Jessica McCormack: New-Season Gold and Pearls from London’s Queen of Diamonds

This autumn, Mayfair-based designer Jessica McCormack unveils new work out of her boutique in central London. Last month she launched a playful collection of jewellery entitled Livewire, which draws inspiration from childhood games and fairground attractions. This was quickly followed by the debut of her collaboration with the fashion designer Emilia Wickstead, who took inspiration from the jewels for her latest ready to wear collection.

Jessica’s unique handcrafted jewellery masterfully combines classic techniques with contemporary design to fit seamlessly into the wardrobes of her clientele. The jewellery designer takes inspiration from a forgotten era of luxury when women created jewellery collections that reflected their personal style. The designer takes this idea and reimagines it in a light and playful manner.

The Livewire collection is inspired by the Buzzwire games of our childhoods, which challenged you to navigate a wire without touching it. A pair of angular, 18-carat yellow gold earrings, with softened edges and no visible fasteners, appear to hug an array of baguette and carré cut diamonds, forming a very modern chain-link silhouette that is mirrored in the Livewire necklace. The hero jewel in the collection is the Livewire Helix ring. Featuring a 16.23-carat radiant cut diamond, secured in place by a rounded rub over setting, this spectacular stone is elevated away from the finger by angular swirls of gold. The elegant use of negative space gives the design a boldness without adding unnecessary extra weight.

The 18-carat yellow gold Livewire Helix hoop earrings are reminiscent of geometric springs, while the Helix drop earrings are adorned at either end of their gold lines with 2.20 carats of pear-shaped diamonds, with their sleek lines interrupted by stunning gold zigzags.

Another new “game” devised by Jessica is her playful experimentation with pearls, which is showcased in the new Jessica McCormack x Emilia Wickstead collection. Home to several pearl farms, both designers hail from New Zealand and it was this that motivated Jessica to use pearls for the first time in her jewels. They are the perfect complement to Emilia’s Spring-Summer 2021 clothing collection, which was inspired by the South Seas. Staying true to herself, Jessica boldly combines both traditional and modern design in her work, making use of white and blackened gold, as well as a technique of diamond setting that can be traced back to the time of Britain’s King George. The hero jewel is a diamond riviera necklace with six detachable pearl pendants, while the collection also includes an array of pearl and diamond earrings that made their debut on Wickstead’s catwalk show at London Fashion Week in September.

With the bold, gold Livewire collection and pearl collaboration with Emilia Wickstead, Jessica McCormack upholds her reputation as one of the most exciting jewellers at work in London today.