About Us
Jewellery tells stories through its design, evoking the times and places in which it was made. From hand-hammered antique tribal pendants to the extravagance of rhinestone-set fifties brooches, when wearing them, we step into the tale and add our own thread to it.
seraglia (se-ra-lee-a) designs and produces couture jewellery to order and in very limited editions. We also offer a very select range of vintage and antique jewellery.
Lucy Wills is the founder and lead designer. She draws from her interdisciplinary design experience and passion for design history, and dextrously weaves together pieces from all eras and places.
Couture
Since 2006, seraglia have been making unique, couture peices that tell stories, express personality and desires though shape, colour, materials, craft and creativity
Much of our inspiration comes from our own design and materials archive, however we can also use your treasured pieces as a starting point, or build a design around one of our 'one off' hand-decorated pendants.
At seraglia we are collectors and curators, and actively research the design and social history of our antique or vintage pieces. Unless you want it to be our secret, every finished commission is showcased here, along with its story.
Vintage
'Costume' jewellery as we know it began as copies of, or models for precious gems, and as stage costume. It took names such as Hobe, Schiapirelli, Haskell and Chanel to raise it to an art form in its own right.
Along with these great names we bring you peices from lesser known designers, and unsigned beauties. Our collection spans from the 18th century to the turn of this century.
From 2001 to 2013, our vintage treasures were sold to individual collectors and high end retail fashion buyers via www.glamourkitten.com.
Our Inspiration
Nothing truly beautiful should ever be discarded or left unworn. seraglia has a huge library of vintage costume jewellery, beads, odd earrings and otherwise unwearable antique pieces, Swarovski beads, semi-precious stones, all of which we draw from to create our lasting heirloom pieces.
Our original creations are inspired by the decadent globe-trotting that exploded during the 19th and the early 20th century. seraglia represents a return to the romance and attention to detail of the works made during this time. Folk and tribal art and the east-meets-west culture of the seraglios of Byzantium have also been a major influence.
Design for the future
seraglia designs in a modular way, with hand-wiring, chains or links holding the components together, making adjustments and repairs easy in the future. Wherever possible we use wired links in place of glue, solder or thread.
In addition, many pieces are adjustable or can be worn in multiple ways, and we can also make most pieces easier for you to wear.