‘You know, it wasn’t a difficult experience,’ says Dominic Jones of presenting his vision for 886 — the Royal Mint’s first jewellery and lifestyle brand — to the Treasury. ‘They totally got where I was coming from.’ For the award-winning London jewellery designer, who has produced custom pieces for the likes of Karl Lagerfeld and Rihanna, that vision began with a visit to the Royal Mint’s museum in Wales. ‘There, I decided that I wanted to work around the idea of creating functional and wearable gold bullion,’ he explains.
Named after the year the Royal Mint was founded, 886’s debut collection includes genderless pieces that speak to discerning minimalists. ‘It’s the kind of jewellery you can wear, sit with someone at dinner for hours, and then only at the end of the meal they’ll realise they’ve been staring at it all evening,’ says Jones. The collection includes T-bar chains, timeless bands, simple ear studs and elegant cuffs.
886’s plans for the future also include apprenticeship schemes to help grow craft-based skills. ‘It’s these ambitions that are some of the most exciting to me,’ says Jones. ‘One of the measures of success for the Royal Mint, and for 886, isn’t just profitability — it’s about creating manufacturing jobs and supporting craftsmanship in the UK.’
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Known as ‘the rebel royal’, the Queen’s late sister Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, lived a colourful life that was very much reflected in her style. Her penchant for artful accessorising — and candy-hued clothing in silk, taffeta and tulle — is well documented on Instagram account @princessmargaretdiaries. The feed chronicles on and off-duty ensembles, including the red polka dot and floral dress she wore for the Queen Mother’s 90th birthday celebrations at Clarence House, and the space age sunglasses she sported while holidaying in Costa Smeralda in 1967.
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To coincide with our national celebration and inspired by Derek Jarman’s 1978 cult classic film, Jubilee, photographer Luke Nugent has created a limited-edition digital portrait series, This Other Eden, capturing LGBTQ+ figures from the worlds of music, fashion and the arts. Half of all proceeds from the NFT portraits’ sale will be donated to The Outside Project centre for homeless LGBTQ+ people. Starring ES friends such as Princess Julia, Munroe Bergdorf and Bimini Bon Boulash, it aims to shape the record of queer culture in the UK. Available 9 Jun. @lukenugentstudio
