Anastasia got in touch with me about a pair of earrings her mother gave her, which had belonged to her grandmother - made in the Soviet Union. It was difficult to trace who had made the earrings, or how they had been acquired, because the hallmarks were in Russian. But we knew that the earrings held sentimental value to her grandmother, and to her family.

Anastasia wanted to remodel the earrings to create a birthday present for herself, keeping to a similar style of earring (drops) but modernising them. We discussed the type of jewels she likes to wear and what inspires her. She mentioned that art and architecture are a deep source of inspiration, and we decided to venture down that road in terms of inspiration for design.​I know that Anastasia particularly likes straight lines and a clean yet bold finish – not just in her jewellery, but in day to day life, too. I also wanted to give a subtle nod to where and when her grandmother wore these earrings and what her life might have been like in the Soviet Union in the 30’s, for example.​The first thing that sprung to my mind was secret parties, which led me to think of Cocktail earrings. I wanted to use contrasting colours so that the earrings would stand out from the crowd, and so that my client would feel bold and proud when wearing them.