Leicester

Beautiful Baubles at Iridescence

I have been foisting doilies on the unsuspecting today. Apologies all round. This time my unlikely victim was the lovely Samantha, the owner of a wonderful local jewellery business here is Leicester, Iridescence. Her company logo is a butterfly, so I decided to make her some butterfly doilies. The first came out a little more cumbersome than I’d hoped, but the second was much more delicate so I was a lot happier with it.


In exchange for having unsolicited doilies thrust upon her, I got to have a good looksee at some of the beautiful pieces she sells on her website. Iridescence is a great shop if you are looking for something just a little bit different – just perfect for me. They carry a wide range of treats – bags, scarves and hair accessories as well as a wide variety of jewellery. Sam had brought me a wide range to see.


In particular, I loved the silver, sparkly pieces she showed me. Themes of butterflies and angel wings – light designs, full of hope – are a predominant theme in the collection, but there are also a number of pieces which have a distinctly vintage edge to them.

I think we all know that there is never enough diamante in the world (sparkle, sparkle) but sometimes you have to think outside the box. The angel wing statement necklace, pictured above, has plenty of sparkle, but this detail comes from a grey glass stone, cut to refract the light subtly – which complements the swooping wings as they sit around the throat. It has an antique silver finish and puts me in mind of 1950s cocktail parties, but with a very contemporary edge.

If you like the angel wing motif, I would also recommend the brushed silver angel wing bracelet which has a stretchy fit. This actually surprised me when I picked it up, you can’t tell at all by the finish, it looks like a solid piece, but of course the stretch means you can get a better fit on to the wrist without it necessarily needing to have all the diameter to go over your hand.

I was also really interested in the pieces I saw which are made with floral fabrics set in perspex. This means the jewellery is both lightweight and strong, and gives a really interesting finish that I have not seen before.

I liked how retro and colourful these pieces were. The perspex foundation means that they can take an infinite variety of fun shapes and some were interspersed with beads to add further interest. The long bird necklace caught my eye particularly – perhaps it’s my twitter obsession seeping into real life… Check out this bracelet too, pictured below – sparkly and colourful!




I was very impressed by everything Sam showed me – they are very reasonably priced and of course we all love to support our local businesses! I’m not sure anyone in Gelato Village, where we met for a coffee, had any idea what we were up to, strewing the table with gorgeous jewellery and photographing it!

Iridescence do home jewellery parties and pop up shops so even if you’re not a big online shopper there’s no need for you to miss out. They also offer a VIP service if you are looking to do something very special for somebody close.

Thanks to Sam for showing me her wares and even bigger thanks for the lovely gift of this beautiful brooch. I’m not sure it was a fair swap, something so eyecatching in exchange for my bizarre crochet – but it was a gift that will be very well loved nonetheless. Despite the unsolicited gift, as you all know by now, my opinions are my own – my review of what I saw is my honest opinion and I truly hope you check Iridescence out and find something you love too!

Laura

Bestselling author and freelance food & drinks writer. Director of creative agency Thirst Media, helping small businesses reach their full potentially. Champion of pubs and breweries.

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