Pippa Small. Courtesy of Pippa Small.
Jeweller Pippa Small is as much known for designs that encapsulate a hand made organic feel (featuring precious and semi precious stones) as she is known for her social consciousness.
With a background in Anthropology, the jewellery designer has seamlessly forged her interest in human rights and the alleviation of poverty with her continued efforts at reviving old traditional jewellery methods.
Barneys New York started selling her jewellery about 14 years ago. Small opened her first London based store in 2007, this was followed by one in Brentwood, Los Angeles.
Her work has seen her work at Bamford, Gucci with Tom Ford and Chloé under Phoebe Philo. Collaborating with the Nicole Farhi and Christina Kim at Dosa.
Small’s interest in social consciousness has seen her work in Central America and Southern Africa, exploring jewellery making methods and reviving old traditional skills. In Bolivia she worked with the world’s first registered Fairtrade gold mine. The designer also works with fairtrade company, MADE in Kiberia, Kenya and with prestigious charity Turquoise Mountain in Afghanistan.
Given her tireless efforts and improving Human rights among minorities, it is no wonder she was made an Ambassador of the Human Rights Organization in 2008.
It was an honor to interview the inspiring jewellery designer.
Design by Pippa Small. Courtesy of Pippa Small.
1. Hello Pippa, thank you for honoring Mariankihogo.com with this interview. You studied Anthropology and went on to achieve a Masters in Medical Anthropology. How did you move from this, into the foray of professional jewellery design?
Thank you so much for asking me!
That is a difficult question because the answer is I just don’t know!! Life has a strange way of pulling you subtly in directions you are unaware of. For my Masters thesis I went to Borneo to do some research on mental illness and its meaning and understandings in Sarawak.
Before I went I was already very interested in Human Rights and the issues in particular of indigenous or Tribal minorities rights, I was an active member of Survival International, a charity I am very proud to say I am an ambassador to now – the issues of land rights, cultural rights, language rights and indigenous knowledge were fascinating to me and I started to work with a local grass roots NGO in Sabah in Northern Borneo – it was a fascinating time.
Meanwhile… I have always made jewellery even as a child I strung beads and buttons, shells and pebbles around my wrist, I was a great believer as a child in the power of stones and the importance of memory associated through material things and the comfort and strength they gave.
As I grew the designs of the jewellery I was making became more defined and instead of the primitive tangle of my talismans I started to work with different materials, buying a small drill and working with shells and drilling and tumbling rough gems and stringing them together. I started to make jewellery for a few friends and then a shop asked for some and so it slowly and very organically grew.
My life now is full of contrasts – going from Afghanistan to New York fashion week, from the slums of Nairobi to showrooms on Bond Street – I find it all fascinating facets of human life…
The interest in the jewellery grew and I started to work in India to produce it and loved my life creating in India with such talented craftsmen and in time I was able to marry the interests of working with communities and the jewellery fashion world by collaborating with craftsman all over the world and bringing their work to other markets and new appreciations.
2. You have worked with a host of designers including the likes of Tom Ford while at Gucci and Phoebe Philo at Chloe. What has been your most memorable collaboration to date?
Working with Gucci was such a thrill, I remember when I got the call to come in I was convinced they had made a mistake and were talking to the wrong person, I even said so in the interview! I had no design training or technical drawing ability – had never worked with a big company – I was humbled by how open and encouraging they were. At first I was to work in their studios but they quickly saw that my creativity flourished in other environments and sent me back to India to create freely without confines of briefs or specs.
I remember the day my first collection was being viewed by Tom Ford in Florence, there was always the reverence of a god around him and everyone was running around and whispering and such tension as he went to inspect it, I was then brought in the room and he was so kind and said he loved it! There was a palpable sigh of relief from everyone! I learned so much working in a team and in a big company – it was wonderful.
Working with Christina Kim of the American label Dosa was wonderful too – to learn from her thoughtful and immaculate creative process. We travelled all over the world together designing collections of jewellery for her beautiful clothing company.
Design by Pippa Small. Courtesy of Pippa Small.
3. In your work you have always seemingly championed human rights, alleviating poverty and fair trade. How important has this been to the Pippa Small brand?
