Shades of Grey but not as you know it

When you hear Shades of Grey, it might conjure up certain images in your mind. However, this is a different Shades of Grey, and you certainly won’t find Christian nearby.

Shades of Grey is a jewellery label that was founded in 2009 by Attalie Dexter. Attalie started making jewellery for herself when she wanted something but couldn’t find it. This led her to create an entire collection, since more and more people wanted to buy her fabulous creations. Attalie’s background is in multimedia arts and her previous job was a technology consultant. She found that she craved designing something more tangible and this led to the jewellery becoming her full time job.

The pieces are really unique and combine vintage elements with statement pieces. Heavily textured and muted tonal qualities, complicated geometric shapes and layers define the jewellery. The collection incorporates vintage dead stock beads and natural materials, such as leather and ribbon. The pieces become even more interesting as the person wears them. Certain items are embedded with positive meaning or bear a metaphysical effect on the body. The spirit of experimentation and nuance is very much in tact in every piece of the range.

Atellie uses some lovely beads within her work: for example this Fawn necklace is so simple and at first you expect it to be chunky but it is quite delicate. You then get a contrast with this Friends and Lovers locket, which is almost vintage but very sweet as well. One of the standout pieces in the collection has to be this keyhole necklace. The detailing on it is stunning and would work really well with a plain blouse to rock it up a bit.

There isn’t an obvious sign of the inspiration behind the pieces. However, Attelie finds she is inspired by historical and fictional characters or maybe even a random stranger. “I think about how they would perceive things, what they think is important and what they would want to wear. I think my pieces end up feeling very nostalgic but modern because of this.” These are pieces that people will wear now and in a few years will still be just as effective.

So the next time you hear someone mention Shades of Grey don’t jump to the conclusion that they will be discussing whips. It might be that they’ve discovered this stunning collection of jewellery. It’s bound to be just as popular once the word has spread.

Jenny Rodgers

Have a look for yourself here.