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Within a 40-year history, what began as an independent Egyptian high jewellery company has turned into an international brand renowned as a leading luxury jeweller in the Arab world. Each piece is handcrafted and undergoes a process of creation, which includes the expertise of at least 20 craftsmen, marked by a very manual production process using techniques passed down from the ancient jewellers of Egypt.

Alice Cicolini is a high jewellery designer, creative commissioner, producer, and published author. She is a research associate at Central St Martins - the college from which she graduated in 2009 with a Masters in Jewellery Design.

Brought up learning about the finest in diamond pieces by her father, a French diamond dealer, Valerie Messika naturally fell in love with the creativity offered by a world infused with diamond fine jewellery. Created in 2005, Messika has flourished into a world-renowned brand that specialises in diamond jewellery.

Ole Lynggaard is a family jewellery business founded in Copenhagen in 1963 by goldsmith and designer Ole Lynggard who created handcrafted fine jewellery pieces. Since then, the brand has expanded considerably but stays true to its passion for exquisitely crafted jewels. Still creatively active and a member of the board, Ole Lynggaard has officially passed on the reins of the brand to his two children, Charlotte Lynggaard as Leading Designer and Creative Director and Søren Lynggaard as company CEO. 

Born into a family of luxury jewellery makers, Ara Vartanian is responsible for such innovations as the use of inverted diamonds, and the two and three-finger rings. His high jewellery pieces are handmade and one-of-a-kind, taking in the singularities of the gem and designing upredictable structures around them. His high jewellery designs are loved around the world, and have been worn by clients such as Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Liv Tyler and Dakota Johnson.

Driven by the desire to amaze and entertain, Vhernier jewellery is a delight. What began life in 1984 as a goldsmith's workshop in Valenza with a passion for gold, coloured gemstones and a desire to create contemporary fine jewellery has, over the years, emerged as one of Italy's most exciting brands. Innovative and experimental, Vhernier's uncompromisingly modern designs are adored worldwide. 

Kayo Saito studied metal work at Japanese art college in Tokyo and completed a masters degree at the Royal College of Art in  London in 2001. Strongly influence by nature, she designs and makes by hand each of her jewels with the idea to reconnect us to the natural world. 

Alessandro Palwer is a jewellery designer and sculptor who creates bold and theatrical jewels mixing raw and precious materials with unusual proportions. 

Melissa Kaye is a New York-based jewellery designer with a background in Mathematics and engineering who founded her brand in 2010 after an initial career in finance. Her collections are chic, edgy, easy to wear, timeless and can be found at Saks and at other major retailers such as Harrods and Net-a-Porter.  Rihanna, Claire Danes, and Kristen Wiig are fans. 

Sicis Jewels produces contemporary collections of jewels and watches, recognisable for the unique setting of thousands of tesserae in gold and precious gems. Micromosaic is an ancient and elaborate technique in jewellery manufacturing that requires mosaic masters to painstakingly hand place each micro tessera in order to create unique and unrepeatable works of art. Each piece is made by hand, and in Italy. Sicis Jewels spent years experimenting and perfecting this art before presenting for the first time at Baselworld in 2012, and have gone from strength to strength with new jewellery and watches being launched on a regular basis. 

An expert in Greek antiquity, Ilias Lalaounis spent his lifetime breathing new life into iconic jewellery designs from the key periods of Greek history. Combining ancient goldsmithing techniques with modern-day jewellery-making technology, he worked primarily in gold, creating pieces that honoured the aesthetics of the originals, made wearable for modern-day life. Lalaounis passed away in 2013, but his designs live on in the highly collectible jewels he has left behind. In you are in Athens, there is a museum devoted to his work near the Acropolis, which is a must-visit for jewellery fans. 

Jewellery designer Neha Dani from New Delhi creates one-of-a-kind masterpieces. Nature is often the catalyst of Neha’s designs, which frequently evolve into more abstract shapes, retaining just a hint of the designer's original inspiration.