Valentine's Day: Love is...

Money can’t buy you love? We think you’ll beg to differ once you’ve taken a look at our Valentine’s Day jewellery suggestions. Throughout the ages jewellery has been given and received as a token of love, and February 14 remains a key date in every jeweller’s diary.

However, if the thought of the usual onslaught of hearts, cupids and roses makes your stomach lurch, fear not, romance doesn’t have to be predictable. Some brands and designers are satisfying demand for traditional symbols of love, but with their own special twist, and others have created pieces that we think say the three magic words in their own unique and surprising way.

Tradition with a twist
Hearts and flowers are perennial favourites when it comes to jewellery designs, but they can seem a little too twee for Valentine’s Day, which is why brands are giving these symbols a modern edge.

CW Sellors
Chocolate and jewellery remain safe havens for those wanting to make a loving statement. Retailer CW Sellors has combined the two favourites and come up with the delectable My Last Rolo collection, which includes a charm in solid sterling silver and white or yellow gold plate, modelled on the chocolate and caramel sweet.
The charm is a quirky take on a traditional act of love - giving your last Rolo.

However, for those seeking something more whimsical, the W Hamond presented by CW Sellors Cross Heart range of polished Whitby jet encased in a handcrafted cross of either sterling silver or gold may be more apt.

CW Sellors design and brand director James Sellors says: “Fine jewellery provides a perfect token of love because the quality ensures the product will last. We only use precious metals because their longevity reflects the nature of the feeling suggested by the gift.”

Reid Peppard
Poets, playwrights and authors have often used nature to represent love, and now jewellery designers are getting in on the act. However, rather than just relying on flora and fauna, some designers are experimenting with preserved or taxidermied animals, or casting from animal parts.

Reid Peppard uses parts from squirrels, red foxes and carrion crows, and perhaps surprisingly, sometimes the results have romantic connotations. “I would say that half of the people who buy my work, buy it for a loved one,” says Peppard.

Peppard’s Squirrel Heart pendant (pictured right) is a more natural take on an age-old symbol of love. It is a grey squirrel’s heart cast in 18ct gold-plated silver
and sterling silver. “I love that each item of jewellery is slightly different to the next,” says Peppard. “Two squirrel heart pendants may have come from the same mould, but they are flawed, like the person who filed it and the person who will wear it. The Squirrel Heart pendant is the perfect Valentine’s gift for the unusual or unique beauty in your life, be they man or woman.”

Kleshna
The With Love From… friendship bracelets from Kleshna will be welcomed by those who shop with a conscience, as 15% of sales is being donated to the British Heart Foundation.

The bracelets feature a Swarovski Elements heart crystal alongside a Kleshna signature heart on a fully adjustable, elasticised bracelet that fastens with a silver toggle. The bracelets are available in 10 colour choices.

The jewellery is presented on a gift card so that the buyer can pen his or her own ‘With Love From …’ message.

Designer Kleshna Handel says: “Jewellery is still a very popular way of saying I love you on Valentine’s Day.

As the true meaning of my Russian name is ‘stealer of hearts’, I am well known for heart-based jewellery and, therefore, we are a hot spot for Valentine’s Day buyers.

“Tastes and budgets have changed over the years and we are seeing a rise in easy-to-wear, easy-to-give gifts flying out.”

Love redefined
Thanks to social networking, internet dating and the sending of e-cards, communication is evolving and so too are messages of love. There is a new order of designer-makers who could give your Valentine’s Day profits a boost by casting a new light on jewellery that says “I love you”.

Jessica de Lotz
An expert on sentimental jewellery, Jessica de Lotz uses her designs to tell a story, often seeped with romance. De Lotz says her Valentine’s classics are her personalised wax seal pieces from her range Love Story Collection, Paris 1946.

The collection originated several years ago when, on a romantic holiday in Bordeaux, de Lotz stumbled upon an old 1940s tin that was filled to the brim with love letters written in French, shorthand notes and a passport photograph of a young man.

