International Women’s Day has become an important marker in the fight for gender equality, celebrating women’s achievements and raising awareness against bias.
To honour International Women’s Day 2022, each member of W&W has chosen an inspirational woman that they would love to design a piece of jewellery for.
From authors and artists to political figures, keep reading to discover the significant women our team have been inspired by…
Richard
My daughters are absolutely the most important and inspirational women in my life. I put this question to them and they chose the Bronté sisters as women that have inspired them, not only as authors but also for breaking through every barrier in a completely male dominated world.
“The Bronte sisters inspire me because I love to write and they were some of the first female writers of their time and therefore made female writing popular.”
“They inspire me because I love reading and writing, and because of what they did female writing is now much more popular.”
From one set of sisters to another, the girls designed a Whitby Jet bracelet to represent the Bronté’s Yorkshire heritage with a silver ‘A’ charm for Anne. As well as a Georgian inspired gold ring with a central polished silver disc surrounded by emeralds.
Shuka
Monique Pean is the woman I would choose to create a bespoke piece of jewellery for. She inspires me as an artist and a contemporary jeweller, because philanthropy is the core motivation for her work.
Monique Pean has won multiple acclaimed awards for her distinctive, socially responsible, and environmentally conscious approach to designing and creating jewellery. It would be an honour to create a bespoke piece of jewellery for a philanthropist I aspire to professionally.
To create a piece fit for her, I would explore using responsibly sourced and mined leopard opals; opalescent diamonds, pre-loved old cut diamonds and recycled gold. These would be used to form either a necklace or earrings, with a design inspired by the Art Deco period – one of my personal favourite periods for jewellery design. y
Simon
I would create a piece of jewellery to honour Emmeline Pankhurst who founded the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU). Her work exposed her to the life stories of many working-class women and her conviction grew that if society was to progress, women needed to be lifted out of their subordinate position.
I have always greatly admired the bravery of the Suffragette movement. Jewellery played its part to bolster the visual identity of the Suffragettes. To be designing and making jewellery at this time would have added an extra layer to W&W’s meaningful jewellery.
Narell
If I could create a bespoke piece of jewellery for anyone it would be Rosa Parks.
Her quiet yet confident perseverance both intrigue and inspire me. Described as shy and reserved, the magnitude of her action might seem a contrast to her character. Her memoir being called ‘Quiet Strength’ makes me think deeply about what piece of jewellery I could create that would honour both her bravery and her introverted personality.
