A breath of fresh air. By Lavinia Dickson-Robinson
This stunning new jewellery company has filled a niche in the market that we never knew we needed until they burst on to the scene last summer with its modern, stylish and wearable jewellery. Coco & Kinney is the brain child of two very talented young women, Emma Mactaggart and Venetia Cohen. They first met working for a small online jewellery company and soon realised that they shared a common dream it was to make stunning chic and affordable jewellery …It’s been a success story ever since.
Emma had an early start into the world of fashion having been scouted at 15 at Paddington Station…like a little bear we know. She went on to model for Elite for 6 years, fronting campaigns for Abercrombie and Fitch, Trilogy and TopShop to name but a few. When I asked Emma why she gave up her very successful modelling career she answered without hesitation. She said she had to grow up very quickly and work with very challenging people. “I was grateful for my years working in the industry but it was never a job I loved. I am a creative person and missed using that”.
Emma grew up in the Bahamas. It was her love of scuba diving and snorkelling that inspired her, particularly the way light reflected on the corals and the colours of the fish that she saw. “I suddenly realised that all this could be translated into my jewellery designs; the way light catches the stones and make them sparkle is beautiful. Many of mine and Venetia’s designs are based on coral and my memories of the sea.”
Emma went on to tell me that she had been designing and selling jewellery since she was 12 and still wears some of her original designs today! Venetia has a family background in jewellery. Her grandfather was a prominent collector of Georgian jewellery. He passed on his passion and knowledge of gemology to his daughter, and Venetia’s mother passed it on to her daughter. And thus, a wonderful journey began.
Venetia moved to Paris after getting a degree in English Literature. She was lucky enough to work for an amazing family whose mother was in Louis Vuitton. This confirmed her desire to be in retail and fashion. She explains that she just needed an outlet and a way to combine her passion for gems and fashion. Venetia explained that being surrounded by French fashion and their individual sense of style and chic helped her create Coco & Kinney’s al a monde style. It was after Venetia’s return to London that she met Emma and Coco & Kinney was born. I wanted to know more about how they chose their stones. Both Emma and Venetia are obsessed with colour. They feel that in this day and age there is far too much grey in the world, too much grunge and sadness. They want to create beautiful jewellery to reflect each woman’s personality, bring colour and beauty into every woman’s life. They believe that you can tell a lot about a woman by the jewellery she wears and it should bring happiness.
Coco and Kinney have designed a beautiful variety of pieces, from the very practical and low key to stunning, vibrant statement pieces that ooze glamour.
The stones are all sourced by Venetia and Emma on their many travels as far as India and Thailand; They go at least twice a year to find stones and to visit artisans that make the jewellery for them. These trips are indispensable not only to make sure that their stunning designs are up to date but also to support and nurture these small workshops. By supporting small communities in India and Thailand they are providing work and preserving these beautiful crafts which otherwise would be lost.
The wonderful thing about Coco & Kinney’s creations and what makes them so unique is the fact that many of the pieces are detachable, interchangeable or reversible making them perfect accessories for today’s busy and fashion conscience woman about town. With Emma and Venetia’s close friendship and individual talents they are able to keep constantly up to date their collection pushing the boundaries of tradition with fashion and style.
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