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Putting jewellery centre stage

Jewellery and watches tend to get forgotten around the post Academy Awards fashion hoopla. Sure, there is plenty of discussion around price - who wore how many millions of dollars or, in the cases of Anne Hathaway and Gwyneth Paltrow, who got paid for the privilege of wearing some serious haute joaillerie. But there is very little talk about trends, if the pieces even complement the dresses - Amy Adam's Cartier necklace and high-necked dress combination, which didn't really work for the jewellery or the dress, comes to mind - or what wearing a Van Cleef & Arpels poetic complication says about a man. Yes, Robert Downey Jr, we're talking about you.

Jasmine Alexander once told me that she would love it if people talked about buying a dress to accessorise a fantastic piece of jewellery rather than constantly seeing jewellery as an outfit's second thought. As much work goes into making a fabulous necklace or bracelet as it does into a gown, yet more column inches were given, for example, to Livia Firth's upcycled dress than the beautiful Anna Loucah earrings and ring made for her from fairly traded gold and ethical stones.

The same is true of watches. There are only so many ways you can give a dinner suit some flair, but the timepiece that peaks out from underneath a starched cuff speaks volumes. And those signifiers will be on display at BaselWorld in a matter of weeks. In order to save your legs from giving out and your eyes from going watch blind, we have compiled a show preview with our top watch and jewellery picks (see page 19), including leading watch writer Ken Kessler's lowdown on what to expect at the eight-day event as well as his top picks.

Team RJ will of course be there, so keep an eye on our website and Twitter feeds for all the up-to-the-minute information. See you in Switzerland.

 

Laura McCreddie, Editor