Latest news with #JessicaMcCormack
The Star
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Not Bulgari: Meet the indie designer behind Zendaya's dazzling engagement ring
When Zendaya took to the Golden Globes carpet this year with a very large and very sparkly engagement ring, the internet was soon abuzz with questions over who had designed it. It wasn't Bulgari, the Italian jewellery house for whom Zendaya is a brand ambassador. Nor was it a big name brand owned by a luxury conglomerate. Instead, the ring, a 5.02-carat diamond in a slightly quirky Georgian-style setting, was the work of Jessica McCormack, a New Zealand-born designer who has become a go-to for cool 'day diamonds' by the likes of Dakota Johnson and Dua Lipa – and a growing fan base of wealthy women who don't believe their sparkles should languish in the safe. 'What's the point in that?' McCormack said last week from an armchair in her first store in the US, which opened recently on Madison Avenue in Manhattan. 'There's no joy if you can't see them and others can't enjoy them on you.' McCormack, who speaks with a friendly Kiwi twang, wore a fuzzy grey cardigan, old deck shoes, white socks with red hearts and diamonds. Lots of them, in fact, shimmering on her ears, neck and wrists as workers put the finishing touches on the wood-paneled beaux-arts town house designed by restoration architectural firm Johnston Cave Associates. Jessica McCormack had no formal design training prior to starting her brand. Photo: Instagram/Jessica McCormack 'My whole idea is of relaxed ease and fitting into your daily life,' she said. 'It's about functionality and fantasy, making jewels that are fun and cool but wearable and that just make you incredibly happy every time you look in the mirror.' Read more: Jewellery of English aristocracy and Hollywood royalty set for London exhibition McCormack had no formal design training. But her father, an art and antiques dealer, helped hone a magpie's eye for vintage treasures and craftsmanship. There followed a stint in Sotheby's fine jewellery department in London, where her appreciation for vintage pieces grew as she handled Russian crown jewels alongside Cartier and Lalique pieces from the 1920s. After some experimentation designing pieces in an antique-meets-modern aesthetic, she started her namesake brand in 2008, with debut pieces like her Wings of Desire earrings, a sweep of graduated diamonds that climb up the ear and caught the eye of Rihanna, who became one of her first customers. Other cult pieces, spotted on Zoe Kravitz, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Adele, Meghan Markle, Victoria Beckham and Margot Robbie, include her Gypset earrings, little hoops with suspended Georgian-style button-back diamonds, sapphires, emeralds or rubies that are highly covetable (and widely imitated). Her Ball N Chain necklace can be layered with assorted diamond pendants in an array of cuts and prices. Some could come from McCormack's latest Fruit Salad collection – that is, peaches, pears, apples, cherries and lemons made out of intricately set pave gemstones and 18-karat gold. The pieces strike a balance between looking at home on the red carpet and being trendy, easy-breezy accessories to wear for drinks or on the school run (albeit for the rarefied few who wouldn't think twice about wearing a seven-carat rock with a T-shirt and jeans). 'The appeal of Jessica McCormack's pieces is their distinct unfussiness coupled with plenty of charm and fun,' said Daisy Shaw-Ellis, US Vogue 's jewellery director. 'She has modernised antique and vintage designs and pushed the boundaries with expected materials without losing their integrity.' A major weapon in McCormack's arsenal are her investors. Rachel Slack is of the Oppenheimer dynasty, and Michael Rosenfeld is a third-generation diamantaire. At the time when the ring made an appearance on Zendaya's finger, everyone was questioning who designed it. Photo: AFP Last year, Lingotto, an investment firm owned by the Agnelli family's holding company, Exor, also took a stake. They all hail from family businesses that understand the eccentricities and complexities of the long game in luxury jewellery, unlike many venture capitalists who often invest in brands to make a quick profit, only to be left sorely disappointed. Their steady backing has allowed McCormack to take some big risks. A five-story Mayfair town house opened in 2013 opposite the Connaught hotel on Carlos Place in London (and a new neighbor in Phoebe Philo is rumoured to be opening a flagship next door). Part retail store, part basement workshop where clients can watch craftspeople at work, the space features an ever-evolving rotation of books, art, furniture and curiosities that both shape and reflect McCormack's taste. It is a formula she looked to replicate when opening her New York store. Or, in her words, 'a homely place full of interesting bits and bobs and genres and styles that really make you think and drive home the personality of our brand'. Think multicoloured drink trays by Matilda Goad, Nina Campbell glassware, antique 19th-century Maori portraits, Christopher Moore wallpapers, Jilly Cooper novels, family photos, upholstered sofas by Robert Kime and artwork, including a giant Valerie Belin photograph that came from her own kitchen in London. Upstairs are vintage wooden boxes that McCormack likes to transform into jewellery cases, with secret embroidered compartments and personalised messages inside. Read more: Make the right choice – the right jewellery can elevate your entire look 'The vast majority of our sales are done in person,' said Leonie Brantberg, the company's CEO. 'As we establish ourselves in a new market, we feel it's critical to have our own spaces where we can express this DNA and build direct relationships with our clients.' The brand has quadrupled in size over the last four years, Brantberg said, with sales of US$50mil (approximately RM212mil) last year. Half of the clients are women buying for themselves. Given McCormack's extensive Hollywood clientele, she is now looking west and may open a store in Los Angeles next year. US customers, she said, tend to buy more and buy faster and now make up more than a third of sales. She wants to meet them where they are. 'Not going the wholesale route was a slower path, but it means I really understand who I am selling to,' McCormack said. 'And while we love our male customers, my business is incredibly female-driven, and I absolutely love that. It's not about your husband buying it for you.' – ©2025 The New York Times Company This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
