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Fernando Jorge is a master of architectural silhouettes, crafting sleek and sensual jewellery that takes the curves of the body as its cue. Jorge, who works across a host of materials, from the precious to the everyday, is returning to focus solely on diamonds with his new collection, ‘Vertex’.
Building on 2017’s all-diamond ‘Brilliant’ collection, the new pieces take the baguette cut as their focus, juxtaposing its sharp angles with a streamlined architecture, in a sharp nod to New York’s skyline.
Here, the Brazilian-born, London-based jeweller tells us what inspired his new collection, why he loves diamonds and how he has stayed faithful to his signature aesthetic.
Fernando Jorge on new collection, ‘Vertex’
(Image credit: Courtesy of Fernando Jorge)
Wallpaper*: Can you tell us a bit about the inspiration behind this new collection?
Fernando Jorge: The new collection came together during the past few years, while I have been working on our showroom spaces – first in London’s Mayfair and then in New York. Immersed in the architecture of these cities and the spaces themselves, I started to lean towards a cleaner, more geometric aesthetic – something entirely new for me.
I had also been waiting to work again on a collection that focused on diamonds, something I haven’t done since 2017 with ‘Brilliant’. Then the idea came to explore the baguette cut, and while researching, I realised we were approaching the centenary of the art deco era. The fast pace, excitement and uncertainty of the 1920s seem to resonate with what we are living now, which encouraged me in the direction I was already heading in my mind.
The ‘Vertex’ collection evolved from this weave of ideas, not only to encompass diamonds and cuts, or as an homage to the past, but also to include the urban rhythm and atmosphere into my body of work.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Fernando Jorge)
(Image credit: Courtesy of Fernando Jorge)
W*: Why does it feel like a natural direction after your 2024 collection, ‘Deep Stream’?
FJ: There is a natural oscillation in my creative rhythm that I have observed over the years. When I feel like I have worked on an idea in depth, the natural response once the cycle is completed is to gravitate to a complementary idea, almost to open a new chapter.
‘Deep Stream’ was designed as an extension of ‘Stream’, a body of work that has evolved over the past decade since the original launch [in 2014]. It was designed for our debut at PAD in London and Salon Art & Design in New York, where I wanted to introduce my work with a core part of my signature. ‘Deep Stream’ explored sinuous sculptural shapes to convey feelings of nature and the body. From there, it felt natural and exciting to start working on the ideas of ‘Vertex’, where geometry and urban life are in focus.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Fernando Jorge)
(Image credit: Courtesy of Fernando Jorge)
W*: What do you enjoy about working with diamonds?
FJ: I am fascinated by diamond as a natural material that is superlative in its qualities: it has the purest molecular structure; it is the hardest natural material found in nature and is the most light refractive. Diamonds are considered the apex of gemstones for these reasons, and diamond jewellery consequently became known in the same way. Diamond pieces are often reserved for important occasions and significant moments. Diamonds inherently embody the idea of eternity because of their composition and structure that is indestructible.
I enjoy exploring these ideas, and when I was working on ‘Brilliant’, I was drawn to the light refraction that occurs with the cut. In ‘Vertex’, I have used the baguette cut as a nod to the past, as [it was] fashionable in the 1920s and during the art deco period. I wanted to reference this while also doing something different and completely modern. This is what I like about the language of jewellery and where diamonds play their part.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Fernando Jorge)
(Image credit: Courtesy of Fernando Jorge)
W*: How did you meet the challenges in celebrating the baguette cut while staying faithful to your signature fluidity?
FJ: I juxtaposed the two opposite ideas – creating designs that are about repetition and that have straight lines and edges but then adding movement and the engineering that I have used before. The result is a combination of geometry, structure and feminine fluidity and sensuality.
W*: What is your favourite thing about this collection?
FJ: It’s the fact that it’s new, yet it’s very much a seamless extension of my existing body of work. I take my time to explore ideas and elements in jewellery that I like, waiting for when it feels right, and I enjoy shaping an entire collection around a simple element and its ramifications. I think ‘Vertex’ stems from a simple idea yet creates an interesting balance between the past and the future, feeling both new and familiar, which adds to my design language and aesthetic.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Fernando Jorge)
(Image credit: Courtesy of Fernando Jorge)
(Image credit: Courtesy of Fernando Jorge)
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