The Enigmatic Creations of William Llewellyn Griffiths

Metal Couture is a maverick fine jewellery brand based in Melbourne and showcased at the French Jewel Box. Taking inspiration from the unexpected; from renaissance buildings to automata machines, from monarchs to myths and legends, Metal Couture is unlike any other fine jewellery brand.

Rare combinations of classic motifs, opulent gemstones and intricate mechanisms are at the core of every creation. Pro-technology, but Anti-AI, Metal Couture encompasses designs that can only evolve from the strangeness of the human psyche and the richness of experience.

 

 

Behind the brand is the esteemed and established Master Jeweller and Designer, William Llewelyn Griffiths.  William grew up in a creative household in New Zealand, where he spent his childhood dissecting his toys, focused on figuring out how they worked. His first foray into jewellery making was when, at the tender age of 7, he created a ring for his mother. He then began working as an assistant jeweller when he was still in his teens.

In 1978 he moved to London for the first time with one goal in mind: "to be a proper punk’’.

In amongst hanging out on The Kings Road, he continued his education by working under other jewellers, eventually earning his stripes in Hatton Garden. He also created metal-made corsetry, which was showcased at fashion shows set in fetish clubs such as London’s Torture Garden.  Assistantship, over apprenticeship, gave him the freedom to move around and garner a much broader experience than the average upcoming jeweller.

In 1990, after William had returned to New Zealand, he opened his first shopfront. It was there he developed his first jewellery brand, Necromance, which explored the dark side, love and anarchic iconography.  He continued to work and live between London and Auckland until opting for a fresh start in Melbourne, which is where he bore Metal Couture in 2006.  Returning to his driving curiosity of figuring out how things work, and inspired by a set of Victorian-era automata toys he had seen at a museum in San Francisco, he redeveloped his designs to encompass both his updated aesthetic and adoration of micro-mechanisms.

Today William works from a studio in Melbourne’s famed Nicholas building, creating couture pieces of jewellery which encompass his decades of knowledge, highly skilled craftsmanship and boundary pushing designs, using only the finest quality materials.                                                                              

This is a brand for rebels with taste, for people who want to indulge in original, fine jewellery designed by the mind and made by the hands of a fellow non-conformist.

Here at The French Jewel Box we are delighted to offer a fierce showcase of William Llewelyn Griffiths' wicked craftsmanship and refined rebellion. His one-of-a-kind and profound creations seamlessly compliment our collection.