 'where he comes from John Lewis is actually very posh'!!
Also Dinny Hall is a predominately London based brand and to be in John Lewis is a great oppurtunity to showcase our collections to a greater UK audience.
So last night, we tottered on down to the launch of the new fashion floor at John Lewis Oxford Street and we have to say the store looks amazing.

Our Glamorous Pearly Queen collection as seen in Vogue back in July.

We enjoyed cocktails and canapes upstairs in the Brasserie and mingled with faces old and new, friends and collegues. It was great to meet the John Lewis team who we deal with on a daily basis and finally get to put names with faces, from the buying department girlies to the partners on the shop floor.

We then moved down to the jewellery hall along with the likes of Alex Monroe and Laura Bailey to meet and greet with the customers as part of Vogue's Fashions Night Out.

The lovely Sarah, the John Lewis visual merchandiser, had given all the jewellery cabinents an Autumn Winter make over and we thought it looked beautiful. You can admire her handiwork below along with a few snaps of me with the John Lewis team and fellow jewellery designer Alex Monroe.

Me and top jewellery sales staff member

Striking a pose, the John Lewis Buying Director, me, Alex Monroe and top jewellery sales staff member
Pictures taken by Helen Lees at John Lewis

Dinny Hall jewellery beautifully merchandised by Sarah, photos taken by Sarah also.

Dinny Hall at Westfield

2010-08-27T09:43:00.000-07:00

We wanted to introduce in our stores and some of the lovely people we have working in them...

Considering the weather 'thank you great british Summer time' we thought we'd start with our little store in Westfield shopping centre, a perfect place to be on a sad rainy day like today.

It is our newest store, the baby of the brood, approaching it's 2nd birthday, we've been in the Atrium at Westfield since the opening of the iconic west London shopping destination.

Our lovely girlies at Westfield , Babs and Manageress Michelle.

Below we asked them to pick their favourite Dinny Hall pieces and showcase how they like to wear the jewellery.

Babs has stacked silver rings from the dh bijou range and chose simple but directional silver from the Tusk collection to compliment her stripes.

Michelle is making a statment with 18k gold vermeil from the Wave collection to accessorise her chic, military esq look.

So if you haven't had a chance to come and visit our Westfield store yet, we hope to see you soon!

What's hot at Dinny Hall This August?

2010-08-13T07:27:00.000-07:00

Click to find out!

Ethical - to be or not be that is the question?

2010-06-28T08:12:00.000-07:00

Just as we’ve seen the rise of things like fair trade coffee beans, so the new phrase we’re hearing a lot of at the moment is ethical jewellery. At Dinny Hall we certainly don’t buy blood diamonds or emeralds from cocaine barons, nor do we knowingly exploit anybody in the world but when it comes to ethics I’m not sure how easily one can apply the word to the jewellery industry (or any other industry for that matter). More often than not the word ‘ethical’ is used to describe jewellery as a marketing tool rather than to mean that some regulatory authority has approved the product to be ‘morally correct’ like The Soil Association does with organic food for example.

I do admire anyone who endeavours to buy gold or gemstones ‘ethically’ but to my mind it appears to be almost impossible to achieve. What if I double my carbon footprint by flying all over the world to secure ethically mined gold? How many small gold miners are aware that the cyanide that is pumped out as a by-product of gold mining pollutes the water their children bathe in, as well as damaging the local ecosystem? How can one ethically police such remote places and be entirely sure of the highest moral standards both environmentally and on a human level.

I am unconvinced and worry that when it comes to marketing jewellery as ethical it is more often than not just a fashionable bandwagon that’s been jumped onto.

