In the past year, high-end hotel merch has gone from being a niche souvenir to fully fledged status symbol. Elegantly branded tote bags, caps and sweatshirts have officially become covetable fashion items, and the once-beleaguered resort boutique has been transformed into a must-visit destination.
Now a wave of partnerships between jewellers and iconic hotels promises connoisseurs an even more luxurious shopping experience, with curated collections and exclusive keepsakes you cannot find anywhere else.
‘For me, this is a dream collaboration,’ says London-based fine jeweller Annoushka Ducas, of the seven 18k gold and gem-set charms she has created for Claridge’s. ‘My grandmother used to bring me to Claridge’s for tea. Years later, when I inherited a fish business at 23, I got to see the hotel from a different angle – through the tradesman’s entrance. It wasn’t as glamorous, but it gave me an appreciation for the attention to detail that makes Claridge’s so unique.’
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Cue miniature versions of the establishment’s most famous hallmarks, including its coat of arms, striped teapots, zebra rocking horse, and even its Art Deco revolving doors, which actually spin.
A similarly personal story lies behind Dutch jeweller Bibi van der Velden’s unique partnership with the much-lauded Il Pellicano, in Tuscany. ‘It’s where I spent my honeymoon. I’ve always loved its timeless glamour, yet it still feels understated and intimate,’ she reveals. The hotel’s avian namesake directly inspired her eccentric ‘Roberto the Pelican’ necklace, featuring a gold bird adorned with sapphires and brown diamonds, a tiny sunbather hidden in its capacious beak.
So passionate is van der Velden about hospitality (‘My stepfather is a hotelier, so I grew up around it,’ she explains), she has also been appointed resident jeweller at the new Rosewood Amsterdam, where she offers ‘a mobile cabinet of curiosities’ stocked with a selection of her whimsical signature designs and one-off creations.
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‘I’ve always been interested in how pieces can live within people’s worlds outside of a traditional retail environment,’ she says. ‘This creates a more emotional and memorable interaction because guests are relaxed, curious and already immersed in an experience.’
‘There’s something special about encountering jewellery in a place where you already feel inspired, whether you’re travelling, celebrating or simply taking time out. It creates a meaningful connection to a piece,’ agrees Sophia Hirsh, creative director at Hirsh London.
The British jeweller has just launched a capsule collection at the Rosewood’s sister location in the UK, The Chancery Rosewood, which opened last year on the site of the former US Embassy in London’s Grosvenor Square.
Here, pampered guests can indulge in Hirsh’s ‘Thea’ pendants, earrings and bracelets featuring a sculptural, talon-like motif derived from the embassy’s eagle mascot, which remains perched on the roof. According to Hirsh, what elevates these bejewelled mementos above other souvenirs is their considered craftsmanship. ‘Every piece stands on its own in terms of design. It must be something beautiful you would choose to wear, regardless of where you found it.’
For contemporary New York label OX, the outdoorsy setting of Scotland’s historic Gleneagles – nicknamed ‘the glorious playground’ of the elite – was one of the main attractions for partnering with the hotel on a special summer residency.
‘It feels like we’re sending our kids to the chicest summer camp,’ enthuses founder Jessica Busiashvili. For the first time, the entirety of OX’s tactile, diamond-set chain designs will be available at the hotel’s 1924 boutique until mid-September, including its bestselling Ourglass bracelet – an innovative riff on the classic tennis style featuring hourglass-shaped links.
‘We sometimes cheekily refer to it as our “Golfer’s Bracelet”, in a nod to Gleneagles’ heritage as the birthplace of golf,’ Busiashvili says. Indeed, each Ourglass bracelet sold this season will be accompanied by its own special gift-with purchase: a sterling silver golf tee.
Not to be outdone, the storied Marbella Club in the Costa del Sol (beloved by everyone from Brigitte Bardot to the Duke of Windsor) has charged Parisian Maison Goossens to create a limited collection inspired by the fragrant orange trees that frame its outdoor bar. Using the same time-honoured gilding techniques that enticed Coco Chanel to work with the brand in the 1960s, it has crafted a line of opulent necklaces featuring golden leaves and juicy-looking orange cabochon beads, and a glamorous, citrus-shaped minaudière on a chain.
Meanwhile, those island-hopping in Greece this summer should drop anchor at the Avant Mar resort in Paros, where the acclaimed designer Nikos Koulis has opened a sleek, jewel box-like boutique filled with his geometric and abstract silhouettes.
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Over at The Rooster wellness retreat in Antiparos, Lito Karakostanoglou will continue to celebrate 25 years in the jewellery industry with a line of one-of-a-kind necklaces set with vintage charms she has personally collected over many years. ‘Each piece carries its own story and sense of discovery, making it especially significant for this setting,’ she says.
Like the best mementos, she notes, these are jewels destined to be treasured long after your tan has faded. ‘They are pieces people will cherish because not only will they remind you of that specific moment and place, but also the feeling of being there.’
This article first appeared in Spear’s Magazine Issue 100. Click here to subscribe
