Mayfair Jeweller Jessica McCormack Speaks to AFR

London-based New Zealander jeweller Jessica McCormack has been designing and selling ever since her first piece which Rihanna bought – with her regular clients now including the Duchess of Sussex, Bette Midler and Victoria Beckham. Philippa Coates interviews McCormack for the Australian Financial Review.

An encounter with McCormack is a bit surprising. Firstly, her accent, after 16 years in London, is as strong as ever, Coates writes.

Another surprise is her atelier – a five-storey, 19th-century townhouse at 7 Carlos Place, Mayfair, where neighbours include Celine and Balenciaga; the Connaught Hotel is across the road. “When we opened in 2013, it was like being given the keys to an amazing car that we didn’t know how to drive,” McCormack says.

“Travellers come from America, the Middle East, Australia. I love the idea that you can’t buy my jewellery everywhere. It’s like when your grandmother went to Tokyo and came back with a piece of beautiful carved jade. It was kind of magical.”

Original article by Philippa Coates, Australian Financial Review, November 18, 2021.

Photo by Casey Moore.