On the subject of gemstones and ethics though I have an old friend called Guy Clutterbuck who, in his youth, reminded me of Indiana Jones, with his tales of riding out with Afghan horsemen to ancient lapis lazuli mines and carrying back rucksacks full of the raw material to the UK. I would have the lapis cut into onion dome shapes in Ipswich (no less) and then set into solid gold; I do so wish that I had kept one pair at least of those earrings. Several swimming pools later, yes whole swimming pools of lapis lazuli, and a few years on Guy now works partly in Zambia where he owns an aquamarine mine, and a chunk of his profits go back into the community to build schools, proper sanitation, help provide clean water. Here I can actually see a truly ethical transaction going on between an individual in the jewellery industry and the miners directly but I cannot vouch for the rucksacks of lapis lazuli or indeed the swimming pools of yester year.

There are of course many other examples of people in the jewellery industry who are genuinely working towards a more ethically sound business and we do our best at Dinny Hall to ensure that our gold and precious gemstones come from sources that we trust to be working toward fair trade globally and look forward to the day when there is an industry wide standard we can all sign up to so that we can all feel a little bit more comfortable that ethical claims have been checked.

Guy Clutterbuck with his friends in Zambia at the Kamakanga mine

The Two Violets

2010-05-04T09:07:00.000-07:00

The Two Violets

Every year, a good friend of mine has a party which takes place around a camp fire amongst the bluebells. It’s a memorable experience not only for the company but also for the impregnation of that intense violet blue of the bluebells into my minds eye, a blue that lingers for days caressing, calming and serene.
Another beautiful bluish flower is of course that gentle little flower the violet, which brings me to my two younger God daughters who are both named Violet.
Violet Levinson aged seven and Violet Barker aged two are strikingly similar in personality though not in looks. Both are independently minded (wilful), funny, charismatic and have a strong sense of style (this can start very young).

Violet Levinson aged seven wears dh bijou flower stacking rings & lotus flower charm bracelet

Perhaps the name Violet has to be lived up to in some way when past bearers of the name have often been rather incredible characters. There was Viollette Szabo who was a beautiful secret agent during the Second World War who, soon after her husband was shot by Nazis, became expertly trained in the art of espionage. She learned explosive techniques, the art of cryptography, night navigation and played an important part infiltrating enemy strategy. Tragically she was captured and died at the age of twenty three at the infamous Ravensbruck prison camp.
Then there was Violet Trefusis, the eccentric and talented lover of Vita Sackville West (no shrinking violet) famous for not only being openly lesbian at time when this was socially inacceptable, but also as a writer remembered for the famous quote ‘you are my lover and I am your mistress and kingdoms and empires and governments have faltered and succumbed before now to that mighty combination’
I cannot leave out Viola (the Latin form of the name) who in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night is the enterprising cross dressing heroine so soundly convincing that Olivia falls in love with her. I’m sure my two lovely Violets will also grow up to lead brave and fascinating lives and be astonishingly pretty (as they are as children) - but hopefully not too scandalous or tragic!

You can see the two lovely Violets wearing jewellery from my dh bijou range and Liberty print bows (a nod to the Flower Power theme at Liberty this spring) The dh bijou range was launched last summer and it is especially small jewellery; either for the very small, or people who like very small jewellery. Watch out for the solid 18 karat gold and diamond dh bijou coming soon to Dinny Hall stores.

Violet Barker wearing double lotus pendant & flower lotus charm bracelet

Alice in Jewellery Land

2010-04-07T09:05:00.000-07:00

I am lucky enough to have three God daughters; one called Alice and two adorable girls named Violet.

Today I want to talk about Alice, who is sixteen and the daughter of one of my best friends, Liz Fremantle. Alice's father is a charming Frenchman and she has a grandfather who had an affair with Vivien Leigh. She was only two when she first became aware of the Dinny Hall shop on Westbourne Grove. She was so tiny that she held herself by up little fingers clasping to a ledge below a showcase full of jewellery and just said ‘Pretty’. Over the years, so 'pretty' has she become that you will see her, in due course, modelling the jewellery for the second time on our website.

