Chloë Woodmansterne, a gem guru with a discerning eye honed through rigorous training, and Kayla Rimmon, an award-winning designer educated at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), first crossed paths whilst working on Bond Street in 2017. United by their fervent passion for antique jewellery and their shared joy of singing along to their favourite tunes while at work, the duo founded Aril Jewels in 2022. Combining their complementary skills, they craft a unique aesthetic where the elegance of the past and the innovation of the present harmonise in perfect symphony.

Their mission is to reimagine the delicate beauty of antique jewellery as modern treasures, crafting heirlooms that celebrate life's most cherished moments. This commitment to blending traditional techniques with modern elegance is reflected in every piece they design.

Named after the aril - the jewel-like seed of the pomegranate that symbolises abundance, love, and goodwill - Aril Jewels embodies their dedication to pieces that connect deeply with history and sentiment. As their Elizabeth Collection takes centre stage at Shine 2024, the Goldsmiths' Centre’s annual showcase of emerging talent, Kayla and Chloë present their unique fusion of historical inspiration and contemporary design.

Kayla
I got started at the ripe age of eight when my grandmother bought me a bead kit from Costco. From then on, making beaded jewellery for my friends and family, I knew I wanted to be a jewellery designer. Throughout my childhood, I took extra art classes, and in my senior year of high school, I attended a jewellery studio where I learned the basics of bench work and jewellery design. This experience solidified my love for jewellery and proved to my parents that I was serious about it as a career.

When it came time to apply to college, my parents supported my decision to study jewellery design at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York City. At FIT, I discovered my love for designing over making. I spent a year at the bench, learning the in-depth basics of making jewellery like soldering and wax carving, but my focus shifted to design. I learned how to create technical drawings, which are important for workshops to understand exactly how each piece should look from different angles. I also learned how to do jewellery renderings, hand-painted representations of jewellery using gouache and watercolour, which I absolutely loved.

I was fortunate to have a professor who was the head designer at Harry Winston, so I learned from the best of the best. My entire life has been centred around a deep obsession with jewellery.

Chloë
It’s quite funny because I also started making bead jewellery at a similar age, and looking back, it was probably quite ugly! When I was 15, I was really jealous of my older cousin who had done a silversmithing class at the local art college. I begged my parents to let me take evening classes in jewellery making, and they agreed. I began then and continued working at the bench throughout school and university. From around 16 or 17, I was seriously committed to a career in jewellery.

I asked a family friend who worked for an antique jeweller what direction I should take in the field of jewellery, and he suggested studying Gemmology. During my gap year, I pursued a gemmology diploma at The Gemmological Association and also completed a diamond diploma. That was when I realised I didn’t want to be at the bench full-time, even though I loved the process of making jewellery. Instead, I wanted to be one step removed, working with gemstones, particularly in high-end and fine jewellery. Gemmology became my gateway to that. I still loved making at the bench though, and even took short courses at Edinburgh College of Art while studying History at the University of Edinburgh.

Interestingly, my passion for antique jewellery, in particular, began early on because I was often taken to antique shops as a child. I was only ever interested in the jewellery and would spend hours looking at it while my parents looked at everything else!

So, from a very young age, I knew that jewellery was a passion and became more and more convinced that it was the career that I wanted to really pursue.

Chloë
We met while working at Hirsh London. I was focused on the production side as a stock controller, managing loose gemstones and coordinating the workshop. Kayla was the in-house jewellery designer, and we worked closely together for a number of years. After leaving Hirsh London, I joined a workshop that supplied Bond Street jewellers, which was amazing because it gave me exposure to a different side of the trade. I dealt with various styles of jewellery and market levels. After a year, I reached out to Kayla about starting our own business.

Kayla
I was like, woo! That’s how Aril Jewels was born.

Chloë
We had been friends for about five or six years by then. We each knew how the other worked, and our complementary skills - my technical, production-oriented background and Kayla’s creative design expertise - made us the dream team. We focus on bespoke jewellery, which is a perfect fit for our combined strengths.

One of the things we bonded over was our love of antique jewellery. While we were working together we would send each other Instagram and Pinterest posts or photos of antique pieces we saw while out and about. We also attended exhibitions together like the Fabergé exhibition.

