Bling it on! The judges hunting for Britain’s next star jeweller
Kat Brown meets host Katherine Ryan and the team behind new BBC show ‘All That Glitters’
Do you, when leafing through the pages of Vogue, ever spare a thought for how the ravishing jewellery worn by the models is created? All That Glitters, a new BBC Two show, led by a trio comprising two of Britain’s foremost jewellers, Shaun Leane and Solange Azagury-Partridge, and the comedian (and host) Katherine Ryan, aims to answer this question – and find Britain’s next jewellery superstar in the process.
From Tuesday, viewers can watch contestants from across the UK battle it out in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter. They are cast from all levels of interest and expertise. Some taking part in the show, such as 26-year-old Sonny, a self-taught jeweller and former personal trainer, and trainee goldsmith Naomi, 23, are open about how they’re using the show as a learning experience. Hugo, 23, reveals als he had always intended to follow in the footsteps of his graphic hic designer father, until ntil he spent time aged d 15 doing work experience perience with a jeweller weller – and they’re a mixture of apprentices ntices and professionals. onals. Dan, 40, a quick ck wit and the show’s how’s early star, r, wants to find his own style so that he e can stop making king jewellery y for other labels bels and create his s own.
All That at Glitters follows the he triedand-tested ed format of such hits as
The Great tBritish British
Bake Off and Sewing Bee. Here, it’s fascinating to see what’s involved in making even the simplest-seeming piece: the process involves high levels of artistic vision and the ability to keep your cool when things go horribly wrong with pricey bits of metal.
“The contestants seemed to be quite sensitive and emotional. They felt like poets, a lot of the time,” says Ryan, who was recently seen in Netflix’s single-mother drama The Duchess, and is a regular on panel shows such as 8 Out of 10 Cats. “Under the pressure of the clock, you could imagine someone throwing their toys out of the pram, but they would just adjust, and try it a different way.”
The skill required to create a piece of jewellery was also a revelation to Ryan. “I had always imagined that there was an heiress somewhere, sitting in a palace. She would draw a picture of something she wanted, and it would be magically made,” she says. “I had no idea that it would be such a gritty and, at times, masculine process.”
Leane, 51, a veteran of Alexander McQueen, designed Princess Beatrice’s engagement ring and wedding band. He h has an irresistibly warm screen presence presen that suggests a television star in th the making. When asked in the first epi episode what he is looking for in a cont contestant he barks, “Sexiness!”
“I als also said execution, good design and per perfection,” he p protests when I r remind him of this. “But I do love [sexiness]. For me, jewellery is sexy!”
The other judge, AzaguryPartridge, is a c contemporary of hi his. The pair’s close frie friendship began seven years ago, when they became part of a gro group called The Leo Leopards, leading Bri British jewellers working to preserve knowledge gleaned over centuries and nurture new generations of talent. A Vogue favourite whose work resides in the permanent collections of many of the world’s top museums, AzaguryPartridge, 59, is self-taught, like a couple of this year’s contestants.
“It’s such a mystery when you start out in this business,” she says. “It’s so painstaking, every part of it, and you have to put so much thought and energy into it. If you don’t have a passion for it, you’re not going to last.”
Not only are the contestants tested on their individual style each week, but they have to show the ability to create something a broader audience would love. Each episode, they’re given a “Bestseller” challenge, to create a classic in the vein of Cartier’s love bangle, or Tiffany’s heart necklace. On the other hand, there’s also the Bespoke challenge, in which contestants must create a piece for a special occasion such as a visit to Buckingham Palace.
“It’s not just about the design and the skill, it’s about the social interaction,” explains Leane. “That is so important – jewellery is such an emotional object. It can mean so much, and be passed down for hundreds of years. When I give that piece to them, there will be something [surprising] engraved on the back, such as roses [their] mother loved. That’s what bespoke is.”
So what did Leane engrave into Princess Beatrice’s engagement ring? “That I can never say,” he laughs. “There are so many hidden messages in it. It was something really private that Edo [Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, her millionaire businessman husband] and I came up with for Beatrice, and I promised I would take it to the grave.”
It’s difficult to see how BBC Two’s budget could match that of a royal fiancée. Is it even possible to make a piece of quality jewellery without spending a fortune on materials?
“You can create jewellery from anything,” argues Azagury-Partridge. “The piece I wore for years and years was a gold sleeper [earring] with a shell I’d found on the beach. It doesn’t have to be intrinsically valuable. It’s like a budget – it forces you to make the right decision. When you have endless pots of money, you don’t make the right decisions, because you don’t have to focus.”
That said, later in the series contestants will be able to get their hands on more expensive items, such as pearls. “As the contestants get whittled down, we know they won’t melt anything,” Ryan quips.
So, by the end of All That Glitters, will we have met Britain’s next jewellery superstar? AzaguryPartridge is confident, if diplomatic. “I think all of our contestants have got that love – and they’ve all got the staying power.”
‘I had no idea that it would be such a gritty and, at times, masculine process’
All That Glitters begins on Tuesday at 8pm on BBC Two