Alice was one of our poster girls for the launch of dh Bijou collection. But she has done a lot of growing and blossoming since then. Alice was born exactly two years before my son Lorcan on the very same day in February. She suffered from a serious illness beginning when she was only three months old. As she grew up, Alice overcame so many setbacks caused by this illness. She is both brave, beautiful, not to mention a bit of a songbird. Ooh and she doesn’t suffer fools gladly just like her mother. I am very proud of her.

Before asking her to model Dinny Hall styled by yours truly (me) and with the help of Rachel E (who I will introduce to you soon, dear readers), I asked Alice to style the jewellery on herself. So here is Alice wearing some silver jewellery of her own choice paired with a jacket from the Moschino ‘Love’ collection.

Alice wears it well don’t you think?

She means business

2010-03-22T06:37:00.001-07:00

I plucked up the courage to do a speech at the Chamber of Commerce last week. Fifty or sixty people attended, mostly women, and I quite enjoyed summarizing my past as a woman out there in the big wide world running my own business.

So I talked about my first jewellery transaction (which I remain ashamed of to this day), I stole my mother's engagement ring and swapped it for a Barbie doll when I was four years old. I told of how I spotted a figurine brooch at a village jumble sale for a mere 4 pence which then turned out to be a valuable Cartier piece made from ebony, studded with rubies, diamonds and emeralds. It seems I've always had a keen eye for transactions, despite the inexcusable dodginess of that first one, and jewels. Somewhat of a magpie from day 1, really.

I regaled them with tales of my rebelliousness at Central St. Martin's, where, despite resisting the rules and regulations, my graduate collection was scooped up by Liberty. And to this day, I have a particular affinity with Liberty and a shop within it, 25 years down the line.

I recounted how I had funded my first workshop in Soho by waitressing at night. The space had once been Canaletto's but had also been a jeweller's studio for some hundred odd years prior to my stumbling upon it.

What happened next, readers, you know from a previous post. I went on to design catwalk jewellery and fly all over the world designing and living the life; I looked the part, went to the parties, talked the talk and danced the dance.

All of a sudden my jewellery is being sold in over 70 stores in America, hotly followed by Japan. Doing trunk shows here, partying there and somehow fitting in the time to design it all. But who is holding the purse strings?

I went on to discuss how I came down with a bump. The trials of being a woman in business with creative talent with entrepreneurial skills but no time left (literally) to financially direct the company. How accountants need to have people within their realms who can actually communicate with creative people (this is the key) and understand the workings of small businesses and how to grow them. This is what I really wanted to stress to my audience. Although I had a company savior come to my rescue (seemingly), I only ended up in litigation having misguidedly given away fifty percent of my company whilst not reading the small print. Again, it all comes down to communication, and also a rather slap dash attitude to anything that wasn't creative on my part.

I then discussed work, marriage, birth and separation. But I won't get into this here. Suffice it to say, these are concerns which all women in business may have to consider at some point.

That litigation case dragged on for some years. I'm pleased to have all that behind me now (and this is not a potted history of my career!). I feel lucky to be able to do what I do, I am free and not shackled by conformity or impenetrable glass ceilings. Unlike at the beginning of my career, where I thought of myself a creative person only and was adamant about that, today, I am as much a business woman as I am a designer. And to the detriment of my younger self, I'm proud to say it.

Fashion Week Is Coming!

2010-02-01T06:49:00.000-08:00

There's no getting away with the fact that you are wishing your life away in the jewellery business, just like fashion, you have to always think at least six months ahead. But this notion is in my designer DNA to begin with, as I actually started my career twenty five years ago toeing the line between fashion and jewellery, designing catwalk jewellery for the designers of the day in both America and the UK, Ben de Lisi, Rifat Ozbek and Bruce Oldfield.

Just this morning, as I was having to think of designs for summer 2011 and then got all confused because I need to be thinking about Autumn/Winter 2010 as well, I found myself contemplating those days.

