Copenhagen-native and jewellery designer Sophie Bille Brahe takes a swim in the North Sea every afternoon. ‘It’s where I feel most inspired,’ she says. ‘To me, the calm Danish coastline is characteristic of the clean, Scandinavian subtlety I aim to capture in my work.’
Until now, Bille Brahe has scarcely deviated from fine, minimal lines. It comes as a surprise, then, that her latest collection is inspired by flowers. Five pear-cut diamond petals encase a striking yellow diamond flowerhead at the end of the Canary Marguerite necklace. The pavé diamond stem of the Pellegrina earring is topped by a five petal flower of brilliant-cut diamonds.
‘For me, flowers represent new beginnings,’ says Bille Brahe, ‘and this collection is a fresh start. It’s more “classic”, using larger diamonds – with my own twist, of course.’ Her gold-set flowers are reminiscent of Robert Mapplethorpe’s poised Y series, or the horticultural prints of German nature photographer Karl Blossfeldt.
Sophie Bille Brahe and collaborator Emelie Johansson, who helped pick organic flowers for Bille Brahe’s pop-up jewellery boutique in Copenhagen
But it's the somewhat unlikely figure of author, and keen florist, Karen Blixen (1885-1962) that compelled Bille Brahe to enter this floral phase. She has been visiting Blixen’s seaside manor since childhood, and feels a deep affinity with her. Now a museum, the residence is filled with flower arrangements rendered in Blixen’s signature style. Bouquets of colourful daisies, tulips and wild grasses fan out dramatically from shallow porcelain vases.
‘The way Karen Blixen stripped tulips!’ enthuses Bille Brahe. ‘She removed all of the leaves, leaving one, very modern stem. She arranged flowers in the same way she lived her life – something I’ve always wanted to do in my jewellery. I want to leave the materials to stand as much as possible on their own.’
It’s a philosophy that has influenced Bille Brahe since she was ten, and started selling jewellery to her mother’s friends – delicate wire earrings tangled with beads, and brooches made from mirror fragments. Even then, she was fascinated by materials, yet didn’t want to over-manipulate them. She has carried this respect into her work with gold and diamonds. ‘I want my jewellery to tell a story – but it has to tell it quietly, as pared back as possible.’ Her floral collection whispers.
Left and right, Boucle Ensemble earring
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Sophie Bille Brahe website
-
All-In is the Paris-based label making full-force fashion for main character dressingPart of our monthly Uprising series, Wallpaper* meets Benjamin Barron and Bror August Vestbø of All-In, the LVMH Prize-nominated label which bases its collections on a riotous cast of characters – real and imagined
-
Maserati joins forces with Giorgetti for a turbo-charged relationshipAnnouncing their marriage during Milan Design Week, the brands unveiled a collection, a car and a long term commitment
-
Through an innovative new training program, Poltrona Frau aims to safeguard Italian craftThe heritage furniture manufacturer is training a new generation of leather artisans
-
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
