Another day, another exciting collaboration for British jeweller Stephen Webster. To celebrate the release of the latest James Bond film, he has teamed up with the king of crystal, Swarovski, to produce Skyfall, a jewellery collection that encapsulates the on-screen glamour of the world's most famous spy.
Sam Mendes directs the latest instalment, and with a James Bond with as much edge as Daniel Craig, Webster couldn't be a more fitting choice. Designing exclusively for Swarovski, he captures the legendary cinematic magic created by the king of espionage through four themes, directly inspired by the films: Love Knot, Black Bamboo, Heat Seeker and Queen Cobra. Each collection includes pendants, rings, earrings and bangles.
Webster's use of black and clear crystals creates a striking depiction of Bond's darker side. The Love Knot theme recalls the Algerian love knot featured in Daniel Craig's first outing as Bond in Casino Royale. Here, though, the Love Knot pendant, earrings, bangle and ring are set with crystals applied using the Pointiage technique, which enables them to follow the organic twists and turns of the design. Similarly, Webster has incorporated this method of hand-setting crystals - which is exclusive to Swarovski - in his Black Bamboo pieces. Just like the famed spy, it's not all black and white, though. The Queen Cobra theme features bold red crystals for eyes, creating a mix of danger and femininity - something Bond himself is all too familiar with.
Available from mid-October, the collection will be making its on-screen debut when the film is released in the UK on 26 October (16 November in the US). As Stephen Webster explains: "Collaborating with Swarovski on the jewellery forSkyfallhas been exciting from the word go. The themes in the film seem to fit perfectly with the design aesthetic of the jewellery I create… We can't wait to see the jewels, shaken not stirred, within the movie."
