It seems jewellery is having a revival. That's to say 'proper' jewellery, the stuff of grown-ups. There'll always be a place for that necklace bought on a beach in India, or in a foreign market. But the real deal now is wearing semi-precious and precious stones set into white gold and platinum. There's no shortage of places to find that special piece. And from 11 to 15 June it's even easier as London celebrates the city's exceptional jewellery talent with events across the capital in the first ever Coutts London Jewellery Week (CLJW). We'll be stepping along jewel-encrusted carpets in Burlington Arcade, visiting open workshops and generally becoming jewellery savvy over a packed five days devoted to contemporary art and design. Over 200 hundred jewellers are expected to take part. And for many of those there's still one stone that turns us on. Traditional or contemporary, a setting with a diamond is still sought after and desired.

Look into the heart of a diamond and it will dazzle you with a brilliance no other gem can compete with. Formed from high pressure and temperatures deep within the Earth, this stone has the power to mesmerize. Since its reputed discovery in India well over 3,000 years ago, the diamond has held centre stage in the jewellery world. But what makes it so special?

"It's brilliant that out of this dirty little stone, once it's cut, comes the most exciting stone on the planet."

Alan Bronstein, diamond collector and trader has immersed himself in the world of diamonds for over 25 years and for him a diamond 'is like a flower that never dies'. "When I get turned on by a diamond," he says, "there's this great energy, life, brilliance." Bronstein specializes in coloured diamonds which he believes are 'the highest energy stone'. You only have to look at his Aurora Collection at the Natural History Museum in London to realize what he's talking about. This diamond collection displays cut stones in colours of various saturations such as pinks, brown and oranges that make up the final colour. From blues, to greens and yellows, the range of colours is endless. And if you expose them to different light they will briefly change colour, as though revealing something deep inside. One famous example of this is the Hope diamond. Such is the phosphorescent property of this 45.52 carat blue diamond that when it's exposed to ultra-violet light it glows red-orange for up to five minutes. This is a stone that was set in the throne of the Murghal Emperor Shah Jahan, who created the Taj Mahal, and now is part of the Crown Jewels here, set into the late Queen Mother's crown.

The aura that surrounds diamonds is more than the inherent qualities of the stone. Over the centuries they've become imbued with meaning. Bronstein comments, "For me diamonds are a concept, a symbol for something more than what they are. For men they represent power and status, for women it's about beauty, romance, eternal love, something that lasts for ever." Jeweller Daniel Caspi would agree.

Caspi created his company Davril in 1977. Based in London's Hatton Garden, the heart of the City's jewellery trade, he says the area is full of 'loving couples' looking for that perfect stone. 'The birth of a child, a special occasion, an event in someone's career' are all reasons that people visit Davril. On diamonds Caspi comments, "It's brilliant that out of this dirty little stone, once it's cut, comes the most exciting stone on the planet." And cutting is the key to a diamond's desirability. 'The fire, the liveliness and subtleties' are all down to the cut. Bronstein says, "Sometimes you use a specific cut to maximize the brilliance and other times you hold back some aspects. A radiant cut is more brilliant, an emerald cut less so. It's personal taste." For Caspi 'baguette and princess cut diamonds are trend leaders at the moment. And the integration of both of these has become very popular over the last year'. Caspi's Dorje Collection features these two cuts and has 'been tremendously successful in the last six months'. 'The design is ultimate' for Caspi and he's launching two new designs at CLJW this month. Featuring triangular and bullet cut diamonds he says 'they will be unique'.

Another jeweller taking part in the week is David Marshall who also works with diamonds as well as semi-precious stones. A designer for over 24 years he trained in the traditional methods. He says, "I tend to work with platinum and it's harder to achieve the end results, so it sets you above other people. It's harder to set. We have setters who work with microscopes and we can get diamonds in all sorts of places others can't."

When not working with diamonds, Marshall is creating one off pieces such as the platinum rose bud necklace which will be unveiled during CLJW. An 18 carat, rose pink morganite stone forms a rose bud in platinum which hangs point down in a drop shape from a necklace of intertwined platinum leaves. Another exclusive design is his take on the pearl necklace. With pearls making a comeback he's created a necklace that can be different lengths with or without tassles. "We try to make things a little more versatile," he says. He has new workshops in the Hatton Garden area with a staff of 15 and says, "We are one of the biggest independent workshops in London."

"For me diamonds are a concept, a symbol for something more than what they are. For men they represent power and status, for women it's about beauty, romance, eternal love, something that lasts for ever."

For those of us who perhaps can't afford the likes of individual designers there's always the chance to buy limited edition jewellery such as the pieces at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) which celebrate the opening of a brand new gallery this May. The William and Judith Bollinger gallery, sponsored by the couple who gifted £7 million, displays 3,500 jewels from the museum's collection, one of the finest and most comprehensive in the world. The gallery will display jewels ranging from a Celtic gold breast ornament of 700BC, tiaras worn by the Empress Josephine, a stunning Art Noveau hair piece to a brooch of acrylic and polyester by Peter Chang made in 1992. For jewellery hunters the shop in the museum has three new ranges – Cherry on the Cake 2, which is made by designers commissioned especially by the V&A – V&A Select, which sources contemporary jewellery from studios and designers around the world, and the V&A Collection which features accessible, wearable reproductions inspired by the museum's collections.

The UK jewellery industry is currently worth over £3 billion. And we have some of the most exciting and innovative jewellery designers to choose from. So why not take advantage of CLJW and discover a fresh take on traditional jewellery. Who knows you may even buy an antique of the future?

www.auroragems.com

www.davriljewels.co.uk

www.davidmarshalllondon.co.uk

www.vam.ac.uk

Images courtesy of the V&A Shop

by Michele Nevard