It used to be the case that we would have to stay up all night finishing off pieces for the catwalk. You know, boring thankless tasks like gluing, polishing, polishing, polishing. It brings to mind the time when I was busy doing just that when who should come up to my studio but David Bowie, my hero at that time. I remember being absolutely mortified that I had to meet him with polish all over my face. He had come up to not to see me of course, but my studio-mate, Tom Binns, who had been collaborating on a video with the legend. Then I'd party all night and start all over again.

Twenty five years later, the party's still not over, it just no longer goes on all night. Though the ornate, statement pieces of mine which walked the catwalk then would probably never be recognisable to you as the Dinny Hall you know today...

New Technology

2010-01-26T05:55:00.000-08:00

Spencer Dock Bridge in Dublin

Still on the theme of new collections, I am enthralled by the use of Cad/Cam, as seen by my friend the architecht, Amanda Levetes' use of the technology to create models of her majestic fluid structural forms. The use of Cad/Cam has been around for some time in jewellery-making and we here at Dinny Hall have toyed with the idea of creating masters using the program but so far have favoured the use of the good old fashioned 'tool in the hand' to create our original samples.

Dining Table by Amanda

I have always utilized traditional techniques for so many reasons. One is the use of tools, the love of tools and what they can do...even the way the tools themselves are fashioned. I remember once being fascinated by the perfectly preserved tools I saw at Pompei, I am loathe to put down the tools of the trade--brushes, pens, inks, paints and the touch of a human hand--for a computer mouse.

Floor design by Amanda

However, faced with the reptition of a form in my new collection, Amalfi Beach, and certain mathematical issues linking and repeating this mesh-like structure we are attempting to create, I think Cad/Cam may well be the answer. And I may well, after having discovered blog, Twitter, Facebook and the likes, see myself fully embracing what the world of technology has to offer, despite my initial sneering at the loss of, say, individual style, the line of an image, and so on and so forth.

Back to Amanda, she showed me the prototype of a table-top light so simple in form but using the newest light bulb in existence, essentially a light with no mass. Watch that space, she'll be unveiling it at the Milan Furniture Fair on the esteemed Established & Sons stand this spring. While I of course recognize that her designwork (buildings as opposed to Bijou) is on an entirely different size scale from mine, our outlooks on our work and using the natural world as inspiration somewhat mirror one another whilst at the same time being inverses. That is to say, where Amanda looks towards the small to find inspiration for a stucture within a landscape (human anatomy, for example), I look to nature and landscape to inform my work in miniature. So we shall see what happens when Dinny meets Cad/Cam. I only hope my own new designs are half as innovative as hers .

Click here to check out Amanda's website

New year, new collections: AMALFI

2010-01-26T04:33:00.000-08:00

One of the reasons I love this time of year is there's time to be creative. What else is there to do in the grey and ludicrously cold days of our little cloud-shrouded island besides looking towards sunnier pastimes for inspiration? For me it's a completely uplifting experience--coming up with new ideas. Which brings me to the theme of today's blog.

The new 'Amalfi' collection, which became our best-seller during the Christmas season, was inspired by a "CineFilm" I watched of my parents' holiday on the Amalfi Coast before I was born. My father tells me that he used to go down to that part of the world in his open top MG. The essence of the area inspired him to open a restaurant called the Mistral--a play on the word "Mister Hall"-- in South Kensington after wrapping off his career as an opera singer (but that's another blog for another day).

Anyhow in the CineFilm, I remember my mother wearing a rather fetching 60s bikini, huge black glasses and her hair in a Bardot bouffant--brunette though she was. And my father in the background, the paradigm of an Englishman, in his chinos leaning on an ancient wall overlooking the ocean--I treasure the memory of that image. Ever since, whenever I've been to the Amalfi Coast, from Naples, Sorrento, Positano to Capri, I've been enraptured with the terrain and its wonderful romanticism, passion, and history...all those things rolled into one. Even one of my favourite books, "Volcano Lover" by Susan Sontag (the late lover of Annie Leibovitz), takes Amalfi as its backdrop. Set in Naples during the Napoleonic wars, it's about the life of Lady Emma Hamilton, courtesan, great beauty and lover of Lord Nelson.

