MENU
Hattie Rickards’s schoolgirl enthusiasm for jewelry became a possible career choice during a two-week associated study on an art foundation course. It could well have ended when six of her girlfriends announced they were taking time out to travel for a year and she decided to join them. Her father, however, had other ideas. “He told me there was no way I was going,” Rickards says from her London studio, “unless I had something to come back to.”
That something was a place at London’s prestigious Central Saint Martins to study jewelry design and making, although her acceptance was not immediate. “I sent my portfolio and then followed it with postcards from around the world, pleading for them to let me in. I basically stalked them. When I did get in I felt so, so lucky, I never skipped a day.”
Under the guidance of mentors and tutors such as Francesca Amfitheatrof, design director of Tiffany & Co, Rickards graduated with the realization her path was not in making jewelry, but in designing. She worked under Solange Azagury-Partridge on leaving Saint Martins before setting up Hattie Rickards Jewelry — HRJ — in 2010.
“My aesthetic is very clear and defined,” she says. “It’s about bold, graphic silhouettes with a punchy color palette and love of kinetics. For my collection pieces, such as the Rubix ring, I love elements that twist and spin.”
I interpret my client’s desires and turn them into a timeless piece of jewelry
Her commissions are very much two-, or three-way affairs (future husbands commissioning rings for their soon-to-be fiancées) and very personal. Indeed another signature is “fingerprints,” where Rickards incorporates a client’s fingerprints into a piece, or even makes them the focus. “I interpret my clients’ desires and turn them into a timeless piece of jewelry that will last forever. Inspired by the person’s personality, it’s a fluid process. I prefer to meet in person to set up a rapport, but often clients ask for pieces for someone else.”
As expected, there are several stages involved. Rickards makes a number of sketches to agree upon a design that is then turned into a 2D technical drawing. 3D CAD renders and mock-ups follow before a wax model is produced and finally the real thing. Outstanding craftsmanship is a given, with every one of Rickards’s pieces handcrafted in the UK.
It can be hard work for the client. “I urge my clients to do ‘homework.’” Rickards says. “Especially for something like an engagement ring. They need to know what’s out there — what era they like, setting of stones, materials, and styles. Sometimes men want engagement rings before they propose and I have to extract information about their partners from them. But clients don’t need to know exactly what they want at the start — and they often don’t. What’s important is the end. That the piece is just what they want and it looks perfect. That’s what makes me happy.”
I love taking an old piece of jewelry that’s never worn and turning it into something a person will wear every day
Rickards uses ethical sourcing of materials wherever possible. “It’s important to have provenance,” she says. “I use precious fairmined 18-carat gold, with a knowledge of its origins, but it’s more of a challenge with gem stones and diamonds, harder to get guarantees. I have a network of suppliers in London with strong ethical practices and so it’s based on trust. My job is to design striking jewelry, if I can do that knowing it’s been done ethically then that’s a bonus.”
“I use bespoke jewels and antique gems, too — it’s a wonderful way to recycle. I always ask a client’s budget before we start. I love taking an old piece of jewelry that’s never worn and resetting the stones to turn it into something a person will wear every day, making something that has true sentimental value.”
The jewelry Rickards herself wears is very personal. “I always wear a diamond pendant and earrings made using my husband’s fingerprints, three stacked eternity rings, and my engagement and wedding rings. I’d never thought about my engagement ring until the time came. I reset the diamonds of my mum’s — I lost her when I was very young — and I love that every time I glance down at my ring I am filled with love for my husband and memories of my mum.”
Crafting such personal, affectionate links to the past are a huge part of HRJ, but what does the future hold? “Plenty of commissions and a few collaborations, but I have to keep those under wraps,” she smiles.
Hattie Rickards was photographed exclusively for Christie’s International Real Estate by Paul Stuart. Hair and makeup by Gina Kneifel.
