Sometimes a new jewellery collection comes along and you cannot help but fall in love. That is what has happened to me with New Romantic. Their pieces are just beautiful and would look amazing with so many different outfits that I just keep going back to their online shop to try and decide what to buy! New Romantic is new to the market and certainly a brand that I can see everyone loving. Today I am excited to be sharing an interview with them and sharing details of their launch tonight as well.
Can you please tell us how New Romantic came to be?
New Romantic was inspired by the designer, Niamh Patten. She has been working in the jewellery industry for over 25 years creating bespoke jewellery, and wanted to create something along the lines of “where fashion meets jewellery” for a wider audience. Her vision was to celebrate the strength of women, and create versatile pieces that would suit all personalities and occasions.
The pieces that you have created are visually striking in their appearance but also so aesthetically beautiful. Can you please tell us where you find your inspiration?
Inspiration comes from every day experiences. The Earth Angel collection is a celebration of everything natural and Mother Earth. We wanted to use stones that are not traditionally used in jewellery, but are natural and delicate. For example, we use green diamonds and pink sapphires to recreate looks of nature, and other coloured stone to create sophisticated but soft jewellery.
The Heavy Metal collection is made from silver and we want it to celebrate the strength and success of women, and allow them to showcase their own confidence and personal achievements through their jewellery. By layering small chains, the pieces each have an attitude and presence, but are simple enough for those who are not used to wearing bold jewellery. This collection is extremely versatile, and can be easily carried from day wear to night.
Do you have a favourite piece in your collection?
The Idol Necklace in the Heavy Metal collection is without a doubt a favourite! We love to pair it with the LBD on a night out, or wear it with a shirt and jeans over the weekend. The beaded chains catching the light beautifully, and enhance the lustre of the metal.
The Peacock Tail Feather Ring is also one we are constantly drawn to. It is an 18 carat rose gold ring, embellished with green diamonds and pink and blue sapphires. It has such a unique and interesting style, and the use of green diamonds is so rare that it catches the attention of many.
There are many different metals, stones and materials in your pieces. Do you have a favourite metal or gem that you like to work with?
When it comes to one gemstone that steals our heart, it has to be pink sapphires. But all stones are precious in our eyes so we try to explore lots of different elements to create something unique.
The design process is one that I find so interesting – what is your favourite part of the design process?
Interpreting inspiration. When something strikes us as an opportunity for inspiration, we get straight to work sketching and playing with stones and metals to recreate that vision. Often the finished product is very different from the initial concept, but that’s all part of the fun!
I understand that Niamh has studied gems before – this much be such an interesting field – is there something that drew her to this?
Niamh has always been an inquisitive and creative person. She entered the jewellery world unintentionally and the possibilities consumed her. Having such a creative talent, she could see so much potential in a variety of areas and style, and those opportunities are what kept her in love with the industry.
Your website talks about all the metals and stone being ethically sourced – how important do you think it is to be ethically sourced in 2016 and beyond?
This is an essential part of our brand, we truly believe that this industry should be transparent, and that the integrity of the industry should be maintained. We go to great efforts to make sure that everything is ethically sourced, and to ensure that we can provide the highest quality products for our wearers.
It must be so exciting to be launching your new business but I am sure that there have also been challenges. What has been your biggest challenge to date?
The biggest challenge has been limiting ourselves to a select few pieces! We are bursting with ideas and want to create so many new collections for our brand, but we are a start up and so have to keep the practical hat on for the time being. But we are hopeful that next year will bring exciting new developments to New Romantic
Do you have any style tips for wearing jewellery?
Break the rules. We mix and match metals, wrap necklaces in bracelets, layer different chains on top of each other and constantly play with our jewellery. Jewellery should be fun and a signature style for each wearer. We encourage all of our wearers to move away from everything traditional and be confident to wear your jewellery how you like it.
Who is the New Romantic customer?
Amazingly, women of all ages, especially the Heavy Metal collection. We wanted to create jewellery that has fashion and stylish elements to it, similar to what is usually found in costume jewellery. However, we wanted to provide something made only of precious metals and gemstones to make sure that the piece would never lose their lustre. Women from 18 to 75 have been wearing our jewellery and accessorising a variety of styles in a variety of ways.
What does the future hold for New Romantic?
We have a lot of exciting developments for next year. We are developing a new range with diamond cut silver beads. This is such a playful way to add extra sparkle to your jewellery, and we are loving how the range is coming together. We are always planning ahead and trying to find ways to make jewellery more interesting and fun to wear.
A big thank you to Julieann for the interview and I would certainly advise checking out their beautiful pieces. They really have that little something extra and would make the perfect gift for someone or for you! They have an amazing website here, and they are also on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram as well.
And finally some exciting news – they are launching the collection this afternoon in The Design House, 43 Dawson Street, Dublin 2 from 7-9pm. You are more than welcome to come along and there will also be an amazing competition to win two necklaces worth €150!! Their pieces are just beautiful so if you are in Dublin I would certainly say to pop along to the launch.
