PRESS RELEASE
Celia Weinstock, founder of Lyme Fine Jewellery, launches her debut collection.
Celia Weinstock
Celia Weinstock creates jewellery on commission alongside themed collections, hand-making each piece with precious and semi-precious gemstones set in 18k gold. Taking inspiration from Art Deco, Naturalistic and ancient Asian motifs, Celia’s designs evoke the elegance and style of historical and cultural eras, and combine a sense of old world glamour with a contemporary edge.
A graduate of Oxford University, Celia studied Jewellery Design at the Gemological Institute of America before founding Lyme Fine Jewellery in 2009, which she named after her maternal ancestral home, Lyme Park, in Cheshire. A magnificent estate, nestled within sweeping moorland, Lyme Park has set the scene for a colourful family history and provided the stunning backdrop for Darcy and Elizabeth’s meeting in Pride and Prejudice. A flavour of this beauty and aristocratic heritage can be found in Celia’s jewellery in it’s sheer glamour and quality, evident across the collection.
In this, her debut collection, Celia has used designs inspired by European monarchy and cites Buddhist references in a reflection of her Eastern influences alongside elegant leaf motifs. Celia mixes coloured golds; (18k gold, no elements mixed, or added), pink, grey, brown, black and yellow, resulting in what is essentially a unique and contemporary take on fine jewellery design.
Asian Inspiration Inspired by the Tibetan knot, which is an ancient Buddhist symbol taken from a Tibetan manuscript; this is supposed to bring prosperity and good to all who wear it. The ring and earrings are made with 18k brown gold, which has two tones – both polished and matt – and diamonds. The necklace is made with diamonds and rubies with a ruby bead 18k neck chain. Designed by setting one stone on top of another to create an interesting texture, a tourmaline was set on a moonstone to create this ring. Mother of pearl was used as a base on which to set diamonds, ruby and onyx for the complimentary earrings and necklace.
Tourmaline, Moonstone & Diamond
Mother of Pearl, Diamond & Ruby
Mother of Pearl, Diamond & Onyx
Oriental Inspiration The totem of this necklace is inspired by the ancient Chinese Bat symbol, which is considered lucky because the word for bat ‘bian-fu’ is made up of the word ‘fu’, which means good fortune. This necklace incorporates traditional Chinese auspicious colours of red, white and black through the use of ruby, white jadeite, diamonds and onyx.
A butterfly carved from jade holds a special romantic significance due to a Chinese legend. Thus a jadeite butterfly is the traditional gift from a young man to his fiancé. This bracelet is made from jadeite, diamonds and 18k gold.
Chinese Bat: Onyx, Ruby, Diamond & White Jade
Chinese Butterfly: Jadeite & Diamond
Organic Inspiration These earrings were inspired by the Lotus flower, one of the eight Buddhist symbols of good fortune and purity. The petals are made of textured pink and gold, with the seeds of the flower represented by pink sapphires and yellow diamonds on gold chains.
Alexandrite stones are used in these earrings to express the light reflecting in water droplets on a leaf. The veins are engraved on the 18k gold and the curve of the surface is shaped to be as naturalistic as possible.
Lotus:Pink gold, yellow Diamond, pink Sapphire & Tsavorite
Leaf: Diamond, Alexandrite & Gold
Floral Inspiration These Leaf earrings and brooch were inspired by the stem of the Day Lily. There is an old Chinese saying that when a son is going to travel to a distant place, he plants a Day Lily for his mother. These pieces are made of diamonds, 18k gold and are ‘en tremblant’ a technique of using tiny springs to allow constant movement of the components.
Day Lily: Diamond
Day Lily Leaf: Diamond & Grey Gold
Renaissance Inspiration Lattice work is used by craftsmen to demonstrate the Renaissance style by evoking the delicacy and beauty of the Renaissance costume. To achieve a rich textural quality, piercing techniques were used to resemble a fine fabric such as lace.
These rings were inspired by antique rings used by European monarchs. To evoke the effect, Celia used rose-cut diamonds and grey gold to imitate oxidised silver.
Lace: Diamond & Yellow Gold
Sapphire & Diamond
Garnet & Diamond
Lace: Diamond, Ruby & Orange Sapphire
Green Inspiration In China green symbolises harmony, health, posterity, peace, family and eternity. This stunning bangle was designed to emphasise the central stone, a green Cabochon Prehnite. The shape of the bangle is such that, on the wrist, one can only see the motif and not the bangle.
Prehnite, Tsavorite & Diamond
Lyme Park Lyme Park is the largest house in Cheshire, which has developed gradually since the Legh family acquired the manor and estate in 1398. Lyme Park is a neo-Palladian 18th century mansion surrounded by formal gardens, a lake, an Orangery, Hunting tower and Deer park. The Legh association with Lyme extended over six hundred years, ending in 1946 when Richard Legh, Lord Newton, Celia’s great grandfather, gave the house and park to the National Trust. Historically, the Leghs participated in local politics, members of Parliament, and have been noted for their Royalist loyalty.
To view the full collection, visit, www.lymefinejewellery.com For further information, look books and high-res images please contact Phyllis Walters. T: 020 7349 7135 E: Phyllis@phylliswalters.com