As fashion fanatics may well be aware, Chanel creative director Karl Lagerfeld is king – at least in couture circles.
For Melbourne-based jewellery designer, Emma Abrahams, seeing one of her custom-crafted pieces grace the hands of this leading fashion figurehead was ‘a total dream come true’.
Speaking to FEMAIL, Ms Abrahams, who founded gothic-chic jewellery label Heart of Bone, revealed how a meeting with a French journalist led to an opportunity for her to give one of her hand-crafted rings to the man himself.
Emma Abrahams – founder of gothic chic luxe jewellery label Heart of Bone is pictured here
Ms Abrahams revealed how a meeting with a French journalist led to an opportunity for her to give one of her hand-crafted rings to Karl Lagerfeld (pictured: her designs)
Ms Abrahams said she’d had got to Paris for Fashion Week, as part of the Australian Chamber showroom, when an interview with Carine Bizet, a fashion writer for French newspaper Le Monde, became a life-changing moment.
‘I told her I’d always wanted Karl to have his own portrait ring and she just happened to be interviewing him the next day prior to his show,’ she explained to FEMAIL.
‘I had brought a Karl ring with me just in case as I believe in magic.
‘I gift wrapped it, and she gave it to him and he loved it and said it was very well made and good quality.’
Chanel creative director Karl Lagerfeld wearing one of Ms Abraham’s rings
Lagerfeld, whose signature style revolves around statement silver jewellery worn with finger-less leather gloves, appeared quite taken with the ring, and in a gesture of thanks, invited Ms Abrahams to the prestigious Chanel catwalk show.
‘I think my heart skipped a few beats when she sent the photo!,’ Ms Abrahams said of the Instagram snap Ms Bizet sent her.
‘Attending the [Chanel] show was surreal and definitely a tick off my bucket list.’
The 41-year-old designer with a background in fashion and furniture restoration only recently turned her hand to jewellery design
The 41-year-old designer with a background in fashion and furniture restoration only recently turned her hand to jewellery design although she admits her original inspiration – and the name of her brand – came from her desire to create luxe gothic cutlery.
‘I’ve always been drawn to the macabre but I also have this quirky sense of humour. I naturally tend to create dramatic pieces that aren’t ostentatious but playful and brave,’ she said.
Each of her jewellery designs are first carved in jeweller’s wax, an exacting and incredibly slow process.
From there it’s cast into precious metals, and if the item is a bespoke reworking of pre-loved jewellery or gems, the finished product can take up to eight weeks.
Each of Ms Abrahams jewellery designs are first carved in jeweller’s wax, an exacting and incredibly slow process.
Undeterred by the amount of time it takes to hand-craft each piece, the business, one she runs from her Melbourne studio, was built through Instagram three and a half years ago.
To date, her gothic luxe pieces have graced the hands of fashion, pop and rock ‘n’ roll royalty including Slash, Katy Perry, Dita Von Teese, Billy Idol, Daphne Guinness and more.
Ms Abrahams – a formidable black-clad style figure herself – not only brings her discerning eye to her label, she also brings a fashion background to rival any in the business.
To date, her gothic luxe pieces have graced the hands of fashion, pop and rock ‘n’ roll royalty including Slash (pictured left) and Dita Von Teese (pictured right)
‘I’ve always been drawn to the macabre but I also have this quirky sense of humour,’ she said.
The style icon explained that she and her husband Justin were former owners of Husk – Melbourne-based boutiques that backed early collections for Australian designers Ellery, Bassike Willow, Jac + Jack and more.
Now the mother-of-two, her daughter is four and her son is 11, juggles the demands of family alongside a thriving business, one that often sees her working late into the night.
‘My working hours are odd and I’m often putting the kids to bed and heading back to the studio till all hours. I don’t have a nanny so it’s always a matter of stealing time for Heart of Bone,’ she said.
The formidable figure is also a mother-of-two, and after juggling the demands of family will work late into the night to create her stunning pieces
Ms Abrahams said her designs were ‘brave and unapologetic but refined and confident’
The designer label has also collaborated with Harrolds Woman in Sydney, one of the city’s high-end designer boutiques that stocks leading international brands.
The 13-piece collection is inspired by contemporary symbols of romance and love in tattoos and includes intricate rings, a bangle, a cuff and a knuckle duster.
‘It’s brave and unapologetic but refined and confident,’ Ms Abrahams said of her designs.
A recent signing with LA showroom The Residency Experience, co-owned by B.Akerlund – the cult stylist who has worked with Lady Gaga and Beyonce – could see the brand move forward in an exciting ways.
‘I’d love to work with Madonna at some stage, and Keith Richards would be pretty awesome too,’ she concluded.