NZ Herald
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
NZ Jeweller Jessica McCormack Designed Zendaya's Engagement Ring & Opened Her First US Store
Kiwi jeweller Jessica McCormack has a knack for injecting cool-girl energy into top-dollar pieces, beloved by big names like Zendaya and Dua Lipa. When Zendaya took to the Golden Globes carpet this year with a very large and very sparkly engagement ring, the internet was soon abuzz with questions over
Fashion Network
28-05-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
Luxe British jeweller Jessica McCormack opens Madison Avenue store
In response to an ever-growing American clientele, London-based diamond jeweller Jessica McCormack has opened a standalone store on Madison Avenue, New York, adding to its statement flagship stores in London's Mayfair and Sloane Street, Knightsbridge. Set across 3,200 sq ft over two floors of the historic Beaux-Arts building, the boutique showcases the full range of McCormack's pieces, from everyday diamond Gypset drops to the new 'Exceptional Stones' collection featuring pieces like a 20ct Oval cut diamond pendant set into her signature Torque Necklace. Working closely with restoration architects Johnston Cave and the city's Society of Guilders to conserve the original features of the building, McCormack "has reinterpreted the interior to reflect the company's distinctive look… a beautifully eclectic mix of antique and contemporary furniture, bespoke, blue-velvet lined vitrines, upholstered elements in custom fabrics, and a multi-disciplinary art collection'. The boutique will be supported by a dedicated local workshop and, in addition, seasoned Jessica McCormack staff from the UK have been training local artisans in the brand's antique-inspired techniques for the last year. The brand's founder and creative director added: 'We have seen such enthusiasm and interest from our US clients, so it feels great to finally have a space for them to visit us, closer to home. I have always loved Manhattan and to be opening on one of its most iconic shopping streets is the perfect opportunity to reach more people, while welcoming old and new clients.'
Fashion Network
28-05-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
Luxe British jeweller Jessica McCormack opens Madison Avenue store
By Nigel TAYLOR In response to an ever-growing American clientele, London-based diamond jeweller Jessica McCormack has opened a standalone store on Madison Avenue, New York, adding to its statement flagship stores in London's Mayfair and Sloane Street, Knightsbridge. Set across 3,200 sq ft over two floors of the historic Beaux-Arts building, the boutique showcases the full range of McCormack's pieces, from everyday diamond Gypset drops to the new 'Exceptional Stones' collection featuring pieces like a 20ct Oval cut diamond pendant set into her signature Torque Necklace. Working closely with restoration architects Johnston Cave and the city's Society of Guilders to conserve the original features of the building, McCormack "has reinterpreted the interior to reflect the company's distinctive look… a beautifully eclectic mix of antique and contemporary furniture, bespoke, blue-velvet lined vitrines, upholstered elements in custom fabrics, and a multi-disciplinary art collection'. The boutique will be supported by a dedicated local workshop and, in addition, seasoned Jessica McCormack staff from the UK have been training local artisans in the brand's antique-inspired techniques for the last year. The brand's founder and creative director added: 'We have seen such enthusiasm and interest from our US clients, so it feels great to finally have a space for them to visit us, closer to home. I have always loved Manhattan and to be opening on one of its most iconic shopping streets is the perfect opportunity to reach more people, while welcoming old and new clients.'
Fashion Network
28-05-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
Luxe British jeweller Jessica McCormack opens Madison Avenue store
By Nigel TAYLOR In response to an ever-growing American clientele, London-based diamond jeweller Jessica McCormack has opened a standalone store on Madison Avenue, New York, adding to its statement flagship stores in London's Mayfair and Sloane Street, Knightsbridge. Set across 3,200 sq ft over two floors of the historic Beaux-Arts building, the boutique showcases the full range of McCormack's pieces, from everyday diamond Gypset drops to the new 'Exceptional Stones' collection featuring pieces like a 20ct Oval cut diamond pendant set into her signature Torque Necklace. Working closely with restoration architects Johnston Cave and the city's Society of Guilders to conserve the original features of the building, McCormack "has reinterpreted the interior to reflect the company's distinctive look… a beautifully eclectic mix of antique and contemporary furniture, bespoke, blue-velvet lined vitrines, upholstered elements in custom fabrics, and a multi-disciplinary art collection'. The boutique will be supported by a dedicated local workshop and, in addition, seasoned Jessica McCormack staff from the UK have been training local artisans in the brand's antique-inspired techniques for the last year. The brand's founder and creative director added: 'We have seen such enthusiasm and interest from our US clients, so it feels great to finally have a space for them to visit us, closer to home. I have always loved Manhattan and to be opening on one of its most iconic shopping streets is the perfect opportunity to reach more people, while welcoming old and new clients.'
