Proper round Valentine’s Day, designer Cece Fein Hughes, of the British jewellery model recognized merely as Cece, added a coronary heart motif to her vary of 18k gold and enamel signet rings and pendants. The design, which permits for a customized engraving within the banner beneath, is an ideal present for sweethearts to alternate. And within the intervening weeks, it’s truthful to say that my affection for this little magnificence—and Hughes’ total enamel assortment—has deepened significantly.
Because it occurs, I’ve additionally been pondering plenty of about signet rings normally and the way a standard class ring looks as if a forgotten class that must be resurrected anew. Wouldn’t Hughes’ method to the archetypal silhouette be a uniquely enchanting choice for these graduating this spring?
“Plenty of my work is bespoke, the place individuals come to me with private tales or symbols to symbolize family members depicted in miniature enamel work—similar to a tattoo that may final endlessly,” says Cece Hughes. Coronary heart signet ring in 18k gold and enamel with diamonds and customized engraving, $3,811.60
Hughes first launched her model in 2020 with only a small group of minimalist 9k gold and diamond rings and hoops. As an artwork historian who studied at Exeter College, and labored at Christie’s and Sotheby’s earlier than lastly turning her consideration to the commerce of goldsmithing in 2018, she appears to have discovered the fullest expression of her voice with the enamel sequence.
“I actually loved making my first assortment, and I nonetheless put on most of it on a day-to-day foundation, nevertheless, I in a short time craved storytelling, which is why I gravitated towards enamel,” says the designer, who’s at the moment offered at Liberty London and Catbird.
It was throughout her continued schooling on the British Academy of Jewelry that she fell in love with the traditional artwork of enameling.
“It’s a medium which might be painted onto a floor of gold in any means you need…the alternatives are limitless,” she says.
All of the enamelwork is finished by a grasp specialist in London, whereas Hughes stays centered on her design and craft on the bench.
Inspiration for the signet ring art work is rooted in fairy story illustration and conventional tattoo artwork. The designer attributes a part of the imagery to her reminiscences of constructing “miniature fairy worlds” at her grandmother’s home in a “witchy” space of the U.Ok. generally known as Dartmoor, a moorland within the county of Devon strewn with craggy cliffs, Stone Age tombs, and deserted medieval dwellings.
Snake signet ring in 18k gold and enamel with diamond, $3,811.60
Cranium signet ring in 18k yellow gold and enamel with ruby, $3,811.60
Rose signet ring in 18k gold and enamel and diamonds, $3,811.60
“I additionally spent my childhood listening to the tales my deep-sea diver father would inform of his adventures beneath the waves,” she provides. “Marrying the enchanted creatures depicted in fables with the playfulness of old-school tattoos was simply so enjoyable! After which the mixture of throwing in just a few star-set diamonds onto gold magically spun collectively this aspect of luxurious, that means you possibly can carry round a miniature treasure chest of tales in ring kind.”
Clam signet ring in 18k gold and enamel with diamonds and pearl, $3,811.60
Lobster signet ring in 18k yellow gold and enamel with diamond, $3,811.60
Shark signet ring in 18k yellow gold and enamel with diamond, $3,811.60
Palm signet ring in 18k yellow gold and enamel with diamond, $3,811.60
And this concept of knickknack being a miniature treasure chest of tales is one which resonates along with her followers and collectors. “I imagine the world has shifted from quick instantaneous trend to valuing one thing a bit of extra timeless, relishing within the making course of and investing in jewellery that has extra that means and may final generations,” she says.
She’s proper that the world is shifting. And bombarding us with devastating information and pictures of late. I ponder if Hughes is conscious that her signet rings by definition provide a type of escape. This can be why, beginning Friday by means of March 12, she is going to be a part of others within the jewellery group in supporting Ukraine by donating 30% of all gross sales of her enamel signet rings and pendants to the British Purple Cross DEC Ukraine Enchantment as they endeavor to assist households affected by the disaster.
And with that mentioned, might I counsel the dove ring pictured up prime? I can’t think about a extra becoming talisman for activating peace on earth.
