There are few things more delicious than contradictions. Salt on dark chocolate. Leather with lace. A pearl choker dangling a Saturn pendant. Really no one embraced contradiction with more flair and freedom than Vivienne Westwood, the iconic British designer. Welcome to the latest Vivienne Westwood designer jewellery collection also for man.
An orbital Affair
Start, of course, with The orb. That planetary insignia, half regal sceptre, half alien spacecraft, serves as the house emblem, stamped across rings, necklaces, earrings and timepieces like a royal seal gone rogue. It merges tradition with interstellar fantasy, a Saturn-ringed world crowned like a medieval relic. What does it mean? Precisely everything. It means monarchy and mischief. Elegance and anarchy. The future and the past: suspended, forever, just above your collarbone.
Westwood did not craft jewellery for mere adornment. She offered artefacts, emblems, keepsakes of ideology. One might call it wearable rebellion, only that would be too tidy. Instead, think of it as a library of coded messages, each brooch or bracelet quietly winking at the wearer: You know, don’t you?
Pearls: The Westwood Way
Ah, pearls. That most ladylike of accessories, once confined to First Ladies and debutante balls, finds fresh expression in Westwood’s hands. These are not demure strings destined for twinsets. They’re bold, layered, theatrical.
It would be tempting to call her jewellery punk, but that word feels too small. Yes, safety pins appear, but polished and plated, dangling elegantly from ears. Chains echo bondage, but they also reference the Crown Jewels. In Westwood’s hands, iconography dances. Symbols become playthings.
And this is not fast fashion’s flimsy cousin. Vivienne’s jewellery carries the weight and gleam of something far more lasting. The materials may not be mined from the earth’s core, but they shimmer with intention. Gold tones gleam; enamel sings; crystal stones scatter light with enthusiasm. These are pieces designed not to fade, but to grow into legend: like the women who wear them.
The Celebrity Connection
It comes as no surprise that Westwood jewellery finds eager wearers among those who prefer statements over subtleties. Rihanna has stacked her necklaces like trophies. Dua Lipa matches orb earrings with devilish grin. Kate Moss, of course, wore them before it was a movement: perhaps even before breakfast.
But the real charm lies in how the jewellery moves beyond celebrity. It lives on teenagers dreaming of art school, on curators with a penchant for drama, on lovers who believe accessories should carry as much meaning as their bookshelves. It’s less about clout and more about code.
Buying into the World
For those entering the Westwood jewellery universe for the first time, the choices entice. A simple orb pendant on a fine chain offers quiet initiation. A pearl-encrusted choker with a sparkling Saturn proclaims full conversion. One might begin with earrings, studs shaped like orbs or tiny swords, and gradually build a constellation.
The line spans prices, moods, and magnitudes. There are pieces for the quietly curious and the boldly committed. What unites them all is a sense of marvelous surprise: it is the understanding that jewellery, like fashion, exists not just to tell stories
Legacy in the Details
Dame Vivienne’s legacy will be with us forever, as long as we will care about fine craftsmanship and unique ideas. One joins a lineage not just of fashion lovers, but of thinkers, questioners, bold women and brave men who believe that beauty, too, can carry ideas.
Vivienne Westwood jewellery is not just for parties (though it certainly sparkles under chandeliers). It’s for galleries, protests, weddings, rainy Wednesdays, and that strange in-between hour just before sunset. It’s for the woman who reads Mary Wollstonecraft but also wears six-inch heels.
