‘There is something so pure and joyful about childhood,’ says jewellery designer Nadine Ghosn. ‘It is a moment where our life begins to shape and our identity starts to form. Creating is a time where I feel like I can play and my true inner child manifests, and as a result the playful theme transpires.’
This fascination for childhood has led Ghosn to explore everyday objects as jewellery – bracelets of golden paper clips, hamburger rings stuffed with precious gems, and Lego rings in boldly coloured slabs of agate all feature in previous collections. Now, it is the turn of the humble bicycle chain, which is rethought as a bracelet and necklace in 18ct gold.
‘This new collection is about life’s journey and my way of making sense of the chaos and changes we collectively face today,’ says Ghosn of the new ‘Lifecycle’ collection. ‘This collection brings us back to riding a bicycle, a skill many of us acquire as children. It is a marker of our development. If we are lucky, loved ones teach us patiently. We ride. We fall. We keep getting up, getting better with time. We gain momentum, we keep moving. By bringing the craft of fine jewellery to the key mechanics that make this ride possible, we choose to celebrate resilience and grit that keeps us all moving.’
Nadine Ghosn’s precious take on the bicycle chain
The pieces are crafted in weighty rose gold, with a smattering of diamonds an optional extra. Ghosn describes the bracelets as ‘the most significant investment I had to make in terms of craftsmanship and manufacturing – after 16 months of trial and error we managed to finalise it. The time and commitment translates in the weight and density of gold. [Each bracelet] is over 60 grams of solid 18ct gold – it needs to be strong, yet suave and remain kinetic.’
The 260 components of the bracelets took over 68 hours to complete in a mastery of technical form. ‘Each element is treated individually and is not part of a serial production, a high degree of detail and focus leads to creating a technically challenging chain that embodies the movement it represents – creating the most mechanical piece I’ve done yet.’
She adds: ‘The diamond version is mastered through a careful micro-setting technique with approximately 2ct of calibrated diamond level set throughout for maximum bling. No comment on how long that took to complete!’
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