CollectionsJul 28, 2022
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Sophie Bille Brahe Debuts Diamond Initial Jewelry
The Danish designer gives the alphabet her swirling diamond treatment.
Danish designer Sophie Bille Brahe has unveiled her first collection of initial jewelry.
New York—More than a decade since launching her fine jewelry collection, Sophie Bille Brahe is giving initial jewelry a try, and it’s anything but standard.
The Copenhagen-based designer has crafted an initial jewelry collection with rings rendered in her signature curving diamonds.
Famed Danish poet Inger Christensen’s lauded work “Alphabet,” originally published in 1981, was Bille Brahe’s jumping-off point for her latest collection.
In the book, which consists of a poem for each letter of the alphabet, each entry builds upon the former as part of one cohesive whole.
The book is structured according to the Fibonacci sequence—in which each number is the sum of two previous numbers—and touches upon both small delights found in nature and humanity’s destructive tendencies, showing the soft and hard sides of the human experience.
In Christensen’s re-examination of the alphabet, Bille Brahe found license to view letters through her own lens, experimenting with their visual form.
For the rings, she adapted each letter from her handwriting, then envisioned how the shapes would curve around her fingers to act as ergonomic extensions of her hands.
“Lettre de Lumière,” translating to “Letters of Light,” is most impressive in this category, which shows Bille Brahe’s meditation on letters in finished product form.
The Copenhagen-based designer has crafted an initial jewelry collection with rings rendered in her signature curving diamonds.
Famed Danish poet Inger Christensen’s lauded work “Alphabet,” originally published in 1981, was Bille Brahe’s jumping-off point for her latest collection.
In the book, which consists of a poem for each letter of the alphabet, each entry builds upon the former as part of one cohesive whole.
The book is structured according to the Fibonacci sequence—in which each number is the sum of two previous numbers—and touches upon both small delights found in nature and humanity’s destructive tendencies, showing the soft and hard sides of the human experience.
In Christensen’s re-examination of the alphabet, Bille Brahe found license to view letters through her own lens, experimenting with their visual form.
For the rings, she adapted each letter from her handwriting, then envisioned how the shapes would curve around her fingers to act as ergonomic extensions of her hands.
“Lettre de Lumière,” translating to “Letters of Light,” is most impressive in this category, which shows Bille Brahe’s meditation on letters in finished product form.
This heart ring from the “Lettre de Lumière” collection is exclusive to U.K. retailer Browns.
The “S” ring in 18-karat gold with diamonds ($11,000)
The letter pendants, also in 18-karat gold with diamonds, are far simpler and smaller than the rings, with lesser price points accordingly. They sell for $1,540.
Letter stud earrings are sold as singles, for $870.
There are currently nine letters for sale, though shoppers can custom order their own through a form on the designer’s website if it’s yet to be made available.
While the rings are bold in scale and shape with a price tag to match ($11,000), Lettre de Lumière’s accompanying stud earrings and pendant necklaces are dainty and giftable, with stud earrings priced at approximately $870 for a single earring, and pendant necklaces at approximately $1,540.
Currently, there are 12 letters available for the earrings and 12 for the pendants.
For Bille Brahe, the letters are her spin on a classic family heirloom in the vein of a signet ring.
“I have always been fascinated by how objects can tell a story,” she explained.
“They remind us of people who were here, who they were—a proof that they belonged to the world. That is what I wish for my jewelry too. I wanted to find a personal way to express an eternal feeling of love.”
Launched this month, the 18-karat gold and diamond collection is available exclusively on the designer’s website and at Browns in the United Kingdom, which Bille Brahe has counted as a retail partner for the last five years.
Browns Buying Manager Hollie Harding said, “Our customers are always requesting bespoke pieces from the brand, so when Sophie began experimenting with alphabet lettering, we instantly knew the collection would resonate with her loyal following.”
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