Wearable Alphabet

Jewellery that lets you say it out loud and proud

Pacharee

Pacharee Sophie Rogers, the Thaiamerican founder of Pacharee, o ers a delectable collection of initial necklaces in hand-sculpted texture; modernised with tiny natural pearls and set in a way that is unique to the brand. The idea, says Pacharee, was to create an everyday pearl necklace that felt e ortless and personal, and the initial was a great way to achieve it. Each hand-sculpted piece hints toward slight, but beautiful di erences in the edges, depth, and the little details. Keshi pearl encrusted with vermeil or gold alphabets are just as popular as the birch pearl letter bracelets. Whilst pearl letters are Pacharee’s original o erings, she has recently introduced colour to the alphabet line with yellow, pink, and blue sapphires, as well as pops of rainbow sapphires. “During these recent times, when the pandemic is a ecting us globally, I felt more vibrant hues could uplift the mood,” says Pacharee, who wears her initial necklace religiously. For Net-a-porter shoppers, this will come as good news: The brand is launching letter exclusives, in emeralds and ombré pink, on the luxury e-tailer.

pacharee.com

Harwell Godfrey

Lauren Harwell of Harwell Godfrey first launched her diamond and enamel knife edge letter charms in 2019. She then added fabulous iterations by way of medallions. A background in advertising as art director and creative director for over fifteen years saw Lauren fall in love with typography. “I was always interested in how to create type that felt in line with my work and that was three-dimensional rather than the 2D type I had always worked with. Adding the knife edge element to the type really brings it into the Harwell Godfrey brand language,” says the California-based designer, who wears a large charm and a medallion from her own collection. Her medallions are a real delight for gemstone lovers as they feature a varied stone base – black onyx, pink opal, lapis lazuli – that is accented with a diamond baguette frame. Lauren uses either diamonds or multi-colour stones to adorn the letter.

harwellgodfrey.com

Harvey Owen

Co-founded in 2020 by Hallam Harvey and Owen Bather, their fine jewellery brand, Harvey Owen, combines the duo’s love of minimalism with diamonds. The London-based brand offers an elegant selection of pendants for those who want their initials in minimal, clean lines. The designers came up with the Alpha collection after trying to find simple initial pendants for themselves and finding nothing to their liking. “We noticed that a lot of the pieces in the market were quite thin and we wanted a piece that felt a bit more substantial, even for a small diamond pendant. Our pendants have a depth and weight to them,” says Hallam. Set with beautiful white diamonds, the letter pendants are quietly charming; no wonder that the Alpha initials are flying off the shelf. “Some of our clients are wearing the initial of a loved one, while some even stack a few initials on a chain,” observes Hallam.

harveyowen.com

Agaro

Agaro’s designer, Roshni Singhal imbues her dreamy Roya collection initial pendants and charms with Mughal-inspired motifs rendered in vitreous enamel. Journeying back in time to the Indian Mughal era and its exquisite artistry, the Roya line references ancient Indo-islamic motifs. She launched the Roya collection with a few letters, experimenting with intricate patterns and colours. “I always wanted initial charms to be a blend of fun, wit, and colour,” says Roshni. The Roya handmade initial pendants and necklaces in 23k gold are patterned on the back, and embellished with diamonds and enamel employing 24k gold kundan work – a traditional gem-setting technique that involves gold foil inserts between the gems and the mount. The Roya initials became an instant hit, prompting Roshni to revisit the charms and adapting Agaro’s signature floral motifs in trendier ways. The new paper clip bracelets feature locks that pick up the hues and motifs from charms that come in both colours and pastels. The gilded Roya initials in cream and ivory are new Spring-summer favourites. “I will be combining a bit of vintage orange and turquoise colour in my upcoming initial charm collection,” adds the Mumbai-based designer.

agarojewels.com

Brent Neale

Fine jewellery brand Brent Neale’s recent Bubble Letter series was inspired by a private client’s request for a piece for all four of her daughters. “I designed the ‘S’ specifically to look like the bubble letters I doodled, when I was much younger. When it came out, I loved it so much I wanted one too and decided we had to do the whole alphabet,” reveals the designer. “I’ve incorporated stones in each because pops of colour and eye-catching gemstones have become a signature of our brand.” The bubble letters, says the designer, can be customised with birthstones. These days, Brent wears a ‘B’ initial hanging off her Hamsa necklace and a Bubble cuff with all three of her children’s names on it.

brentneale.com

Gigi Ferranti

Designer Gina Ferranti of Gigi Ferranti had been toying with the idea of designing initials for a while. With so many letter jewels in the market, she wanted hers to be unlike any other. “It had to be something anybody would wear and still have a cool and chic Brooklyn vibe,” says Gina, who lives in Southeastern Brooklyn. Driving around the city made her notice the graffiti murals and words on the buildings. Inspired by the graffiti murals and the modern-day storytelling with the frescos in Pompeii, the Italian jeweller embellished her chunky Graffito collection letters with sapphire in a range of hues, tsavorite garnet, amethyst, and diamond. “The stones are hand bead set and the colours are matched in a pattern to give the design a spray-painted look. My signature aesthetic is geometric and the Graffito has block and bold letters that reflect my core aesthetic,” adds Gina.

gigiferrantijewelry.com

Mateo

Houston-based Matthew Harris’ collection is all about personalisation. “Our initial collection is a testament to that, hence it’s a part of our core collection,” says the designer. Earlier this year, award-winning poet Amanda Gorman wore a Mateo Secret Diamond Initial ring at the Super Bowl, and threw the spotlight on the letter trend. “I cannot thank stylist Jason Bolden enough for truly being a friend and a long-time supporter of the brand,” says Matthew. Clean lines anchoring the piece, carefully crafted by the Jamaican designer, are a testimony to minimalist modern heirlooms that draws on architecture. The founder of Mateo first designed the initial jewels over four years ago; an inadvertent mistake in production – where the piece was made with a crystal quartz instead of an opaque stone – led to the Secret Diamond Initials being a hot pick since. The combination of gold, diamonds and emerald cut crystal quartz, observes Matthew, makes for the perfect balance in a timeless collection. The diamond initials framed by plain gold is also available in a diamond pavé version for those who like the extra sparkle.

mateonewyork.com

Colette

With Colette Steckel’s Gatsby collection, not only can you choose your initial, you can also customise it in your favourite colour. She borrows on Art Deco elements for the geometric typography and “brings together the stark contrast of straight lines and curves in a beautiful way.” The Gatsby enamel letter collection for her pendant necklaces, bracelets, and rings sees the designer adapting the celebrated period’s visual elements to create the bold lettering. As an ode to Colette’s home city, Paris, each initial is enclosed in an elongated octagon that represents the Place Vendôme.

colettejewelry.com