My Friend Philippa

 My very old friend, Philippa Holland, has just launched her amazing jewellery online with Net-A-Porter. Her work is heavily nature-inspired, with most of it being cast from real-life animal skulls and wings she finds on her daily ramblings through the enchanted Savernake Forest

For her Œnature's Tricks collection, inspired by Darwin's specimens and intricate studies of nature, various insects and animal skeletons were gathered by Philippa. These were then electro-formed and cast in gold and silver to create an exact replica, a process inspired by Renaissance ceramicists. Selected pieces undergo further treatments of plating, oxidising and enamelling. Black diamonds and black pearls are prominent throughout the collection, highlighting particular features and bringing the forms to life

She says Œnature's Tricks represents the darker side of nature, the predatory world of the insect and animal kingdom. Some of these creatures are deadly, yet masked by their delicate, seductive beauty. Other pieces from the collection are harmless, yet collectively feared. Creatures from the natural world have been used as adornment since the tribal world began and were believed to carry unique powers. These specific qualities were believed to be passed on to the wearer, offering protection on a spiritual level. All of the jewellery is manufactured in England, using a number of specialist craftsmen.