Our next Guest Selects is Dan Dower, an old friend of Dazzle and one half of the creative force behind British jewellery brand Dower & Hall.
Dan first exhibited at Dazzle in 1987, fresh out of University and has gone on to be an exceptional craftsman with over 30 years experience in the trade. Dan has evolved a personal sculpted style of jewellery which, together with wife and business partner Diane has become Dower & Hall. With a natural eye for detail, Dan has created many original collections that have gone on to be featured in both national and international press, high profile fashion shows, film and television.
We asked Dan Dower to cast his expert eye on the Dazzle Invites collection and pick his top four pieces.
Fault Lines Necklace by Rhona McCallum
I love the disparate angular links that interconnect to create a beautifully tactile and wearable jewel with fascinating textures. The gold details contrast with the subtle shades of grey of the oxidised silver. I’ve enjoyed seeing Rhona’s work evolve over the years and this piece typifies her attention to detail and must have taken all her skills and patience to achieve the resulting treasure.
Large Garden Earrings by Jane Adam
I was struck by the fluidity and wearability of the earrings – scale achieved without too much weight or price. Jane is another designer that I have loved see evolve and this is a nice departure from the colours of the aluminium pieces, but the subtle texture and shaping is typical of her work. The technique of layering gold achieves a wonderful precious effect again without the price of solid gold.
Ultra Blue & Gold Bulb Earrings by Emily Kidson
I love the saturation of colour with these Formica earrings evocative of lapis. Such a simple elegant shape showing the technique off so beautifully.
Skyline Earrings by Lucy Martin
Such a playful colour combination with an irreverent collection of shapes, cuts and sizes of stones. Dramatic and eye catching but still very precious – quite a conversation piece!
Dazzle 1988
You can see Dan Dower talk about Dazzle and his work in an old TV clip from This Morning in 1988.
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