In Full Bloom

 
We love Chelsea – and our roots in the area run deep. It is home to our studio, where Annoushka and the team design all of our jewellery. It is home to our Cadogan Gardens Boutique, which was our very first shop. And it is home to Annoushka in the most literal sense of the word (she has a little cottage just a 10-minute saunter from the boutique).

In fact, our connection to this charming, almost village-like corner of London goes way back to the 1970s and Annoushka’s childhood. To this day, a saunter along the King’s Road never fails to bring with it strong feelings of nostalgia for Annoushka as she has many fond memories of visiting the area with her mother.

“It was a magical place, full of colour and life – and a magnet for creative people. It has slowly changed, as everywhere has, but to me it still has that same energy. It really is my spiritual home.”

When Annoushka and her mother weren’t mingling with the fashionistas of the King’s Road, the pair could often be found at Covent Garden Flower Market, usually at an ungodly hour of the morning, such was Annoushka’s obsession with flowers – a passion that has never wavered. Indeed, she has often said that had she not been a jewellery designer, she would have loved to have owned a flower stall, selling single-species buckets of beautiful seasonal blooms. 

Flowers and the natural world have been a constant source of inspiration and over the years have made their way onto many Annoushka designs, whether it’s our Tulip collection or our Marguerite collection. The whimsical motif of untamed flora and fauna in our beautiful Marguerite engagement rings collection is perfect for the modern bride. Celebrating an unconventional spin on classic gold and diamonds, the collection is an ode to Annoushka's love of the quintessential British countryside. And Annoushka’s gardens at her homes in London and Sussex have always been oases of calm and joy.

Happily, these twin passions of horticulture and Chelsea collide every year – and in the most fabulous way. The RHS Chelsea Flower Show has been held in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea every year since 1913, with forgivable gaps during the two World Wars. The event’s world-famous Show Gardens are built from scratch in just 19 days, and the Great Pavilion (a manmade shelter where nurseries exhibit their plants) is – inconceivably to anyone who hasn’t stood in it – the size of 3,230 average British gardens.

We’ve always been avid visitors to the event, but this time we’re truly honoured to have a larger role to play, especially on such a momentous year for Britain and HRH The Queen.