For Sophie Bille Brahe, designing jewellery is about capturing a feeling. “It’s an ongoing flow,” says Sophie of the process that she’s been navigating for 10 years (the brand recently celebrated its tenth birthday). “Each collection comes from a very personal place. I look back at past pieces and can see that I was at a certain point in my life for each one.”
Her love of working with pearls, for instance, stems from a necklace given to her when her son was born. “Having a child and being pregnant is such a magical thing. For me, a pearl illustrates this. By nature’s magic, a small grain of sand drifts into an oyster that produces a pearl. This perfect, round, white shape – this little piece of beauty,” says Sophie, whose designs reflect a modern interpretation of the classic stone.
A trained goldsmith, Sophie went on to study a masters at London’s Royal College of Art before launching her Copenhagen studio in 2011. It is here that Sophie, inspired by the chandeliers she would make her parents’ friends as a teenager, mocks up her designs in metal to capture the ethereal lightness to her jewels, before crafting each piece by hand.
@sophiebillebrahe // Instagram
“I prefer to have materials stand out for their own beauty rather than for elements I have added. If there are other details involved, it’s because they are part of the story or are helping to show the beauty of the diamond or pearls.”
Sophie Bille Brahe
Pearl drop earrings
@sophiebillebrahe // Instagram
Marie von Behrens-Felipe in Sophie Bille Brahe jewels on her wedding day
@mvb // Instagram
VIEW PRODUCTAn utmost focus is given to showcasing the stones, namely akoya, round or baroque freshwater pearls and Top Wesselton VVS Diamonds. Set in gold, the simplicity of Sophie’s treatment results in elegant designs that are as wearable with a t-shirt and jeans as they are dressed-up. “I prefer to have materials stand out for their own beauty rather than for elements I have added. If there are other details involved, it’s because they are part of the story or are helping to show the beauty of the diamond or pearls,” says Sophie, whose most treasured piece of jewellery is a diamond ring she found as a little girl, in an antique chest belonging to her parents.
Sophie used the lockdown period to tune her intuitive approach to design, casting aside the distractions of everyday life to turn inwards and to the stones themselves for inspiration. “This time allowed us to block out the world, and I had this very calm feeling around me,” says Sophie, whose latest 'No More 'I Love You's"' collection breathes fresh life.