Kayla
An aril is the seed of a pomegranate. Not only do these seeds resemble gem-like, faceted gemstones, but they’re also an ancient symbol of love, marriage, and friendship. Giving someone a pomegranate is a gesture of good intentions, which aligns beautifully with the sentimental nature of jewellery which is often given to someone you love. Throughout history, pomegranates have been depicted in textiles, wood carvings, and other art forms to represent these themes. We thought it was a beautiful and meaningful symbol to incorporate.

Chloë
I think we were really honoured to be selected for Shine. We know there are so many talented makers out there, and we're a bit unusual in that we don't make at the bench ourselves. So, we're coming at it from a slightly different angle. It's amazing that this kind of training is available for people starting out in their businesses and in jewellery, because it can be a tough market. Starting a new business means learning so many new skills. You might think you have a lot of skills in one area, but the range of skills you end up needing is enormous - it's a really steep learning curve.

The extra training and support have been incredibly helpful. We've learned so much from it already, including lots of useful tips and tricks on how to use Photoshop, how to hold a camera, how to film, and more. The training has been so valuable, and we're really grateful that this kind of support is available for free. It's an incredible opportunity, and we feel really honoured to have been selected.

Kayla
In addition to the Photoshop skills that Kay generously demonstrated, I'm really looking forward to learning how to sell. There's going to be a selling exhibition at the end and getting experience in that environment is going to be invaluable. I think it's one of the biggest challenges in general - learning how to present and sell our work. So having the chance to practise that for this exhibition and for the future is a great opportunity. It's exciting and a bit scary, but overall, it's a fantastic chance for us and our brand.

What we've struggled with the most is getting exposure and getting our name out there. Marketing has always been the most difficult part for us. Learning how to write collection descriptions, how to write biographies, and understanding what journalists and customers are looking for has been incredibly challenging. We can make beautiful jewellery, but the hardest part is finding clients who really appreciate it and understand what we're trying to achieve. So, learning how to market ourselves, find our clients, and go through that process has been the most valuable thing.

Our design process often starts with looking at inspiration. For the Elizabeth collection, for example, we were inspired by Elizabethan portraits and textiles, as well as the Cheapside Hoard. Chloë and I will both choose our favourite elements from those inspirations. We visit museums, look at books, and study other jewellery.

I'll usually start with very loose sketches of designs that Chloë and I have discussed. Once we’ve picked our favourite idea, I’ll refine the sketches to get a clearer sense of the size of the gemstones and the overall look of the piece. I also create technical sketches so we know what the piece will look like from all angles.

After that, I often colour the sketches with pencil to experiment with potential gemstone combinations and colour schemes. Once Chloë and I are both happy with the design, I’ll create a hand-painted, realistic rendering of the piece using watercolour and gouache. This gives us a clear vision of the final piece before we move on to selecting the stones and bringing the design to life.

Chloë
Once we’ve reviewed the sketches, we start discussing colour combinations, as we've become quite skilled at visualising how different colours will work together after so many years working with jewels. We might use coloured pencils to experiment, but we also often just discuss it - like how an amethyst paired with a yellow diamond could be an unusual but striking choice. A natural yellow diamond, being quite rare, would really elevate the amethyst, it would be an interesting combination.

Then we move on to sourcing the gemstones and lay them out to see how they’ll work together. It's quite a back-and-forth process because sometimes we’ll come across a colour combination by chance that we love or see it in an antique piece from a different period. If we love it, we’ll create an iteration of one of our pieces using that combination.

The process is quite organic in how it all comes together. Sometimes we’ll do a layout first to see if the proportions work better, playing around with the stones and sketches simultaneously. Once we’re happy with the final gemstone layout, that’s when it goes to the workshop for production. We’ll visit the workshop multiple times during the process to ensure it’s turning out exactly as we envisioned and to troubleshoot any issues that might arise. It’s a very collaborative effort between the two of us. While it might be simpler to say Kayla handles the sketches and I focus on the gemstones, it’s really something we work on together, with each of us bringing our individual strengths to the table.

Kayla
I would say our jewellery is very feminine. We have excellent attention to detail, so the back of each piece is as beautiful as the front. We really value that, we think it's important. Our jewellery is practical, you’re able to wear it every day, it's not too delicate. We're women of modern times, we're working, we're out and about, and it's important that our jewellery can be worn every day and loved every day.