Anyway, enough of harping on about my favorite novel. Back to the jewellery. I employed lapiderers to cut stones such as labadorite, amythest and smokey quartz to my own design. The cut of the stone encaptures the rugged rock formations lining the coast and their wateriness is reminiscent of the Mediterranean whilst the setting mimicks the movement of waves. All this wrapped up to create a collection of cocktail rings, bracelets, pendants and earrings which has proved to be one of the most successful collections I've designed in a while. Like the place itself, there's just something about Amalfi that keeps people coming back.

Spurred on by that success and unwilling to let Amalfi go, I'm now on to 'Amalfi Beach'. Adding to the collection jewellery that you could easily wear with your bikini or your kaftan as you sun yourself gleefully on the crags of Capri. Or, if you're stuck in drizzly London like me, at least to provide you with a little taste of Amalfi joy until summer actuall arrives.

Directors and Dramas

2010-01-20T04:03:00.000-08:00

Dinny Hall and girls in Vogue 1997

Ali (top right), Paola in-house photographer (bottom right) and me (gold jacket in the middle)

The extraordinary has at last happened: finally, after all these years, I, at long last, have moved out of the mezzanine level of my Notting Hill flagship which acts as bridge between shop and workshop, into my own little sanctuary of an office.

As you can imagine, packing up one's desk after years and years of long days spent labouring over designs or overseeing production or nosing into the affairs fo the shop, is something of a messy affair. Yet in the reshuffling of papers etc, I stumbled across some photographs of the Dinny Hall team in days gone by. Everyone looking so young and fresh, my son as a small child laughing and making jewellery at the work bench, a glimpse of a once favorite gold top now long lost--and it got me thinking nostalgically.

My son Lorcan aged 2 learning how to make jewellery

So I thought today I would begin introducing you to some of our wonderful team here at Dinny Hall. While you'll eventually meet them all over time, for now I'd like to focus on two specific individuals who are really at the core of the company, our two directors Ali and Teresa, without whose magic business touch, I would never have had the time to start this blog.

Let's start with Ali, because she has been with me since 1988. She came to me by way of master milliner Stephen Jones (OBE), where she was on work experience straight from college. And she has been with Dinny Hall Ltd ever since. Now a director, she is the cog of the clock that keeps our company ticking, never misses a thing. Her focus is a great antidote to my creative soul...which can sometimes lead to drama and distraction. She is also the proud owner of Sena, the fiesty daschund modelling alongside the beautiful Bo in our Christmas campaign.

Teresa joined the company at a crucial time just before the whole world seemed to tumble into financial chaos. A former investment banker with a real corporate background, Teresa seemed to be exactly what we needed to tidy up the rather lax way in which we normally looked after our financial a ffairs. A string of accountants and financial advisors who made little difference to my maverick ways--i.e. my attempts to micro-manage on my own all aspects of the company, from the business to the creative side. Let's just say, when Lehman's when down, we were so fortuitous to have a business mind as keen as Teresa's to guide us through.
So as I find my company on the eve of a milestone anniversary, I also find it, at long last, in a pair of two very different yet equally capable hands. This means, that the control-freak in me has finally been able to calm down a bit, let others shoulder some of the responsibility and refocus my own attentions on creativity.

Let the fun begin (again)!

Dinny Hall annual dinner some years ago! All pictured still part of the family
(left to right) Rachel (creative production), Paola (in house photographer), a glimpse of my teeth in long lost gold top, and my finger pointing at Ali's cleavage where something is lodged

Posh Rags

2010-01-11T05:29:00.001-08:00

A still from the film "The White Ribbon" (2009)

Given the nature of my first few posts in this space, I am concerned, readers, that you may see me as fashion fickle. And I now wonder whether there is in fact any actual wisdom in these pearls I've been dropping into your laps. But I promise you that there is more running through my mind than bags and posh rags. I assure you I am now finished with my post-holiday shopping frenzy and will not impart any more retail-related nuggets to you, save for those pertaining to my own wonderful shops.