It is the essence of it in a sense, it is where my heart is where my interests lie, and I am very passionate about this area. Jewellery and craft are universal, every peoples in the work create and decorate and adorn. I believe very firmly that working with communities to empower and provide an income; to raise the often battered self confidence of people who have been marginalised and persecuted, through their creativity; to work with them on traditional designs and materials and be able to create something that is valued and shown and sold in the West helps them see that what they do and make and who they are is beautiful.
The recent certification of the fair trade gold in Bolivia has been a triumph and I am so proud, I was in Bolivia a few months after the certification and so pleased to see what this means to the miners and the environment around the mines in terms of the recycling of the mercury and the fair pay for the gold with a premium that goes into the community around the mine and improving conditions for the miners.
Working with MADE was also a joy – learning about recycled materials and seeing things we throw away in this country becoming beautiful pieces of jewellery.
4. Your designs have seen you work with charity, Turquoise Mountain in Afghanistan. Please tell us a bit about this; what it involves and how it came about?
I was asked to go and teach in the newly set up school of jewellery that Turquoise Mountain had set up in Kabul nearly 4 years ago. The aims of Turquoise Mountain were to do architectural restoration in the old part of Kabul, and to make schools that would revive and train young people through the older masters the traditional craft of Afghanistan, wood work, calligraphy, ceramics, and jewellery. The students learn English, business skills, and have teachers from all over to provide them a broad skill base in design and technical abilities.
I was also asked to design a collection that could be sold in the west to open a market for TM and the young Afghan graduates – I have worked with Javid Noori and his workshop in Kabul for 4 years now. I try and draw on inspiration from central Asia, and the silk roads to make sure it is relevant to the craftsman’s history and culture. We use all the gems available in the country – the beautiful Lapis Lazuli from the ancient mines of Badakshan and emerald from Panshir and tourmalines and aquamarines. It has been so rewarding now the first lot of women graduates have joined the workshop and to see the work in shops like Barneys NY and we hope to continue to grow their collaborations with other designers and open other markets.
The most wonderful part of it has been the friendships and relationships that have grown from the collaboration with the craftsmen and women.
Design by Pippa Small. Courtesy of Pippa Small.
5. Amongst your many achievements includes being made Ambassador of the Human Rights Organization in 2008. What has been your favorite achievement in the course of your career to date?
This has been my greatest achievement, I am so proud of the work Survival does its so vitally important, it is David and Goliath – the voiceless and invisible people of the world who’s rights have been for so long abused have in Survival a voice that shouts loud and clear to the public and to governments and large developers who in the name of ‘progress’ destroy the land and homes of the tribes people who live and protect that land for future generations.
6. What inspired your latest collection?
My latest collection in Afghanistan was inspired by both Mogul and Mongol – the first Mogul Emperors came from Afghanistan and their almost baroque use of gems and gold has inspired the Shah collection full of beautiful tumbled mixed gems stones, blues and watery greens of aquamarine and kunzite, the hot pinks of rubelits and greens of emeralds in cascading necklaces with silver gold plated to give warmth and richness to the pieces.
The other side was inspired by the nomadic Mongols who travelled through Afghanistan and the use of the woven silks of the country to stitch lapis stones to create chokers and wrist bands in silk as I imagine the marauding nomads to have worn.
Always, the collections are fundamentally about something beautiful – to bring beautiful jewels out of a country at war to show that life still goes on and war is not the only thing to be going on there.
7. How important are seasonal trends to you, with reference to the creation of your designs?
Not at all!!
Design by Pippa Small. Courtesy of Pippa Small.
8. Your jewellery seemingly possesses a traditional aesthetic to it. Would you stay this was the case and if so is it intentional?
I am very inspired by ancient classical Greek, roman, campucian, Javanese gold work as well as tribal andethnic work, there is so much symbolic value as jewellery was then to perform a function, to protect from evil and draw positivity, good health and wealth. I love when jewellery has a story – it makes so much sense to me!
Design by Pippa Small. Courtesy of Pippa Small.
9. Who is the Pippa Small woman?
She is independent, creative and has a strong social conscious – to be able to buy and wear pieces that are empowering people in areas of the world which lack the opportunities we are used to here is something she is proud of. She is chic and discerning and has great style.
10. One jewellery tip for my readers?
Buy jewellery that you will love forever and wear it all the time, not just for special occasions, let it become part of you end enjoy it. Check the sources of the materials and when you can, chose sustainable sources.
Design by Pippa Small. Courtesy of Pippa Small.
More on her work here.
Many kind thanks to Pippa Small.
More in the Focus On segment here.
