Duffy Jewellery

East London based Jewellery designer Duffy has been working on his craft for over a decade and is now a regular ‘go to’ for the world’s hot, young fashion set. He has collaborated with big brands such as PPQ and Nike, had his jewellery featured in music videos for stars such as Jessie J and has a loyal fan base including Daisy Lowe and Erin O’Connor. However, he still works independently, producing all his pieces by hand at his Home/Atelier.

Duffy Jewellery can be quite masculine, yet bold and beautiful at the same time. He has a great website featuring some of his work, with an interesting ‘Journal’ where you can keep up to date with his recent collaborations. Alongside each collection he features poetic descriptions ‘My emotions that run riot, my memories both vivid and faint, all that i have seen and i am yet to see’- creating a haunting backdrop to bring all the individual pieces in that collection together.

Scrolls, bones, crosses and skulls feature heavily alongside swallows, swans, feathers and claws. His pieces are strong enough to stand alone yet complement each other. There is a very raw, tribal, almost ritualistic feel to his jewellery that seems to echo both the darker side of human nature, yet feels very much ‘alive’ at the same time. This feeling is maintained throughout his work, even on some of the more modern designs, such as the ‘I Can’ necklace, a miniature silver spray can on a chain. The spray can, a symbol of rebellion, has an almost menacing feel in its simplicity and is one of my favourites.

Most of his work is in sterling silver with some solid gold and bespoke pieces, all hand-made. My boyfriend is lucky enough to own one of the Duffy Jewellery Scroll rings…

Below is a great film on Duffy that has been created by Chris Read for Hypebeast magazine as part of their ‘Modern Day Artisans’ series. It gives you an insight into his world as a modern-day craftsman and the world in which he forges his creations.

You can also follow @duffyjewellery on twitter