Theo Fennell, the English gentleman of the jewellery industry, has introduced Alias, his first range of silver jewellery. It is just in time for Christmas with more accessible prices. I had a chat with Theo about his inspiration and motivation. Theo Fennell's new Alias jewellery is the very first silver collection to come from the hands of this ever-so English and ever-so ironic British jeweller. And Theo Fennell himself was there to tell me all about the new jewels at the launch in Harrods. All tousled quiff and witty quips Theo embarked on an animated shaggy dog tale of the narrative behind the jewels. To summarise: the Alias family is snowbound on an open road. Each member of the family has a style of its own and the group grows as they meet other people snowbound. "It is not a statement of any one type but a way of expressing yourself," is Theo's conclusion on the Alias collection. The jewellery itself is classic Fennell with pudgy hearts, skulls with snakes writhing out of eye sockets and chunky keys on chains. Shakespeare's Yorick skull has been downsized to fit on a ring and one version has Hamlet's long lost friend kitted out in a WWII aviator cap and googles. Silver seems to suit Fennell's playful attitude and I can think of several people who would be tickled pink to find a Snake Eye pendant or Yorick ring in their Christmas stocking.
