Emma de Sybel, founder of Baroque Rocks, has a penchant for bold and beautiful vintage gold jewellery. She spends her days hunting out these overlooked treasures, and then giving the pre-loved jewels a new lease of life. It really is upcycling at its best.

Baroque Rocks’ latest curation of vintage jewels is called Rocket Beats Cocktail Collection, which will launch at The Jewellery Cut Live this weekend. The star of this new offering is a 1970s bejewelled rocket necklace.

Find out more about this quirky jeweller in Five Minutes with Baroque Rocks.

Tell us about your brand.

“Baroque Rocks curates fine modern vintage jewels from the 1960s to the early 2000s for the individual who marches to the current beat. I hunt for treasure all around the UK and then have each piece professionally polished and, if needed, restored by some of the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter’s finest craftsmen; ensuring that the pieces are as good as new but maintaining their history and heritage.”

So, really, they are good as new then?

“I also sound cleanse all my jewellery, which staves off any naysayers who perhaps otherwise would never consider buying pre-loved jewels. The collectibles, rather like myself, are thoroughly bonkers with an eye purely for the offbeat aesthetic.”

What is it about this era you find so fascinating?

“I have always had an affinity with sparkling jewels and a penchant for the glorious golden glamour of the 1960s and 1970s, not to mention the bold sass of the 1980s and 1990s. These hedonistically decadent pieces have transcended decades to feel sartorially current.”

Does Baroque Rocks have a mantra?

“Yes – affordable and sustainable jewels that won’t cost the earth.”

What do you look for when hunting for jewels?

“We want the extraordinary in design, scarcity, and pure funk. We had a 1973 gold passport necklace, replete with photo pages and stamps in it, which was recently featured in Vogue with a pithy Baroque Rocks caption: ‘Brexit or Remain sometimes only a gold passport will do…’ We love oversized cocktail rings, and they garner lots of attention. Essentially, statement pieces that are brilliantly different, scintillatingly fun and spark the fire of a good conversation.”

What made you want to work in jewellery?

“I spent over 16 years in the banking world, where statement jewellery would certainly jazz up a skirt suit, and I realised that a somewhat creative profession beckoned where I could marry my passion for fine vintage jewellery with a business. Thus, Baroque Rocks was born.”

What can people expect to see from Baroque Rocks at The Jewellery Cut Live?

“Our latest collection is called Rocket Beats Cocktail Collection, owing to the fact that the new Bond [film] is due for release and it is the 50^th anniversary of Apollo 13. The collection is centred around a 1970s bejewelled Rocket necklace, with Bond-themed accoutrements, such as 1960s cigar piercers, and a kaleidoscope of cosmic cocktail rings that scream sheer luxury.”

Meet Emma de Sybel and discover Baroque Rocks at The Jewellery Cut Live on February 16^th & 17^th, 2020, at The Royal Institution during London Fashion Week. Click here for tickets and to get more information on the show head here