Jewel
Purpose at Victoria Quarter
As a Leeds-based family business, Phillip Stoner were
excited to discover local jewellery designer Andrew Geoghegan’s spectacular
jewellery; a must have to sit alongside
their own bespoke and unique jewellery ranges.
Trained in the University of Central Lancashire in three
dimensional design, Andrew’s love of metal manipulation can be traced back to
his school days in Leeds, where he relished time in the metal workshops
forging, melting and twisting metals.
Andrew Geoghegan does not come from a traditional
jewellery background and this has certainly worked in his favour, especially
when in talks with forward-thinking jewellers, such as Phillip Stoner. Looking
at his designs, you begin to understand that he feels much less constricted
than others in the same craft, testament to his design background. His absolute
fascination with stone setting means he sources and works with some of the very
best setters in the world. Nothing is presented publically until it is perfect,
with the techniques and tools available pushed to the limit on each individual
piece.
Each of his meticulously designed pieces are approached
from a ‘micro engineering’ perspective. His Reveal ring is a perfect example of
this; small diamonds are meticulously set in the panel behind the main stone.
This feat of goldsmithing ingenuity is accomplished with traditional and state
of the art techniques and, as with all his ring designs, is set to be an
heirloom of the future.
As Andrew says, “I see each jewellery creation as a
sculpture where each view of the piece must be considered, balanced and
beautiful.”
VQ Centre Director, John Bade commented, “VQ’s
independent stores are an integral part of its appeal, and this is a great
example of a local retailer supporting another local business to the benefit of
both. With retailing becoming ever more homogenised these days, for a store to
offer products that are genuinely exclusive and not widely available elsewhere
adds a significant point of difference. Something I’m sure is an increasingly
important contributing factor in where consumers shop.”
You can see Andrew Geoghegan’s stunning jewellery
collections exclusively at Phillip Stoner the Jewellers in County Arcade, Victoria
Quarter or visit www.phillipstoner.com for
more details.