But just in case you were wondering, the last of my shopping spree was spent at a lovely little shop in Islington called Sefton where I purchased a D&G jacket so well cut that I swear I look size 0 in it. I then crossed London to go see the movie the Road with my soon-to-be fourteen year old son and ex-husband Billy at the Electric Cinema, quite the most comfortable cinema in London.

All three of us, having read the novel, were curious to see how such a bleak yet strangely poetic tale would come to life on the big screen. Great acting to my mind, but having seen even better direction and sublime cinematography recently in the movie the White Ribbon (Michael Haneke), the Road, alas, falls somewhat short. But nonetheless it still resonates and left me, exiting the cinema, in a rather thoughtful mood.

We then went for Chinese in Queensway and the whole evening, with the mood now shifted from the post-holiday exubrance to something slightly more somber, was exacerbated by being clamped by one of those nasty private companies--despite the fact that I had dutifully bought a ticket. Inadvertantly, this ticket had been blown upside down when I closed the door (you know the score) and I found myself having to pay the racketeers £200 in cold cash.

Having finally liberated my front right tire, I made my way home trying to put it out of my mind. On the road, I passed by that very same shop where this morning I had found the D&G size-0-wonder-working jacket, that had put me in such spritely spirits earlier in the day. And lying in the doorway of this posh boutique in the freezing cold was a homeless person, which immediately, if even just for that fleeting second, struck me in the most powerful way.

And then it made thoughts return that evening, which actually may recur to anyone with a conscience who has the luxury to work in a creative field. Sure, fashion cannot save lives, but if you think hard enough about it, perhaps it can. Just this week, Lady Gaga has said that fashion actually did save her life. And the uproar surrounding H&M's careless dumping of unsold garments whilst the homeless, like the man I saw, continue to sleep outside the shops in the cold, proves that fashion really can affect lives, in both a negative and a positive way.

So I got to thinking about how I, as a jewellery designer, fit in into this whole moral conundrum. And the conclusion I arrived to was this: jewellery can bring joy. And by spreading a little joy, we make the world a slightly better place. It's as simple as that.

Bye bye baubles...hello bags

2010-01-06T05:26:00.000-08:00

Butters and the Balenciaga

First of all, apologies, dear readers, for starting my blog and then disappearing with the noughties. But you will understand the pressures of Christmas and all it entails. I'm back now and it's a new decade, so I have been thinking creatively about what great new things I can bring into the world.

One old thing I probably shouldn't bring out is my credit card, although it managed to jump out of my wallet today, thanks to a little Balenciaga purse found at Matches just around the corner from my Notting Hill shop. It's not that I'm an impulsive shopper, I'm actually the opposite, and after twenty-five years in the business this year (celebrations sure to come!) and a sale of my own on at the moment, I should know better than anyone about the dangers of markdown mania. I think for months and months about what it is I want and need to complete (what I consider to be) my perfect look, and then I go on the hunt. This, in my expert opinion, is the only way to shop, particularly where fine jewellery is concerned. This little black Balenciaga fitted my long-standing prescription for a small everyday purse to a t. Good thing that thanks to the faces of my holiday campaign, the lovely Bo and Sena with baubles, we had the most successful retail Christmas we've ever seen, especially with the runaway success enjoyed by our concession at Liberty.

So as Bo sulks in dismay at the fact that her fifteen minutes of fame are about to end (posters are coming down and she'll disappear from the website soon enough, the modelling business is sooooo fickle), her little Pomeranian friend Butters has stepped up to the plate (a bijoux dog for a bijoux bag) to enjoy the fruits of Bo’s labours.

Moral Dilemmas...

