Rachel Galley shares the inspiration for her collections
Tell us about your jewellery collection and where your inspiration comes from?
I have many different collections, but my most renowned collection is the ‘memento globe’ which was created from a piece of jewellery I made in my first year at Central Saint Martins for a project called ‘Memento Mori’. I based my project on fond memories of my Grandma and one of the things I remember doing with her making me one sided toast on her old fashioned grill, the lattice texture is created from the toast and without knowing at the time I created such a beautiful effect with the silver that the pieces look almost as 
if they have been encrusted with diamonds. A lot of my pieces and ranges have hidden silver beads such as my skinny allegro bangles, one of my best selling designs, which represent the seeds of knowledge that my Grandma passed onto me and also the garden seeds she used to give to me and my brother for our very own garden patch. Following this globe collection I have actually created over 30 ranges of jewellery. I get my inspiration from many elements of our lives from visual aspects such as architecture, shapes and textures to more emotional based influences. I have so many unfinished sketches and collections in my book from moments in my life that have inspired me.
Has jewellery design always been something you've been interested in?
I started making jewellery as a little girl, I was probably about 10 years old, putting beads onto silver wires and making up my own designs. I had my own pliers and tweezers and had all my beads organised into colours and styles. I would set up stands at school 
fairs and sell my designs and also make them to order. I still get photos from customers now showing me earrings I made for them when I was only 10 years old that they still wear today! I suppose I have always been a magpie rummaging through my grandmas and mums jewellery boxes.
Which other jewellery designers have inspired you?
I worked for Links of London, Stephen Webster & Boodles, so I have seen many different styles of designing and how brands work. I admire each of them as they have built their brands to be individual and a destination for their clients to come to. I also admire the sleek dream like quality that Shaun Leane has created , his quality and branding is second to none.
Where would you like to take your collection next? Then where would you like to be in five years time?
We are currently working to clearly define the sub brands within Rachel Galley Jewellery, as we do so many different designs and for different customers. We have fabulous exclusive silver ranges designed for The Jewellery Channel within our ‘boutique’ brand , core ‘Rachel Galley Jewellery’ silver ranges which are available in high street independent retailers and also online, and also we are now working on new collections in a slightly different style but still with our quality and timeless elegance. Working on the Venom collection it allowed me to design out of my usual comfort zone, so 
this has spurred me on to designing more ‘outside the box’ collections! We will be working with silver, gold and also moving into ‘couture’ with diamond encrusted pieces. We already have some of our diamond set pieces on the Houlden ‘tour of excellence’ and in the Goldsmiths Hall ‘growing talent’ exhibition. In 5 years time I would love to have more ‘couture’ pieces within my collection, some one off pieces and limited edition pieces.
Who would you love to see your collection on celebrity wise?
I would love to work with ‘real’ celebrities, renowned for their skills, talents, ambition and drive. I would love to work with Tamara Mellon and if she wore some of my designs I would be honoured. Also I like women that have grown with their careers maybe become mothers and are genuine. An ideal celebrity would be someone like Gwen Steffani, bursting with style and energy. She is a little bit quirky but also down to earth and doesn’t feel the need to be in the public eye constantly and at the opening of an envelope!
Who would you say your collection is designed for?
My collections span different age groups and styles, for example one piece of my jewellery can be worn for a black tie event but also for day time casual. They are cleverly designed so they can be dressed up or dressed down. The jewellery is not cheap so my usual customers are over 30 with independent jobs and quite often they buy for themselves because they can. We do obviously get husbands/partners calling in to buy something for their partners because it matches something bought before, or because they just love the individuality it offers, we also package our jewellery beautifully so as a gift our pieces are perfect.
How about your personal style, how would you describe it?
I tend to dress very simply, most often in black as my jewellery is my passion and I want to show this off. I tend to stick to 3 colours, black, cream, grey/blues. I like to wear my signature red lips as it adds instant glamour to even the most hurried ‘get ready’ moment. You can instantly change your simple black outfit with a long necklace or big cuff, I love the versatility to be able to wear gold and then quickly swap to silver keeping the same outfit on and getting a very different look. I really enjoy wearing the big bold pieces which most of us would ‘keep for best’, I figure that life is too short, lets enjoy it now ,be bold and wear those stunning pieces and feel fabulous doing it!
If you could only wear one piece of jewellery for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I think it would have to be my brand new ‘satellite’ diamond pave ring in 18ct white gold – although I may treat myself to platinum if I was wearing it for the rest of my life. Encrusted with 342 diamonds intricately pave set , It has so much sparkle and glamour you really could wow people every moment of your life with it. As I’m writing this I am wishing I had it on my finger.. I am going to have to now make myself one now!
Layering jewellery is a hot trend at the moment, what tips do you have for carrying it off stylishly?
I would say to pick pieces that ‘compliment’ each other rather than match exactly. Pick pieces that have a similar feel and mix with pieces that are a different scale or pattern. For example, I wear on a daily basis generally my big Enkai Sun disc ring in gold, on the same hand I wear the black plated skinny allegro bangle and mini globe bracelet, and on my other hand I wear just the gold mini star ring. I love wearing a hard bangle with a linked flexible bracelet, it softens the look of the bangle and adds depth to the look.
What jewellery trends would you recommend for Spring/Summer?
I love the Rose Gold trends that are coming and we have done a special edition Rose Gold selection in ‘Love Hearts’ , ‘Allegro’ and ‘Globe’. We have also launched our new ‘Flutterby’ range which is stunning latticework butterfly’s in sterling silver, fresh, striking and just that little bit different to the high street. I think the ‘skinny allegro’ bangles will also continue to be strong as well as these can be stacked up with matching rings. ‘Venom’ our snake range fits with the Chinese year of the snake, its perfect for summer with gold options set with the most beautiful luxurious natural Jade and also options in silver, with long chains that can be worn layered and stunning hoop earrings amongst many other pieces, you can’t go wrong with this range.
