Celebrity jewellery designers…the good and the bad!

There are many celebrities who have turned their hand to jewellery design with varying degrees of success. Lily Allen says that her range of colourful animals, coins and traffic signals stem from items she has seen on her travels and from her passion for Chanel and fine clothing. The fact that her range is on sale in Argos doesn’t seem to fit in with the style she tries to convey.

 Lily Allen's jewellery range 

There are other celebrities though whose jewellery is aimed more towards the fine end of the jewellery market. Angelina Jolie recently revealed her second jewellery collection, this time collaborating with Robert Procop Exceptional Jewels. So what is special about this range? And what makes it stand apart from the ten-a-penny Lily Allen ranges of the world?

Angelina Jolie and Robert Procop

Well first of all, Angelina’s range will not be sold in stores, but through Robert Procop’s contacts. The cost of the pieces is also being kept quiet, suggesting that their price tag will be eye-wateringly high. Quotes suggest that some of the materials being used include emeralds and rose gold and the design of the pieces is based on ancient engravings.

Like Jolie’s first range of jewellery, this range will donate profits to the charity that she co-founded in 2006, the Education Partnership for Children of Conflict. In Angelina’s words;

"Every child has a right to an education. And conflict is not an excuse for us to ignore that right. If anything, it is the time that they need it the most."

The charity currently helps over 350,000 children whose education has been affected by war or natural disaster but it is Jolie’s determination to reach more of those in need which has led her to raise money through her jewellery ranges.

Angelina Jolie’s first range was produced in collaboration with Asprey and was based around serpent motifs. This came around after Jolie was given a piece of snake jewellery when she was pregnant with her first child in Africa. The beliefs of the culture that she lived in towards the end of her pregnancy in Namibia believe that the snake is a symbol of protection for both mother and child.

The Protector Collection, which Brad Pitt also worked on, contains, not just jewellery, but also baby products such as silver spoons and egg cups. Whilst we at Opulent Ethics are not massive fans of the range we think that the work being achieved because of it is amazing.

The Protector Collection

So are there any celebrities out there who are designing jewellery that the masses can afford but that is still raising profits or the profile of much deserving charities?

Laura Bailey recently produced a range in collaboration with Made. Not only is Laura Bailey an active campaigner for ethical and fair-trade fashion but she is also an ambassador for the children's charity Barnardos, a supporter of the Hoping Foundation, Comic Relief and Film Club. Her designs for made are based on Africa and its communities and cultures. They are sold through Made and promoted by model Bailey herself.

Laura Bailey for Made

Other such celebrity designers include Peaches Geldof whose successful first collection for Made has led to her currently working on her second with all pieces being made from ethically sourced materials but designed to complement current trends and styles. And, it's not just jewellery; Emma Watson’s turn at designing clothes for People Tree have also got to be commended for their beauty and ethical credibility.

So whilst some parts of the celebrity culture and celebrity designers go against what Opulent Ethics stand for, there are definitely celebrities out there with intentions and ethics that we admire.

That’s all for now….