Jewellery designer Georgina Ainslie puts a lot of thought in all her jewellery designs. Her pieces are finely detailed and crafted with exceptional skill and precision.
Last year, her eponymous fine jewellery brand, Georgina Yvonne, won Professional Jewellers’ much-coveted “Emerging Brand” award for 2023, a well-deserved recognition for a new brand.
But there’s more. Ainslie’s jewellery pieces are infused with positivity and heart, reminding the wearer of their power and strength.
Georgina Ainslie
Ainslie originally comes from a small town in Scotland but now calls London her home. She was always drawn to art and design, excelling at it at school. But it wasn’t until a trip to London in her mid-teens that jewellery became the focus of all her creative and artistic endeavours.
“I actually came to London for a holiday when I was about 15 or 16. The City had so much to offer in terms of buildings, architecture and art. It completely fired me. When I got home, I just started designing jewellery,” Ainslie reminisces.
Propelled by her love for jewellery design and hunger to join the jewellery world, Ainslie moved to London when she was 20 years old. In search of a job, she began emailing different jewellery businesses. Her perseverance paid off and a jewellery school located in Hatton Garden offered her an internship. Thus began her formal career in the world of fine jewellery.
After ten years of working in with fine jewellery, which included jewellery sales, design and making, she decided to strike out on her own. “I had paved my way and figured out how I wanted to run my brand,” Ainslie reflects.
Using her paintings as blueprints, Ainslie worked with several CAD designers, goldsmiths and bench jewellers to create her jewellery pieces. Within a short time, she established herself as a designer of luxury, bespoke engagement rings. Last year, she debuted her first fine jewellery collection.
Wonderland Collection by Georgina Yvonne
The Wonderland collection is made up of five unique, sculptural jewellery pieces, each a marvel of design and craftsmanship.
The collection is a metaphor for positivity, and the imagery evoked by its pieces is in equal parts calming and magical. These feelings are reinforced by the lyrical names of the pieces, such as the Bird Song earrings, the Enchanted Forest Toi et Moi ring as well as the Fairytale locket.
The pieces are alive with fine details. The Fairytale locket opens to reveal an enchanting view – butterflies fluttering among flowers and foliage. “The details of the locket were deliberately left covered by the open-work window. But when you open the door, you step into wonderland,” Ainslie comments.
Similarly, the Bed of Roses earrings are wreaths of roses and swooping vines, with details that look just as charming from a distance as they do close up.
Jewellery Design Aesthetic
The Wonderland collection showcases Ainslie unique jewellery design aesthetic. The pieces have a distinct feminine energy but they also suggest strength. “I have a florally natural design style in my work, but my pieces are supposed to promote power and resilience,” she explains.
“Before I design any jewellery, I like to express myself through painting and drawing,” Ainslie elaborates on her design process. The inspiration for her designs stems from her own experiences. “I always create my designs from negative things have happened that I can turn into a positive thought or idea.”
Colours are also an important part of her design aesthetic. As a jewellery designer, Ainslie uses colours as vehicles for sharing her ideas and beliefs. This includes her choice of coloured gemstones such as sapphires and teal sapphires. Even the colour of gold used in Georgina Yvonne jewellery is a considered choice.
“Some of the pieces in the Wonderland collection have sapphires with the yellow gold. The blue of the sapphire is meant to represent your emotions, while the gold represents brightness and happiness. The choice of colors shows that you may experience bad times but you also get good times.”
Luxury Fine Jewellery, Story Telling and Brand Identity
Georgina Yvonne is a luxury fine jewellery brand. But luxury has a deeper meaning for Ainslie than the purity of gold, skilled craftsmanship and high quality of gemstones. “Luxury also needs to have a story behind it,” she notes.
As a result, Ainslie puts in a lot of research into the design motifs for each of her pieces, weaving a story around them. In turn, this storytelling helps her brand message of promoting strength and resilience through jewellery, come through clearly .
“The purpose of Georgina Yvonne is to merge the highest craftsmanship with advocacy for mental health awareness,” she elaborates about her brand’s values and identity.
Bespoke by Georgina Yvonne
Ainslie continues to design bespoke, luxury engagement rings and enjoys working one on one with her clients. The bespoke process at Georgina Yvonne is completely collaborative.
If her clients have an idea, she uses it as a springboard for her designs. However, if they are looking to her for suggestions, Ainslie is happy to create the perfect design for them.
While she is naturally drawn to the warm tones of 18K yellow gold, she works with platinum and white gold too.
At Georgina Yvonne, creating a collection from design concept to the finished pieces may take several months. But single commissions usually take four to six weeks for completion.
What’s Next
Ainslie is busy these days, working on her next luxury fine jewellery collection that is set to come out this summer. The collection will be called Daydream. Her inspiration for this collection comes from Rococo paintings with their extravagant dresses, jewels and vibrant colours.
Featured Image: “Enchanted Forest” Toi et Moi Ring, Wonderland Collection
