Theo Fennell Back In The Driver’s Seat — How He Bought Back His Namesake Company And His Plans For The Future

Theo Fennell has come a long way since opening his shop on Fulham Road in London in 1982. After recently buying back his company from its investors, he tells us what he has in store for the new Theo Fennell. He is known for his gorgeous jewelry, eccentric silver objects, and having designed for some of the biggest names in Hollywood. In this article, we discuss his love of craftsmanship and passion for design, as well as how his long career in the jewelry industry has evolved.

You have been designing jewelry since 1975. How did you know you wanted to be a jewelry designer? Were you creative as a child? 

I was certainly overtly creative as a child and as a boy, I just had no idea where it could be best used. I went to art school to try and work this out but left having become involved in so many different spheres that I was even more confused. I went for a job at the great, lamented silversmiths Edward Barnard and Sons and they offered me a job. I was so surprised that I took it and then fell in love with the whole design and craftsmanship of jewelry and silverware. That epiphany was purely happenstance like all the best things.

You opened your famous jewelry shop on Fulham Road in London in 1982. What were some challenges you had to overcome to do so? What are some of the most memorable moments from the shop? 

The biggest challenge was that I knew nothing about retailing at all. I was determined though, as I still am, to have the studio, workshop, and main gallery together, something I still believe to be fundamental to handmade work. As there were no social media in those days, it was tough to get people to come to the shop, so we just went out at every opportunity to meet people. Some came in with hangovers and word of mouth did the rest. Elton John’s first visit was transformational, not just because he became such a great patron and friend, but because he encouraged his friends to come in. It was a riotous and educational time, and we really were so out on a limb that we learned something every minute and every day was exceptional.

Where do you find inspiration for your bespoke jewelry? 

I really do see jewelry and great silverware as an art form and it was really only the advent of the mass-produced brands that devalued the art. Luckily that is changing back again as people want well-made and original work again. So, as most inventive people do, I can get inspiration from a multitude of sources: paintings, buildings, music, books, anywhere, and anything that hits a creative nerve. My mind tends to risk overflowing, like the inside of an unusually eclectic and expensive attic, but the skill that I have learned with age is to edit this riot of ideas into designs that will probably work. We do make as much classic and simple jewelry as more theatrical pieces but the latter gets the publicity. We do make both very well, though, I think.

What is your favorite piece of jewelry you’ve ever designed? 

Really, it is always the last piece we finished. I never get bored of the final reveal after a piece has been polished. Some pieces have been more emotionally charged than others or have overcome really difficult technical problems, which is always satisfying. Pieces I have designed for my wife and daughters always hold a special place in my heart, of course, and there are some pieces I love so much that I find difficult to part with them and pray they go to a good home.

In addition to jewelry, you’ve also designed incredible silver objects like your Jack the Ripper letter opener. Which of your silverware designs is your favorite? 

Again, the last piece, but I love figurative silverware and I have recently finished a set of four candlesticks based on great Shakespearean characters and they satisfy pretty much everything I love in a piece of silverware. I can be immodest about the craftsmanship as I am just the designer and the artisans are the orchestra and you won’t find better in the world.

You recently bought back your company from investors. How does it feel to be back in control of the business and what are your plans for the new Theo Fennell moving forward? 

It is an immense relief, though our last investors were extremely sympathetic and decent. I hadn’t owned the majority of the company for many years and it was hard watching people with no empathy for what we were trying to do and the great traditions of craftsmanship or any sensitivity for design, try to press-gang the company into a formulaic model. So, to be able to allow the team — some of whom have been with me for 30 and 40 years — to do what we do best, making original and beautifully crafted jewelry and silverware, has been an absolute joy. Making the work we do should be enormous fun and give huge satisfaction and delight to makers and owners alike and not just be some gritted-toothed battle to increase profits.

You’ve designed pieces for Sir Elton John, Lady Gaga, and many other big names. What has been your overall pinch-me moment throughout the entirety of your career up until this point? 

Seeing someone collecting their Oscar wearing the jewelry we made for her and then it sinking in that she was my daughter!

You’ve been in the industry a long time. Are there any jewelry trends that you feel are timeless? 

Really well-made jewelry, designed with passion, skill, and thoughtfulness is and will be literally timeless. It is indestructible and serves as an extraordinary reminder of a time, of loves lost and gained, of triumphs and happy times, of bravery and loss, of all human life. This is the heart of great jewelry. Watch how somebody looks at pieces in the window of an expensive shop in some smart street and then how engaged they become looking at pieces in a museum, some thousands of years old. The former elicits an acquisitive impulse at best and the latter goes right to the heart of jewelry, it is visceral. This is the real power of great jewelry and because it is timeless, it is never a trend, it is permanent.

You’ve spoken about your love for traditional craftsmanship. What do you love about it? What goes into the craftsmanship behind your designs? Are there any unique or surprising elements to your craftsmanship? 

Any great skill is the result of passion and hard work. Talent is a wonderful ingredient but is nothing without tenacity. Craftspeople are, on the whole, only concerned with doing the very best work they can and becoming better at their art – although they should be, and normally are, well rewarded for this. They tend to work together on any collective project with great respect for each other to produce the very best result. This striving for perfection, without wanting to be the top dog in any team, to make something brilliantly that is worthy and lasting is a rare sensibility in today’s world and not a bad recipe for life. 

I have seen how happy and fulfilled most craftspeople are and the camaraderie and lack of jealousy amongst them. Young apprentices, if they get through the procedure, become really well-adjusted, decent, and useful people and often with a confidence that gives them terrific character. This sort of ethos combined with making something wonderful and lasting is, I think, admirable. 

The craftsmanship needed to make some of the pieces I design is extraordinary and the skills our team has can be sublime. They sculpt perfect likenesses in our portrait rings an inch high, and model perfect camels only 3mm tall. We can make enameling and engraving that outstrips the technical ability of most artists and still build houses half an inch high. The artistry and skill is a constant surprise to anyone who hasn’t seen it before and every person who tours our workshop and studio comes away thunderstruck by the skills needed to make many of our Masterworks.

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.