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Arts + Lifestyle

From The Desk Of... Sheherazade Goldsmith

Sheherazade Goldsmith, Creative Director of London-based fine-jewellery brand Loquet, has redefined the concept of keepsakes with her modern day lockets.

Celebrating over a decade of creating jewellery to mark big and small moments in life, her designs are made in solid gold, with diamonds and sparkling gemstones that say a thousand words: whether that’s a love letter, a memory, a birthday present or the birth of a child.

With the ability to tell your own unique story through her delicately created charms, we sat down with Sheherazade to find out more about her story and interests, including what first sparked her interest in jewellery design, her inspirational heroines and her most important business lesson learnt to date.


How do you start your days?
With a cup of tea.
What’s your go-to uniform?
Prada trousers, sneakers and Phoebe Philo cashmere.

Describe your workspace… 
We got lucky, it’s in an old industrial building; the style is a New York loft with white brick, huge windows and natural light, which is very important to me. There are also many, many pinboards.

 

Define your aesthetic…
Classic and feminine. I’m very much about comfort, but I lean toward those designers who work with interesting colours and fabrics. Prada and Phoebe Philo’s Celine have always been my go to, and I also love the ageless playfulness of Miu Miu.

Identify something in your workspace that’s special to you…
For my 50th birthday, my children filled a glass jar full of notes, filled with memories we share, each other’s quotes that have made us laugh, and words that they have chosen that best describe me. It’s a gorgeous collection of moments.

What are your workplace essentials?
My Smythson notebook, my Presidium measuring tool and my ink pens.

What time of day are you at your most creative?
Weekends. I need an empty head to be creative, and the office is so busy. When I’m there, it’s mostly a day of spreadsheets. My favourite place to be is my study as I’m surrounded by my most personal and favourite objects that have been my witness and companion through life: books, photos, art, and objects my children have made me. Whenever we travelled, my son would always gift me a stone that he’d picked up from the places we visited.

Work takes you most frequently to.. 
New York.

 

 

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A post shared by Sheherazade Goldsmith (@shazzagoldsmith)

What’s your go-to lunch order? 
Hot smoked salmon.

What is the most rewarding part of the job?
Talking to our customers. I love hearing the stories behind the charms they curate for their lockets. It reminds me that each and every one of us has a story, and although our experiences all differ, our emotions are all the same. 

And the most challenging?
The cost of Gold.

What did you study in school or university?
English Literature was my favourite subject.

What was your first job?
I was Mrs Burnstein’s PA, the owner of Browns. She was an incredible woman with a unique sense of style and was famous for spotting the most talented designers before they were known. She was responsible for launching John Galliano, amongst many others. It was a time when independent stores had a philosophy; it wasn’t just about sales, and hers was supporting new talent.

What first sparked your interest in jewellery design?
My uncle is a jeweller. He started on Portobello Road and then moved to Grays Antiques in Mayfair – it’s still the best place in the world to find antique jewellery. I would often pull up a stool at his counter and marvel at all the bits and pieces that weren’t on display, hidden in a box, wrapped in a kitchen towel. He was well known for having some of the finest pieces of vintage Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels and Tiffany & Co. But the bits I loved most were unbranded. Victorian treasures that had a multi-purpose, with hidden messages.

 

Do you have a mentor or inspirational figure that has guided or influenced you?
Meeling Wong and Lara Mingay are my two jewellery heroines.

What were some hurdles you had to overcome in the early days of starting Loquet?
What hurdles didn’t we overcome?

What’s the most important business lesson you’ve learned?
Quality and integrity is everything. You cannot build something you don’t believe in.

The best advice you’ve ever received?
Do one thing and be the best there is at what you do.

What’s next for Loquet?
It’s been an incredibly exciting couple of years for Loquet as we have been busy designing an entirely new collection. With that, we opened a new store and redesigned our website. There isn’t an area in the business that hasn’t been turned on its head. The most significant change is in the design of our charms, which have grown in size so we could add more details and sit them side by side; essentially, they stack, so every one of your charms is visible from within your locket. The lockets have all had subtle design tweaks to accommodate the new charms. The result is a deliberately simple experience that allows the sophistication of our jewellery to take centre stage: every piece is a celebration of life, whether it’s empowering personal transformation or imbuing meaning into material. 

 

 

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A post shared by Loquet (@loquetlondon)


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