Chloë
At the heart of what we do is taking the best qualities of antique and historical jewellery and bringing them into a contemporary design for modern women. We love to modernise historical motifs, blending those historic details with a fresh, updated approach. It’s something we’re passionate about.

Kayla

The Elizabeth collection is named after Queen Elizabeth I, who was an iconic queen. The inspiration really came from portraits of Elizabeth, as well as decorative art from her era. This included textiles, jewellery from the period, and the Cheapside Hoard, which was a massive source of inspiration. Even stove tiles influenced us, as many strong motifs from the Elizabethan period kept recurring in different areas. The floral motifs, especially the rose, and its symbolism with Elizabeth, were key elements that inspired the collection.

Kayla
One of my favourite pieces is the Amethyst and Yellow Diamond Rose Pendant. I really love unusual colour combinations, and I think the purple and yellow together is something you don’t often see in jewellery. We're using amethyst, which isn't the most precious stone, but it has such a beautiful, rich colour. Pairing it with yellow diamonds really elevates it. I think the playfulness of the colours is what makes me so partial to it. And I love how the back of the pendant has a tiny rose-cut diamond, just for me, the wearer, to know it’s there, touching my skin. It makes it extra special for me.

Chloë
My favourite piece is the Emerald and Old-cut Diamond Rose Ring. Emeralds crop up time and time again in the Cheapside Hoard -they’re one of the most iconic stones in the collection, often displaying that gorgeous, perfect emerald green. So when we decided to design a rose ring with emeralds, it was a really fun challenge to find perfectly matching pear-shaped emeralds in the most flawless shade of green I could find.

We found some truly gorgeous fine emeralds from various sources, and I carefully matched them to go into the ring. It took me a while to find the perfect match and sets of eight, but once I did, it was a real "wow" moment. In person, the ring just shines with the most perfect emerald green. I have a deep love for emeralds -they're one of my favourite gemstones -and I'm really proud of this ring. I also adore the old-cut diamonds, another favourite of mine. So, this piece brings together many of my favourite gemstones into one, and it's just very pretty.

Kayla
Our customers are those who value quality, craftsmanship, and design over brand names. They have an appreciation for the historical aspects and inspirations that we incorporate into our designs.

Chloë
We try to put quite a lot of meaning into our pieces. There's historical inspiration behind our work, but also symbolism. One of the things that we loved about the Elizabeth collection was the symbolism of the rose, a flower often given as a gift of love. Then there's the symbolism behind our name, Aril Jewels, as well. So much of our jewellery is about hinting at hidden messages. It's not just about the quality of the craftsmanship, but also wanting to say something through our jewellery, in a quiet, discreet, almost romantic way.

Kayla
We're more about quiet luxury. Our pieces are of the highest quality, but we're very approachable. As two young women, we want to make buying fine jewellery really special and not scary, as for a lot of people shopping for engagement rings for example, it’s going to be the biggest jewellery purchase of their lifetime. So we’re looking for clients that appreciate quality, but who might be too intimidated to maybe go to a larger luxury brand that are less approachable.

We hope that we become a brand synonymous with quality. We want to bring the best aspects of historical design to contemporary wearable jewellery. So ultimately, Chloë and I just want to sell beautiful jewellery to people who will appreciate it and love it. It's as simple as that. We just want to share our love of design and of jewellery with other people. When we get to work with people, whether selling a piece of stock or designing something bespoke for them, we want them to have a good experience and to start loving and becoming passionate about gemstones and jewellery just like us.

Chloë
Fundamentally, the reason we started Aril Jewels is our passion for jewellery. It has been one of the major loves throughout both of our lives. Both of us have always cherished this art form, and we wanted to share that love with others, sparking their passion for historical design motifs reimagined in contemporary pieces. Jewellery is deeply personal and sentimental, and we find joy in working with clients to mark significant moments in their lives - whether it's an engagement, a wedding, the birth of a child, a milestone birthday, or a graduation. Being a part of these special occasions and creating pieces that commemorate them is incredibly fulfilling for us. We cherish the relationships we build with our clients, and we aim to help them celebrate their most cherished moments with something truly special and sparkling.