2009-12-31T05:58:00.001-08:00

Today’s Pearl of Wisdom

This morning I was surrounded by pearls, thousands of them all softly gleaming and hung like washing on a line. There’s something so mesmerising about pearls I would love to lie in a bed of them. Any way now that I have had one night in (I saw my son)
I now look tip top and off out again thinking 50 is the new 40 and wearing very high heals to boot.

The moral dilemma this week is what is worse a brand new sheepskin coat (£1200.00) to keep out the cold or a 60’s vintage mink coat (in perfect condition, cut short and never worn at £250.00)?

No dilemma for me actually, I’m sporting the mink occasionally hiding from people who look a little on the veggie side. I should point out that I have not eaten red meat for twenty five years.

2009-12-20T04:41:00.000-08:00

Today’s Pearl of Wisdom

Friday morning I was surrounded by pearls, thousands of them all softly gleaming and hung like washing on a line. There’s something so mesmerising about pearls I would love to lie in a bed of them. Anyway, now that I have had one night in (I saw my son) I look tip top and off out again thinking 50 is the new 40 and wearing very high heals to boot.

The moral dilemma this week is what is worse a brand new sheepskin coat (£1200.00) to keep out the cold or a 60’s vintage mink coat (in perfect condition, cut short and never worn at £250.00)?

No dilemma for me actually, I’m sporting the mink occasionally hiding from people who look a little on the veggie side. I should point out that I have not eaten red meat for twenty five years.

Buildings and Baubles

2009-12-16T08:28:00.000-08:00

Today’s Pearls of Wisdom from the fast-talking jeweller are all about presentation. All the more so since we are living in an exceptionally visual world these days—something which, since signing up for Facebook and Twitter, I am ever the more coming to realise.

Hence I impart to you today, a pearl of wisdom plucked from my training and life as an artist, for its basic principles extend to all forms of visual presentation, even the way you put yourself together. So here goes.

Life drawing is so important to learn for a creative person because the same laws follow into all forms of design, from jewellery to architecture. Jewellery has to be displayed not only thematically but with a clear understanding of colour, form, pattern, perspective and the space in which it is contained. In the same way that the interior of a house must relate to its form, in life drawing the lines, form and shades should relate to one and other as well as with the paper or medium it is on. If something feels right, looks right, it probably is right. If it follows the above laws, the result is jewellery that will sell. Just as well at this time of year and after all the effort myself and the team have out in. Looking at myself today after too many parties I am not following my laws of presentation. Hole in tights, bags under eyes, slightly malfunctioning vision, I probably wouldn’t buy me to wear to a cocktail party.

On another note yesterday I had lunch with one Badger Asprey aged five who is great great great grandson of the founder of Aspreys the fabulous old British jewellery house. I told him of his great heritage, in relation to my business at any rate, but he was not impressed. So I told him that I was impressed that such a family as his would buy my jewellery.

Dinny Hall Blogs On

2009-12-14T05:39:00.000-08:00

Starting a blog when you are in jewellery retail just before Christmas and when your teenage son has just broken up from school is slightly mad. But then, with five stores, Lorcan the 13 year old and Bo the omnipresent little schnauzer, ‘madness’ is my middle name.

After 25 years in the business and as another decade comes to a close, I feel 29 still. It’s time to reflect a bit but also to think of the way ahead. And what better way is there to think ahead than to look to the next generation?

As an online philistine and a natural born raconteur, hopping on the blog train seemed not only like the perfect way to share my world with you, but for Lorcan to share his with me as well.

A behind the scenes look at a designer’s domain where the creative director (me), goldsmiths, retailers, marketing, accounting and production teams all share a rabbit warren of a space behind my glamorous flagship store in Notting Hill.

Over time, I hope to introduce the characters who make up the Dinny Hall team and provide you with a glimpse into our little world.

For now, the only pearl of wisdom I can impart upon you today is: drink less—you can go to more parties.