Female Founded: Lucy Delius

What instinct do you rely on most when making creative decisions?

Gut all the way – heart and ego get in the way – the gut will always speak the truth

What did you want your brand to feel like before you knew what it would look like?

Familiar, approachable but distinctive.  

What reference- visual, emotional, or cultural- has stayed with you the longest? And how has that translated into your most iconic pieces? 

The Victorian pocket watch chain – it’s the deconstructed elements of this that informed my first collection which remains an important part of our core offering.  The sentiment that you can have form and function alongside of each other and taking the masculine but making it entirely refined and feminine.

What have you unlearned about the industry since starting out given your PR experience then pivoting into jewellery design?

That it’s okay to sit in the moment, to take each day as it comes and not be racing around like crazy. Not to be impatient and that the old saying “what’s meant for you will not pass you by” is something I have to tell myself on a regular basis.

What’s something you’ve changed your mind about recently?

Pearls! I’ve never had a single positive feeling about a pearl until about a year ago when I started toying with the idea of a black baroque pearl. That combination of the organic form with the inky black felt very Victorian and very LD. It gave me the opportunity to play with scale and form in a way where gold can be prohibitive.

What are you quietly ambitious about?

I find it very hard to talk about my ambitions out loud.  After a long time in PR I still have to pinch myself when I say I’m a jewellery designer. I’d say follow and find out.

What do you value more now than you did five years ago?

Collaboration – there comes a point when you need to start relying on people, asking for help and opinions.  That’s something that I found very hard initially but now I really understand how important it is for the continued success of the business.  I have the most amazing team and am grateful for them every day.

What kind of environment inspires you the most? How does the new, permanent store reflect that?

In one work I’d say ‘juxtaposition’.  I hate that idea of being just one thing – we women are multifaceted creatures, my jewellery is never just one thing – it has emotional and material value.  The new space will reflect this – it will have the old with the new, we will welcome other categories of designers and collaboration within our four walls.  It’s an incredibly liberating experience and one of the reasons I wanted to start my own business.  I get so much energy from meeting other founders, finding common ground and then collaborating on products or events and activations.  Physical retail should be just this – it’s not just a shop!

Which skill or quality are you most curious to develop next - either for yourself or the brand and its collections? 

I am learning new skills every single day and they’re never the things I expected to learn.  In terms of for the business we are working on a very exciting semi-precious stone collection.  We’ve been perfecting it for about a year already as it’s a new category for us. I can’t wait to see what the response is.

Explore our edit of favourite pieces, available to shop below.