Fully armed with the documentation of an entire love affair, de Lotz immortalised the courtship via the Parisian-themed collection, which includes rings, bangles, necklaces, cufflinks and tiepins. The polished silver items can be selected by initial and plated in rose or yellow gold, or are available in oxidised silver or polished silver.

“I am a romantic at heart, so my work evolves around concepts of love, romance and timelessness,” says de Lotz.

Bjørg
In writing, Bjørg’s jewellery seems to read like a traditionalist’s dream: hearts, lockets and engraved sweet nothings. Not so, however. The pieces from the Norweigian designer Bjørg Nordli-Mathisen are different from the norm, yet still encompass passion. The Heart Has Reasons pendant has an almost battered appearance and is engraved with the phrase: “the heart has reasons that reason cannot know”.

Meanwhile, the Anatomical Heart necklaces not only have an edgy look but also suggest raw passion. The Love Conquers All locket allows the wearer to keep a picture on them at all times but again has the look of something unpolished and enduring, reflecting the true nature of long-term love. For consumers wanting an quirky, honest token of love, they need look no further than Bjørg’s modern take.

Stephen Webster
The number and range of exotic gemstones used by designer Stephen Webster give his pieces an inherent romantic aura. His latest offering, the It Started with Eve… collection of couture cocktail rings, also plays with the often fine line between love and sin. For those who enjoy the drama of relationships and lust, who see beauty in the somewhat macabre - and also have a healthy bank balance – Webster’s jewellery oozes passion.

The range has evolved from the brand’s 2011 fine jewellery collection Murder She Wrote. The cocktail rings depict a combination of history’s most glamorous yet deadly femme fatales, including Lady Macbeth, Bonnie Parker and Bettie Page, as well as Eve (pictured). The detailed pieces are littered with exotic gemstones including tanzanite, peridot, red garnet, rubies and diamonds.

And for those looking to make a statement with something a bit more traditional, Webster has recently launched his first bridal collection in partnership with Forevermark and Dali Diamond.

“There is no other gift that resonates as a token of love like a piece of jewellery,” says Webster.

Carat*
Don’t be fooled by people who claim that come February 14 they are indifferent to the call of the postman. Although times have moved on and cyberspace is the playground of social interaction, the thrill of receiving a card on Valentine’s Day endures, and Carat*, known for its man-made gems, has taken the traditional card and given it a boost of bling.

The Carat* Valentine’s Love Cards each feature designs by French illustrator Emilie Sarnel and inside hold a choice of three pendant combinations - a microset heart and either a fairy, a handcuff or a four-leaf clover.

The three card options are based on the theme of ‘What is Love?’ and contain a message in that vein, for instance, Love is Trust. In this case, love most certainly is a jewellery and card combined – cute and meaningful.

Dower & Hall
Pearls – the safe haven of wedding jewellery – continue to be given as a classic gift of love, resonating a purity that keeps traditionalists happy.

If you’re looking for a masterclass in creating captivating and modern pearl jewellery, then look no further than Dower & Hall.

As well as capturing the power of the pearl and excelling at offering a new twist on a classic, Dower & Hall has raised the romance stakes with the Marry Me and Leap Year rings that allow men and women to propose first and then buy their partner’s dream ring later.

The Momento range could also make an ideal Valentine’s gift, the inscribed words of love saying to the receiver what the giver can’t.

“The Momento collection features various romantic verses and sayings,” says creative director Diane Hall. “Words allow us to express our feelings and emotions and the pieces from this collection are the perfect way to do so.”

You charmer
Traditional heart charms continue to capture the imagination and these are a couple of our favourites

Pandora
Large diamond-encrusted pendants from Pandora are likely to be popular this Valentine’s Day. The Danish bead brand has also added to its charms with a rhodolite-encrusted dangle charm in sterling silver, earring pendants, a charm with heart-shaped lace openings and two murano glass charms with contrast heart details.

Meissen
Meissen is using rock crystal, red porcelain, rose gold and diamonds to create some traditional Valentine’s Day glamour in its range of pieces. Or, for those steering away from colour, there is the beautiful simplicity of the brand’s white gold Love Letters bracelet.

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