I’VE got £100,000—surprise me.’ This might be the very best thing you could say to your craftsman of choice and, down side streets in Chelsea and in basements on Savile Row, these conversations are likely happening right now. This is the world of the ultra-bespoke makers.
Jeweller Theo Fennell opened his eponymous shop in 1982 at 177 Fulham Road. Almost 40 years later, with diamond and 18-carat gold Henry VIII brooches in his catalogue, he is an expert in bespoke work. ‘I’ve got very used to pre-guessing [what clients want],’ he notes. Life in the bespoke lane is a fantastically varied one. Where the Georgians might have commissioned full silver services complete with classical allusions, Mr Fennell’s clients can personalise their silver with emblems of their favourite hobbies. Almost nothing is off the menu: he has made personalised chess sets with the pieces ‘birds of prey, gamebirds or even, in one case, erotica—which gave a new slant to the word “pawn”’. Where his jewellery is concerned, even more doors can be opened— literally. One of Mr Fennell’s favourite bespoke pieces is the Yellow Brick Road ring, inspired by The Wizard of Oz, complete with an enamelled yellow brick road that led to a 13-carat emerald (city).
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