Alexis Dove & the Cabinet of Curiosities
Alexis refers to her magpie mentality when it comes to gems and jewels so it makes perfect sense that she is entranced by the Cabinets of Curiosities that became so popular in the Enlightenment period. Spending hours in the British Museum in pursuit of the oddities and eccentricities that our forebears collected, she has certainly got the taste for hunting objects.
During our visit to Alexis’ studio in Lewes, she showed us her impressive gathering of rose cut diamonds. Reputed to be the best collection in the UK, Alexis has spent several years amassing stones that have been cut in this vintage manner that dates back to the Indian fourteenth century.
In addition, F was really mesmerised by Alexis’ other collector’s coup: her fancy coloured stones. Sapphires, tourmalines, coloured diamonds are all presented as options to her engagement ring clients.
Femininity & Alexis Dove
All of Alexis’ work has a strong sense of femininity that appeals to me as a woman and reflects the aspects of me that F says he likes best. Alexis designs engagement rings that have a softness about them and a delicacy that truly draws out the girl in every woman. Her preference for the subtle, more muted tones echoes the inner complexity the women who wear her jewellery embody.
She told us that she deliberately uses soft and gentle lines to make the women who wear her rings feel amazing. However, there is nothing twee or saccharine in the work that she creates. Using her extraordinary skills in crafting jewellery combined with an imagination that embraces the unique and unusual, Alexis Dove is invariably successful at designing engagement rings that pay homage to femininity in a contemporary and fresh way.