One to Watch: Marquis & Camus

My personal philosophy on jewelry is that there's no point in wearing it if it doesn't make a statement. I think I got this from my grandmother, who had a massive collection of costume jewelry - heavy beaded clip-on earrings that would have looked at home on member a remote African tribe; bright pink marbled reading glasses; and as many chunky gold bangles as her wrists could possibly bear.

So perhaps because of this, I am always attracted to jewelry that starts conversations, makes people ask questions - and why I've become a little obsessed with Marquis & Camus, the new collection from New York based jewelry label Potion, Inc. Each piece in the collection is made from bits and pieces of antique jewelry and found objects - everything from keys to pocket watch gears to chandelier crystals.

True, you can walk into just about any Urban Outfitters and find 'vintage inspired' jewelry, but there's something that's so much more authentic about these pieces. Each one has a story behind it, like the earrings above, which look as though they were made from a man's watch strap - you can actually picture a strapping New York banker wearing this to work every day decades ago. And the fact that each piece is limited-edition by nature (as designer Sarah Kang actually picks each object by hand from flea markets and estate sales) means you won't spot another girl at your knitting circle wearing the same thing.

Not surprisingly, Kang cites history as the inspiration for the collection - "our granmothers' necklaces and embroideries, our grandfathers' suspenders" being just a few elements. Even though my grandmother's necklaces were often made from plastic and I'm pretty sure she never touched an embroidery needle in her life, I have a feeling she would have liked these pieces too - simply because they're sure to make people stop and stare.

http://www.marquiscamus.com/