Hannah Martin first discovered the work of French photographer and painter Pierre Molinier while writing a thesis on the subject of masculinity as a student at Central St Martins, London. Known for his fetishistic photographs, paintings and photomontages of entangled stockinged mannequins and humans, Molinier was embraced by André Breton and the surrealist movement in Paris in the 1950s.
Now, with her latest collection, 'Somebody’s Sins’, the London jeweller is fully referencing Molinier for the first time in her work: 'His themes resonated with me immediately, but the biggest challenge in incorporating them was to not make that obvious. I wanted to avoid clichés and to capture the spirit of what I love about his work without creating a collection that looked simply like bondage jewellery.'
The detachable back on the short Bound Earrings means they can be worn as a simple stud
The resulting pieces nod to Molinier’s themes of dominance and submission: ropes of rose gold wind tightly around carved black jade earrings, while the Restraint cuff is opened by a secret clasp hidden beneath rows of sapphires and diamonds. The collection’s pinnacle is the Unknown Pleasures collar, a structured white gold choker lined with pavé white diamonds that is bolted across the throat by bars of black jade.
Form and sculpture create the illusion of tautness in solid metal: the Tension necklace is made up of two curving pieces of white gold lined with sapphires, held together at each end by rose gold and amethyst 'bullets'. A flash of skin is just visible through the resulting gap.
The mixing of metals and hues was deliberate, says Martin: 'The whole collection is about contrasts and juxtaposition. I countered the cool strength of white gold with the warmth of rose gold, balancing the masculine with the feminine. I wanted to go back to the roots of what I started ten years ago – jewellery that is sensual, that is seductive, that has weight and sculpture to it.'
Left, the long Bound earring consists of a carved shaft of dark black jade, bound to the ear by rose gold. Right, Hannah Martin
The short Bound earrings are also made from jade and rose gold
The Restraint cuff is opened by a secret clasp hidden beneath rows of sapphires and diamonds
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Hannah Martin website
-
Out of office: what the Wallpaper* editors have been doing this weekA taste of the dolce vita in London, some permanent artwork and a new eyeshadow palette – it's our editors' picks of the week
-
Daniel Arsham’s new monograph collates the works of the auto-obsessed American artist‘Arsham Motorsport’ is two volumes of inspiration, process and work, charting artist Daniel Arsham’s oeuvre inspired by the icons and forms of the automotive industry
-
Hollywood Forever's new ‘vertical mausoleum’ is the tallest in the USThe Gower Mausoleum is not only an innovative solution for housing the deceased in a crowded urban centre; it is also reframing the way that we view cemeteries
-
Art takes London: Tiffany & Co, Damien Hirst and artists take over Selfridges' windowsFour British contemporary artists celebrate Tiffany & Co's pioneering history with a series of storied window displays
-
Late summer jewels: what to wear at Golden HourLate summer signals a jewellery style-shift. These independent designers have got it covered
-
All smiles: How a grillz jewellery making class in London became an international hitWhat started as a passion project quickly exploded in popularity. We get the story behind the grillz-making workshop at Cockpit London
-
Emerging jewellery designers to get to knowThese independent, new and emerging jewellery designers and brands from New York to Paris are firmly on our radar
-
Jewellery designers share their most precious personal piecesA host of jewellers give us a peek at the jewellery which brings them joy and solace
-
Playing it cool: pearls are having a momentWe've been deep-diving into boutiques around the world to find the very best calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form. It seems jewellers have been busy rethinking pearls, with contemporary (and often affordable) results
-
Eternity rings for the modern coupleEternity rings, whether sleekly minimalist or sprinkled in diamonds, can be a chic and contemporary love token
-
Hair jewellery to covet and collectToday’s hair jewellery is both practical and pretty. We're pinning our hopes on these simple and elegant accessories
