Red Carpet Mysteries and Fringe Festival Jewels: Our Weekly Round Up of Headline Jewellery News

There is plenty to catch up on in the jewellery world this week, from an unexpected tussle over a bejewelled arachnid to a curated exhibition exploring the links between jewellery, memories and the land. Plus, let’s take a closer look at Chaumet’s latest additions to its Joséphine collection and go behind-the-scenes of one of London’s most discreet private salons.

One of the more unusual pieces of jewellery news of the past few weeks began in Shanghai, where American mega-star Zendaya appeared in an archival Atelier Versace gown with a spectacular spider brooch pinned at her hip. Set with diamonds and centred on a 19-carat yellow sapphire, the jewel was initially credited to Chopard… but this is only the start of the story.

Zendaya’s Mysterious Spider Brooch

Later that same day, however, David Webb issued its own statement identifying the brooch as a David Webb design and shared an archival sketch connecting it to an original creation from the 1990s. The story became even more intriguing because the jewel closely resembles another David Webb spider brooch that appeared at Christie’s in 2015, this time featuring a cushion-cut kunzite and surrounded by flexible diamond-set legs. That piece sold for $77,500. 

The confusion did not end there. Stylist Law Roach later questioned the suggestion that he had simply made a mistake over the jewel’s attribution, leaving an unusual situation in which both Chopard and David Webb remained publicly connected to the same brooch. The story was subsequently examined by jewellery historian Marion Fasel in Air Mail, and a definitive public explanation has still not emerged. 

Red carpet jewellery credits are usually among the most straightforward details of an appearance, which is exactly what makes this case so fascinating. Here, the conversation has moved beyond styling and into provenance, authorship and the history of the jewel itself.

Terrane: Jewellery Shaped by Place

If you happen to be in Edinburgh this month, Terrane is well worth adding to your list. Running from August 7-31, 2026, at ætla gallery in Stockbridge as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the exhibition brings together 11 international jewellers whose work explores the relationship between landscape, memory and identity. Curated by Kate Matthams, it looks at the ways in which a sense of place can become embedded in jewellery through material, colour and personal history. 

The materials alone make the exhibition worth a closer look. Scottish agate, Sri Lankan sapphires, Afghan lapis, carved ebony and reclaimed NHS X-ray silver all appear across the works, each carrying its own connection to a particular landscape or experience. Inesa Kovalova’s work draws on her upbringing in the Donbas region of Ukraine, while other jewels are shaped by connections to Scotland, Sri Lanka, India, Nigeria and Beirut. 

Rather than depicting landscapes literally, Terrane explores how materials themselves can hold memories of place. It gives the exhibition a particularly personal quality, with each jeweller approaching landscape through their own history, craft and choice of materials.

Chaumet: A New Chapter for Joséphine

Chaumet has unveiled new additions to its Joséphine collection, continuing a story inspired by Empress Joséphine, the woman at the heart of one of the Maison’s most iconic collections. The latest pieces, available from September, return to the collection’s familiar codes: the pear shape, tiara-inspired forms and the distinctive V derived from the aigrette, a jewelled ornament traditionally worn in the hair. 

Among the new creations is a Joséphine High Jewellery parure in which slender pavé diamond bands intertwine and overlap to form an openwork bracelet. Brilliant cut diamonds are arranged in a pear shape, continuing the trompe l’oeil artistry for which the Maison is known. 

The same play on the pear shape appears in a new pair of white gold earrings inspired by the stones of Chaumet’s 1919 Bourbon Parma tiara. Elsewhere, the Triomphe de Chaumet ring introduces a sapphire, while new pendants and earrings combine rose or white gold with diamonds, Akoya pearls and polished gold beads. 

There is also a new Joséphine watch combining rose gold and steel, with a white dial encircled by diamonds and faceted to recall a pear cut. Throughout the latest additions, stacking, layering and asymmetry offer different ways of wearing Joséphine’s recognisable codes. 

Something I Read This Week: Inside London’s Private Jewellery Salons

I also wanted to bring something slightly different to this week’s round-up: a piece I enjoyed reading in The Telegraph. Written by Kate Youde for The London Magazine, it looks beyond the familiar jewellery shopfronts of Mayfair and enters some of London’s private and appointment-only salons. Three in particular caught my attention.

First is Glenn Spiro, alongside his son Joe Spiro, whose recently refurbished salon at 26 Bruton Street occupies a Grade II listed building with an extraordinary fashion history. The address was once home to Sir Norman Hartnell, one of the most important British couturiers of the twentieth century and a designer closely associated with the Royal Family. Hartnell created Princess Elizabeth’s wedding dress in 1947 and later designed Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation gown in 1953.

The Spiros have retained elements of that history while giving the rooms a new identity. Dark lacquered surfaces, mirrored details, warm woods, chandeliers and carefully designed display cases create the feeling of a private interior filled with collectable objects rather than a conventional jewellery boutique. Original features from Hartnell’s time in the building remain part of the space, including mirrored dressing tables. It provides an atmospheric setting for Glenn Spiro’s one-of-a-kind high jewellery.

Just a few minutes away is Barron London, founded by Charlie Barron. His Bruton Street gallery is intimate and highly personal, closer in feeling to a collector’s room than a traditional retail space. A discreet salon leads into a deep red room conceived almost like the interior of a jewellery box, with jewels and objets arranged around the space.

Barron’s eye moves easily between periods. Antique jewellery and important gemstones sit alongside vintage Cartier and Bvlgari, as well as contemporary work by jewellers including Hemmerle, Taffin, Glenn Spiro, and JAR. He also creates pieces under his own By Barron name and works privately with clients on bespoke commissions.

Lily Gabriella offers another private jewellery world from her penthouse showroom in Burlington Arcade. Hidden above one of Mayfair’s best-known arcades, the space is filled with natural light from a large skylight and windows overlooking Piccadilly. Soft shades of pink give the rooms a calm, almost residential quality, allowing the jewellery to be seen in a relaxed and intimate setting.

From there, Lily Gabriella presents her sculptural jewellery, one-off creations and bespoke work, including the looping forms of her Spira rings. The setting feels removed from the bustle below, creating a quiet place in which to spend time with the jewels and with the designer herself.

Until Next Week

From the unresolved story of Zendaya’s spider brooch and the personal landscapes explored in Edinburgh to Chaumet’s latest Joséphine creations, this week offered four very different ways into the jewellery world.

I particularly enjoyed bringing a piece of reading into the round-up this week too, and looking beyond the jewels themselves to some of the private spaces in which they are created, discovered and collected. I’ll be back next week with another edit of the jewellery stories that caught my eye.