For this edition of our Designer Focus feature I caught up with Lucy at Minka Jewels - a designer known for her bold, fuss-free pieces with simple clean lines, modern settings and weighty gold, and is one of my favourite go-to chunky engagement ring designers in London.
The Minka Jewels style has always been about the beauty of the gemstones. A colour-lovers dream; the ocean blues, vibrant greens, mimosa yellow and raspberry pinks are of the highest quality, and founder Lucy Crowther is determined to seek out the best natural coloured sapphires, tourmalines and emeralds for her work.
The pop of colour makes them perfect for gifting: 18th birthday, Christmas, anniversary presents, new baby celebrations…the dream mix of timeless, joyful, and special.
This marriage of unique stones and geometric yellow gold come together to create truly eye-catching, distinctive jewellery that is both wearable and impactful.
For me it’s the satisfying scale and proportion of the pieces that make them so covetable - weighty, wearable designs that feel luxury and heirloom worthy, but also the playfulness of the colour and the simplicity of the design means they work with a grey jumper and jeans too (aka my Winter uniform).
Lucy leans further into her signature aesthetic for her bespoke and engagement ring styles. Literally one of the most popular images we’ve ever posted on Instagram is her beautiful diamond Gypsy ring (below); a stunning and satisfyingly smooth curve of weighty 18k gold that feels timeless and modern all at the same time.
This is the ring on all of the jewellery editors’ wish-lists - and once briefly on my own hand - and has inspired countless Minka engagement ring redesigns, something that Lucy recently undertook for one of our clients, resetting a solitaire pear cut diamond from an existing ring into a chic, sculptural wide band design (see our Chunky Engagement Ring edit)
We caught up with Lucy at her London showroom to find out more about how she started her jewellery brand, and why she does what she does.
How long have you worked in the industry and how did you get into the jewellery business?
I've worked in the jewellery industry now for about 17 years, on and off, and done everything from working as a shop girl to then going out to Jaipur in India and being an assistant to one of the big designers at a lovely luxury jewellery company there.
How do you know so much about gemstones?
I then came back to England and did my gemology training at the Gem-A which was amazing, so I have my FGA diploma.
I then ended up working for a top coloured gemstone trader in Hatton Garden which was amazing and really invaluable experience because I learnt to understand the value of the different gemstones and how to look at the different qualities and how to grade them and really just gave me a fantastic knowledge of what the price should be for that piece.
What elements make for a great bespoke ring?
I would say a great bespoke ring is all about understanding how the piece is to be worn, is it something for everyday or is it a cocktail ring for special occasions? Creating a unique design for the client and showcasing beautiful gemstones in the best quality possible for the piece. In this modern age we like our rings to be really practical so lots of gold protecting the gemstones is key.
Where do you get most of your inspiration from?
Travel is a huge source of my inspiration, lots of my collections are named after a place, The Berlin collection is inspired by Berlin in the 20’s (the Roaring 20’s) big structural designs and fun coloured gemstones
What's your favourite thing about creating bespoke rings?
I love getting to know our clients and sourcing them a variety of gemstones at various price points and being able to explain along the way what makes them different. Its wonderful getting to work with some incredible gemstones we would not necessarily be working with and I really enjoy sourcing the stones themselves. I call it the stone hunt.
Do you have a favourite ring you've ever made?
A favourite must be a ring we recently made with an exceptional emerald. It was a recent engagement ring and was so striking, the colour, the clarity was all outstanding.
