Solange Azagury-Partridge has never created conventional jewellery. Since founding her London-based brand Solange in 1995, she has built a reputation for bold, imaginative pieces that sit somewhere between art and design. She is known for her use of colour, enamel, and often uncut stones. Her work challenges traditional ideas of fine jewellery and how precious stones and metals are used while celebrating individuality and playfulness.
Favoured by icons including Helena Bonham Carter and Anne Hathaway, her jewellery forms part of the permanent collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs at the Louvre in Paris. From 2001 to 2004, she served as creative director of Boucheron, designing four collections, including the Quatre line, which remains one of the house’s bestsellers.
Language and meaning are central to her practice. Holding a degree in languages, Azagury-Partridge often builds collections around words and ideas, reflected in names such as Stoned, Chromance, Platonic, Kinetic, Hotlips and Tough Love. First created in 1998, the Hotlips ring became one of her defining designs, an enamelled interpretation of a red mouth. Inspired by classic lipstick shades, the piece achieved cult status and, in 2008, entered the permanent jewellery collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Developed from sketches in her West London studio through to 3D modelling, casting and hand-mixed enamel, each design reflects a process grounded as much in storytelling as in craftsmanship.
We speak with Solange about her jewellery, vision and aesthetic.
For readers who may be discovering you for the first time, can you tell us a little about Solange and the vision behind it?
I call my jewellery “emotional” because I try to imbue meaning and heart and soul into the jewellery. Everything I do is for the beauty of the brand as a whole. Nothing is done with a business outcome in mind but purely for the look and feel and vibe I can generate.
How would you describe your aesthetic — the signature elements that define a Solange piece?
Beauty and fun are what drive me. Beautiful jewellery needs to have more than a visual appeal. It needs to connect with the wearer in a meaningful and emotional way and tell a story. Beauty and colour bring joy.
Who do you design for? Could you tell us a bit about the kind of clientele who resonate with your work?
I design for myself and the people I love and admire, or people who, over time, have become my friends. I have a lot of customers from the creative industries, which makes me happy.
Can you tell us about the Solange journey and how it ultimately led you to designing jewellery?
The first piece of jewellery I designed was my engagement ring in 1987. I had been working for an art and jewellery dealer at the time, and I couldn’t find what I wanted. Friends admired my ring and asked me to design pieces for them. Slowly things snowballed, and in 1990 I started my own business, initially working from home, before opening my first shop in 1995.
Are there any new materials, techniques or design directions you’re excited to explore next?
Making jewellery is such an expensive enterprise. I am currently working on something new which I will talk about when the time is right.
Lastly, where can people purchase your pieces or see your collections in person?
My fine jewellery boutique and the Hotshop are based in Bayswater, a few minutes from Hyde Park. I also have a small revolving collection of pieces at the Dover Street Market in London.
Our top picks:
The Goldhenge Ring takes the shape of Stonehenge, evoking a sense of ancient mysticism as enduring as the 18-carat yellow gold from which it is made. Solange has a personal connection to Stonehenge, seeing it each time she visits her country home in Somerset. Part of the Solid Collection, the ring celebrates the power of simplicity, gold in its purest form, radiating warmth, confidence and timeless elegance.
The Opal Cabochon Ring, set in 18-carat yellow gold with a satin finish. The opal weighs about 9.58 carats and was recently worn by Julianne Moore in the Netflix series Sirens.
Crafted from a mix of cabochon and faceted emeralds in varying shapes and sizes, the Misfits Earrings celebrate working with what you have. Handmade in the UK, they honour the idiosyncratic, the misfits, and the outsiders — echoing Jarvis Cocker’s reflection on Mis-Shapes from the 1990s album Different Class.
The Menagerie Necklace in gold and enamel, a playful take on Noah’s Ark.
The Days of the Week Ring is a bold signet in 18-carat yellow gold, featuring square and baguette rubies, a diamond-set dial, and a revolving enamelled barrel depicting the days of the week.
The Chlorophyll Necklace in blackened 18-carat white gold, set with emerald, ruby, diamond and lacquer.
The Poptails Temple Ring in 18-carat yellow gold, set with opal, pink tourmaline, diamonds, sapphires, multicoloured gemstones, a ceramic plate, and lacquer.
