Financial Times, 20 March 2010

Powers of Reduction

By Vivienne Becker

...'Jefford trained as a fine artist and now heads towards machine-age abstraction with her collection The Movements. Eight major rings (from £4500) that focus on pure shapes, form and colour and combinations of material and textures are inspired by the Bauhaus. She explains "I paid homage to the leaders of the Bauhaus, such as Walter Gropius and Moholy-Nagy. I like the strenght and simplicity of their work and the essence of that time. I think it's part of the zeitgeist too, going back to purity". Jefford juxtaposes contrasting decorative elements at the front of her signature wraparound rings. Isamu (yellow), for instance, influenced by the designer Isamu Nogushi, flourishes a carved citrine miniature bowl and a black Tahitian pearl (pictured ). Làszl0, named after Moholy-Nagy and in white and rose gold set with a Paraiba tourmaline, is a constructivist slab of textured gold and a grey pearl.

And Walter has a vast green opal and an emerald. There are no diamonds."This was difficult for me, but diamonds draw too much attention to themselves, and I wanted to get across the industrial nature of the Bauhaus."

From rings, necklaces and bracelets have developed, in openwork shapes, playing with negative space, including the huge yet light  Alexander necklace (after Alexander Calder) made of rose gold. "These were little, neglected shapes that I wanted to put to good use. I also love their tactility, and the process, as Ben Nicholson called it, of peeling away the inessential".