Text: Dariga Masenova GARRARD'S HOUSE FOR MORE THAN TWO YEARS OLD IS THE OFFICIAL MANUFACTURE OF THE ROYAL UNITED KINGDOM, MANUFACTURING AN INFLUENCE OF HERALDIC SYMBOLS. AT THE HOUSE ACCOUNT TIARA AND JEWELRY SETS FOR SIX GENERATIONS OF ENGLISH GOVERNMENTS STARTING FROM THE QUEEN OF VICTORIA.
At the end of winter, the world's oldest British jewelry house, Garrard, announced its partnership with Damas, an international distributor of luxury watches and jewelery. The head of the creative department of the House, Sara Prentice, told our magazine correspondent about the latest collections and interesting coincidences in her work.
Sara, you debuted at Garrard House with the Tudor Rose collection. Tell us about your favorite product.
Sara: My absolute favorite is a ruby rose necklace. I call him a "hero." The basic elements are easily removable and the product takes on a new style. Fully equipped, this is a rather massive necklace with five strands of pearls, diamond inserts, a tassel and a ruby rose. If you remove the rose and the brush, you get an elegant "collar". A rose can be worn separately as a brooch.
And how would you yourself wear such a symbolic decoration?
Sarah: I would stylize an image in a bohemian style: against the background of a white shirt of a free cut, I would start up a long string of pearls with a tassel. I like the idea of wearing expensive jewelry in everyday life, this has its own special charm!
Why did you combine the collection with the name of the Tudor rose?
Sara: I understand that the history of the Tudors itself is not entirely positive, because it tells of the struggle between the two succession dynasties of England, York and Lancaster. However, my first collection for Garrard carries a symbol of unity. This is a kind of homage to the traditional Garrard school of design and at the same time a challenge to modern trends and trends. Through her, I wanted to convey the whole "British" essence of the House. We had been processing archival design for quite some time, and I wanted to add my favorite floral elements to it. They give jewelry more tenderness and elegance.
How do you think Garrard's style will evolve with your coming?
Sarah: I'm English to the ends of the hair. Garrard has a very rich history, and I want to revive the image of the legendary House. Classic style is the main feature of all collections, so my task is to make the classics relevant.
Tell us about the Wings anniversary collection.
Sara: Last year, we celebrated the tenth anniversary of the collection, which is constantly updated thanks to a new design. It presents a necklace, pendants of various sizes, incredibly beautiful bracelets with white and black diamonds ...
... who are very popular among oriental beauties!
Sara: Oh yes! You know, they often tell me that Middle Eastern clients have their own particular taste and style. Perhaps so, but as a designer, I can tell you that this is a real paradise! There are no boundaries for creativity, because local women want a necklace, earrings, and a brooch - all at once! They greatly appreciate the history and heritage of the House, its connection with the royal surnames. Many of our clients from Dubai often fly to London specifically to order an exclusive piece of jewelry.
It seemed to me that the earrings from the Tudor Rose collection resemble the “palm” symbol that is popular in the region today.
Sara: How interesting! But this is only a coincidence, I did not know about this symbol. Although when working on a new design, I constantly thought about the Middle Eastern style. I guess I felt the mood of the region on an intuitive level.
You work only with non-conflict diamonds, that is, stones extracted from official mines in compliance with all laws and legislation.
Sara: Yes, in Garrard we use only non-conflict stones - each of them has a certificate by which its origin can be traced. By the way, the collection of wedding rings is made of gold, which meets the standards of the International Fair Trade Association.
Have there been any funny incidents in Garrard's story?
Sara: When Queen Elizabeth got married, she dropped the tiara that was specially ordered for her at Garrard. Then the masters of the House fixed the defects as soon as possible: in just 4 hours! All forces were thrown at it, but in the end the tiara was saved. Therefore, I think we can quickly respond to any force majeure.
Roses of discord - The Tudor Rose, sometimes also called the English Rose or Union Rose, is the traditional heraldic emblem of England and Hampshire.
- Initially, it meant the unity of two warring royal dynasties: Lancaster, whose emblem was a scarlet rose, and York, whose emblem was a white rose.
- In an effort to create a strong union, King Henry Tudor of the Lancaster dynasty married the heiress of York to Edward IV's daughter Elizabeth.
- In connection with this politically important decision, Henry passed a law on a new emblem that connected the two roses.
