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All That Glitters | Interview with Shaun Leane

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Celebrated worldwide for his modern romantic jewels that push the boundaries of contemporary design, Shaun Leane began his career training at the bench in London’s jewellery quarter, Hatton Garden. While working as a goldsmith, Leane began a long-standing collaboration with the late Alexander McQueen, creating provocative catwalk jewels that have become iconic milestones in the art of couture jewellery. Since then, Leane has been responsible for creating a new genre of jewellery through his own collections.

How does it feel to be back in the workroom?

The first series was amazing. I mean, what an experience. In short, it was very inspiring. It reminded me of the wonderful industry that I work in, and of my beginnings when I was exploring my craft, design and handwriting. To be part of that series and to help those jewellers to achieve, explore and evolve was really inspiring for me.

Walking into the workshop for series two I was energised, because not only did I know my role was as a judge, but also as a mentor to share my knowledge and experience. I was really interested to see how they would interpret our challenges, because they were even more diverse than series one.

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I was looking for innovation in their craft and design, and looking for storytelling within their pieces that reflect who they are – and my goodness we got some amazing concepts and storytelling through the pieces of jewellery.

Dinny Hall has joined you as judge. How has it been to work with her?

I’ve known Dinny for many years and to get to know her even more was really interesting because our journeys are so similar. She trained as a goldsmith, as did I. She started working with fashion designers in her early career, as did I. Not a lot of goldsmiths do that, and when you do it opens you up to being a fearless and innovative jewellery designer because you’re working with fashion.

Dinny and I had this connection which I think really helped as judges. We show the jewellers it’s okay to push boundaries and think out of the box. Working beside each other was really good because she’s very supportive and we were productive together. We were both firm in our decision making and what we were looking for. There was this real consideration and compromise, she helped me look at things in a different way, as I did her. We balanced out really well. And we had a laugh – at the end of the day, you’ve got to have fun! We’re there to celebrate jewellery and the craft and design.

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There were some incredible jewellers this series – tell us a bit about them.

The jewellers were so diverse and different. They were full of life and excitement and all brought something totally different. It was so lovely, I really feel in this series I saw storytelling and these jewellers were not afraid to put a lot of their character into the jewels, which was inspiring for me and created an array of very interesting jewellery. I feel like their characters really illuminate this series.

Were there any dramatic or funny moments during filming?

Yes! We were four minutes away from the end of one of the challenges where they had to set stones, and one of the jewellers lost a ruby, which was the cherry of their piece. They screamed out, “I’ve lost the ruby!” – at which point Dinny and Katherine got on their knees to search for it. Then I ran in and thought, it’ll be in the skin, (the leather underneath the bench). I saw the ruby and picked it up.

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It was this moment of panic, but what was lovely was the camaraderie. Everyone stopped. Even the other jewellers, who had minutes until the end of the challenge and everyone starting looking for it. That shows the tightness of everybody. It was brilliant. No egos, everybody on that set was the same.

Were there any pieces that you wish you could keep?

There were many pieces I wished I could keep! There’s a particular one that jumps out, an ear cuff. It had a very powerful, dynamic silhouette and I really, really liked it. The concept was so clever, the shape and the form was so beautifully executed. It would be a piece I would wear to a very special occasion, more a piece to archive or put on display. It was beautiful. It blew me away.

And how about your own work – do you have any interesting stories?

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There is a project I have been developing for the last 10 months and I’m very excited about it. I’m creating a four-piece, unique collection using four very, very rare diamonds. I’m using a ten-carat pink diamond, a ten-carat yellow diamond, a five-carat cognac and a very, very rare blue diamond. I’ve never worked with stones of such rarity or value before. They will be art pieces in their own right and auctioned at one of the world’s most prestigious auction houses.

What jewellery trends should we be looking out for in 2022/2023?

For me, the industry has gone through such a wave. For many years, we had demi-fine jewellery, which was very fine and delicate. I found, post Covid, there was this real need for expression, to show one’s personality or style – this rebellion. From the demi fine, jewellery is coming back to beautiful, grand, statement pieces, which we’ll see more of.

There is a visionary trend. This is something that myself and Alexander McQueen worked on in the early 90s. We explored jewellery in the form of scale, silhouette and size. We questioned fashion and jewellery and crossed the line between the two. Visionaries are beautiful large pieces of jewellery that make a statement. It’s not about materials, it’s about design and scale. All the big houses are exploring that again, like Schiaparelli and Tiffany.

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Alastair James is the editor in chief for Memorable TV. He has been involved in media since his university days. Alastair is passionate about television, and some of his favourite shows include Line of Duty, Luther and Traitors. He is always on the lookout for hot new shows, and is always keen to share his knowledge with others.

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