The Brighton jeweller is celebrating two decades in business with a new bamboo-inspired collection, bringing together emeralds, diamonds, sculptural gold, and the slightly rebellious edge that has defined the brand since 2006.
Twenty years is a significant milestone for any independent business, particularly one built around handcrafted luxury, so BAROQUE was never likely to mark the occasion quietly.
We joined the Brighton jeweller for the launch of its new anniversary collection at its Union Street boutique in The Lanes, and the new pieces immediately stood out. Sculptural, tactile and unmistakably BAROQUE, the collection takes its inspiration from bamboo, using the plant’s distinctive stems and leaves as the basis for rings, earrings, necklaces, cuffs and bracelets.
The symbolism is deliberate too. Bamboo has long been associated with strength, longevity and resilience, making it a fitting reference point for a business celebrating two decades of independent design and making in Brighton.
BAROQUE director and head goldsmith Jason French explains: “Twenty years in business is quite the milestone, so we wanted a symbolic reference for this new collection that went beyond the aesthetic.”
“The lucky bamboo plant is a powerful living metaphor for navigating life’s challenges without breaking. The gift of bamboo, delivering good luck, prosperity and positive energy to the recipient, also feels poetic.”
The collection is made up of 20 designs, with silver and gold pieces sitting alongside gemstones including emeralds, citrine, spinel, sapphire, opal and diamonds.
Among the standout pieces is an emerald and pink spinel trilogy ring, pairing a 3.77ct cabochon-cut emerald with two trillion-cut pink spinels, all set into an engraved 18ct yellow-gold bamboo band. There is also a dramatic 14.45ct fantasy-cut citrine cocktail ring dotted with green diamonds and a striking 2ct champagne salt-and-pepper diamond ring set on an 18ct bamboo stem band.
But some of the pieces we loved most were the ones where the bamboo motif becomes part of the structure rather than simply a decorative detail.
The hand-engraved drop earrings curl around the ear like delicate bamboo leaves and stems, while emerald beads provide flashes of vivid green. The silver bamboo hoops are much simpler but equally effective, and the articulated bamboo necklaces and bracelets have an almost fluid, slinky movement to them.
There is something particularly satisfying about the way the collection avoids feeling overly literal. Bamboo provides the language of the pieces, but the result still feels contemporary, glamorous and slightly unconventional.
That last point is important because BAROQUE has never really been interested in playing things safe.
Founded in 2006 by a collective of four local jewellery designers, the business began on a much smaller scale before becoming one of Brighton’s established independent jewellers. Today it is led by original founders Jason French and Pippa Reeve, employs a team of 12 and expanded its Union Street premises in 2022 with the addition of the BAROQUE Atelier.
The jewellery is still designed and made on site, with French working alongside a team of goldsmiths, setters and engravers. Traditional techniques are combined with BAROQUE’s more distinctive visual language, which has always had a darker, rock-and-roll edge. Snakes, dragons, bold stones and unusual settings have become recurring signatures, reflected just as much in the boutique itself as in the jewellery.
That independent character is something the founders have worked hard to retain.
“We didn’t set out to create a strong brand when we started making jewellery together and feel incredibly proud that our independent business has remained true to our values 20 years on,” says director Pippa Reeve.
“It’s important to us that we’re a good business, sourcing the finest raw materials from the earth in an ethical way and looking after our customers and staff with as much care.”
BAROQUE uses recycled gold as standard and also works with Fairtrade Certified Gold and conflict-free gemstones, alongside its bespoke service for engagement rings, wedding bands and the remodelling of family jewellery.
Two decades after starting out as a small Brighton collective, the brand’s anniversary collection feels appropriately confident.
The bamboo motif may represent resilience, but it also works simply because it makes beautiful jewellery. And judging by what we saw at the launch, there are several pieces in this collection that are likely to become BAROQUE signatures long after the 20th birthday celebrations are over.
The BAROQUE Bamboo collection is available now from the boutique at 9–10 Union Street, Brighton, and online.
