Finchittida Finch Christmas Pop-Up Shop at Boxpark Shoreditch

Last Thursday night I wrapped up warm and made a festive pilgrimage to Boxpark in Shoreditch, where cutting-edge jewellery designers Tida and Lisa Finch, of Finchittida Finch, were celebrating their Christmas pop-up shop (complete with beautiful snowflake-print walls and decorations). I know the girls from school and college (ah, memories of A-Level Art!) and they've always been immensely talented, so it was great to catch up over some Beerlao and see what they've been up to. 

 Making a statement in silver and gold.

 Arm yourself with some eye candy.

Specialising in intricate laser-cut statement pieces that have been sported in music videos by the likes of Ashanti, Mele and Lianne La Havas, you'll probably find that their work looks distinctly familiar, and you should be prepared to see much more of them in 2013. 

 Each piece was set in a screen-printed jewellery box.

 A necklace and body chain on display.

A large part of their inspiration for the current Monozygotic Talismans collection comes from their Lao heritage and fascination with Lao culture, which is transposed into symmetrical forms such as oversized earrings, body chains with multiple panels and quirky tribal alphabet initial necklaces, in a wearable colour palette of gold, silver and black. 

 Decisions, decisions...

 [Image via the girls themselves] L-R: Tida and Lisa, of Finchittida Finch.

 Their Tumblr blog shows recent celebrations of the Lao festival, Loy Krathong. 

 How fun and colourful does it look?! (Meadham Kirchhoff would totally love this).

 One reason for their use of symmetry is that Tida and Lisa are twins (hence the 'Monozygotic' reference). I loved the fact that they'd used the snowflake - yet another symmetrical design - as the basis for their Christmas shop.

 Judging from this photo, the letter 'S' is immensely popular amongst alphabet pendant fans.

You can see how the different tiny sections are cut to create the finished piece.

 Here's what I bought: a P, obviously... (as worn at home by my battered cherub statue).

Finchittida Finch will be hitting Boxpark with another pop-up stint throughout January. If you're in the area then make sure you check them out and bag yourself a unique piece of jewellery. For those of you unable to get to Shoreditch, head to their profile on ASOS Marketplace.

'Murder, She Wrote' re-imagined by Stephen Webster

The neon lighting of the launch party for Webster's new collection. [Image via Stephen Webster].

The original 'Murder, She Wrote' heroine, Angela Lansbury, who was somehow overlooked as a model for this venture. [Image via IMDB].

A stunning example of the new range - a double-ringed bloody dagger, wielded by perfectly manicured hands. [Image via King Jewellers].

The first promotional glimpse, with model Daisy Lowe. Photographed by Mat Collishaw. [Image via Professional Jeweller].

A vastly repeated daytime crime serial is perhaps not the obvious inspirational choice for new jewellery lines, so it may come as a surprise that the highly successful Stephen Webster has named his latest collection 'Murder, She Wrote'. Taking the elements of intrigue and 'a cup of tea in the countryside', but in a 'tongue-in-cheek' way, as the jewellery designer explained, this is definitely something to be excited about. You might even consider a life on the wrong side of the law to get your hands on these pieces, as seen in the third and fourth images above. There is a sexiness to the collection that moves it away from the doldrums of television which the Angela Lansbury-led program may evoke. This is particularly clear in the choice of brand ambassador - Daisy Lowe, the British model of the moment who has a vintage silhouette but a very modern life in the public eye. She is the perfect choice for this campaign, featured gazing into the middle ground of a dark scene from a railway carriage (note the beautifully reflected train station roof in the top of the frame). Photographed by Mat Collishaw, who is a very talented artist and also the ex-partner of Tracey Emin, there is an extra injection of Britishness here, as well as the obvious but tastefully portrayed undertones of love, revenge and seduction.

In the jewellery itself, I think there is a clear link between the almost emblematic designs and the iconography of films such as Snow White. In the next year we are due to enjoy two more mature re-workings of that classic story, exploring the character of the woodcutter who was ordered to murder Snow White, under the direction of the wicked Queen. Without wishing to suggest that Webster was inspired by Disney, I think that the old fairytale behind the film may have been an influence. We also see poison and fruit cropping up in his other pieces, so for me there is at least a subconscious thematic link that he has produced for his customers. I look forward to seeing the adverts in the press and learning more about the background of this sumptuous collection, from the blood-soaked dagger to the bold and arresting title. It's criminally good.