Last Thursday I was lucky enough to be invited to an event at The Soho Hotel in Richmond Mews for a jewellery event to showcase some of QVC's designer collaborations.
To be honest, I'm not sure what I was expecting. I am not a QVC customer, nor have I ever been, and generally I associate QVC with tacky stuff, weird kitchen accessories and bored housewives. Quite honestly though, I'm happy to admit that this event changed that opinion.
Ok, so I'm probably never going to buy something off the TV. The stigma attached to that is not something I can bend to, not just yet anyway. However, the Internet, well, that's something I can stretch to. And the QVC website is nicely presented and easy to navigate. The representatives from QVC at the Soho Hotel event brought a lot of information about the brand to my attention, for example, QVC sells a range of jewellery from costume pieces for £10 to fine jewellery to the cost of nearly £20K. When it comes to picking which designers to work with, QVC are interested in only the best and most relevant talents. Senior Jewellery Buyer Gemma Savage says "we pay close attention to industry awards and approach nominated or winning designers". By my third mini quiche my ideas of the brand had started to change.
The room was dotted with jewellery stands showcasing the brand's collaborations with young designers. Two larger stands showed off designs by designers Lauren Adriana and Ana de Costa, both Central St Martins graduates and movers and shakers in the world of fine jewellery. These collections are like chalk and cheese, showing that QVC's aim to cater for more than just one type of customer is something they're serious about. With these two designers, they showed that there's not a fussy old housewife in sight.
Both designers were present at the event and both took time to tell us a bit about their collections and how they work. I was shocked to find out that on average only 6-12 pieces are produced for their fine jewellery lines per year, alongside bespoke (commission) items. Also, it interested me that both designers stated that they disliked the idea of their jewellery being throw away, so with that in mind, they both work on the idea of each piece being not only unique but timeless. Both openly expressed their distaste for the idea of trends in fine jewellery, which I found reassuring. Surely if I'm going to invest hard earned £££s in a beautifully designed piece of fine jewellery, it's going to suck if I can only wear it for one season without getting pitying looks off ladies what lunch. We might all be loving the YSL Arty for now but will we be deemed pitifully sad when we're still wearing it next April? Hmm.
Lauren Adriana is trained as a Gemologist, and so it makes sense that her collection for QVC is sparkle-tastic, using a wide variety of precious stones, from blue topaz to smoky quartz to pink sapphire, to embellish her collection and embody her dream to be poolside at a cocktail party in 1970s Palm Springs. A little bit more to my personal taste was Ana de Costa's collection which features key and peacock feather motifs. The stand out piece of that collection for me were the silver fan earrings which I may well be purchasing once I get paid next month. I was also quite taken with the peacock feather bracelet, pictured below. De Costa's collection comes in as the cheaper of the two with prices starting at around £17. Adriana's gemstones range from around £67 for a pink pearl pendant to £475 for a morganite and diamond accent ring. both collections are available on QVCUK.com this summer.
Other collections also made a lasting impression on me, most noticeably "Sho", headed by Sarah Ho. The pearl rings which drew inspiration from her Asian heritage were probably my favourite pieces of the night and I'd be happy to have one on each finger for the rest of my days. Kimberley Selwood's collection also made an impression. The ornate and distinctly feminine silver pieces would, I'm sure, add elegance and a girly touch to every outfit, particularly the Drift Away Bangle £107 (pictured below) and the Keep Me Safe Heart Charm Ring, £26.
Thank you so much to those at QVC and at Mischief PR for inviting me to the event and for providing friendly faces and chatter all night. The canapés and champagne were (obviously) to die for and I left feeling thoroughly spoiled. Not only that but when I was travelling home on the Piccadilly Line I was thrilled to find that I'd been given Ana de Costa's Key Pendant in my goodie bag - so look out for that in future outfit posts!
What are your preconceptions of QVC? Have you ever bought anything from them? How do you feel about the concept of trends in jewellery? What do you think of these collections?
DISCLAIMER: These are my own opinions and I have not been paid to write this post. I only rave about things I like, honest :)
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