Silk & Steel

Couture jewellery brand Silk & Steel is celebrating it’s 15th birthday, and it’s doing it in style with it’s Golden Hour collection. Way back in 2010 we spoke to Sarah Cotterall about her then brand new business that was taking the runway by storm. We caught up with her recently to reflect on where she’s been and where she’s going.

You took a rather circuitous route to Silk & Steel, can you give us your story of how you got to where you are?

I always wanted to be a designer, whether in fashion or jewellery, and studied fashion and photography to diploma level. I was offered a place at Central Saint Martins in London to study fashion and marketing, but I was so intimidated by all the avante-guard students that I didn’t have the confidence to go. I also thought that if I wasn’t a good designer, I’d have nothing to fall back on, so I decided to do a degree in International Marketing Management, which led me to living and working in Paris for a few years. After that, I returned to London and worked in advertising, which gave me a great foundation for starting my own brand – something I always knew I would do one day.  While studying fashion, a friend of mine was developing textiles using silk and steel to create fabrics, which I thought was an amazing juxtaposition—something so beautiful using two very different types of materials. I decided that when I had my own brand, I would call it Silk & Steel.

I then met my husband in London, who is a Kiwi, and when we moved to New Zealand, I continued working in advertising until I had children. It was at this point that I began to focus on my creativity and on creating a jewellery brand. After a trip to Italy to visit family, I was heavily inspired by beautiful couture fashion and felt there was a gap in the market for couture jewellery. I started making these beautiful, handmade statement pieces using juxtaposing materials such as silk, spikes, stones, and vintage pieces I had collected over the years. I crafted them into one-off couture pieces, which would take me hours and hours to make. But it was such a creative outlet for me that I would create these pieces at night and during the day when the kids were sleeping, or when I had some downtime. It just evolved from there – people loved them and started buying them. The brand quickly gained media attention and was featured in New Zealand fashion publications, as well as Fashion Week, where Silk & Steel appeared in three runway shows in 2010 … One of our first ever interviews was with M2 Magazine in 2010, which became one of the catalysts for the brand to evolve!!

However, I then realised that for the brand to be viable, I needed to create a diffusion line. I was making all these one-off bespoke pieces myself, and the price point was so high for a small market that I needed to diversify. That’s when I created the Steel range and started to wholesale.

I have family who are young jewellers trying to break into the industry; what is your advice to anyone trying to get into business these days?

There are so many amazingly talented young designers, but much of this talent goes unnoticed because they don’t know how to create a brand or promote what they’ve made. My biggest recommendation would be to align with a good PR agency who can tell your story and get your jewellery seen, and your brand heard.

How would you describe the personality of the pieces Silk & Steel creates?

I would describe the personality of Silk & Steel as being confident, with a timeless edge. Pieces are stylish, unique, modern yet classic and beautiful, with a point of difference.

Tell us about the Golden Hour collection! What’s your personal favourite from the collection?

The Golden Hour collection is a reflection of Silk & Steel’s roots and a celebration of our 15-year journey. It captures the essence of 90s runway glamour, with bold statement pieces that pay homage to vintage – as a nod to where we started.

This beautiful collection features large statement designs, such as the vintage-inspired Lattice, Diva, and Soleil earrings, alongside bold chain necklaces and bracelets that draw inspiration from our past collections over the years. These standout pieces capture the essence of Silk & Steel’s signature style, blending modern vintage aesthetics with bold elegance. Versatility is at the heart of Silk & Steel, and our Soleil necklace can also be worn as a brooch or a simple chain necklace, which is a standout design.

Crafted in stainless steel with natural gemstones and faux pearls, this limited-edition collection is all about standout designer quality at accessible price points.

Silk & Steel has always been about offering accessible luxury…Growing up in London and living in Paris, I loved being unique and not following the masses and was always drawn to unique vintage jewellery and fashion. I wanted to create a brand that offered that same unique style, but at an affordable price point. Golden Hour brings that ethos to life, allowing our customers to create their own style and story, with affordable, limited-edition designer jewellery.

Each piece in this collection is designed to elevate any outfit on its own or be mixed and matched for a more-is-more impact. It’s a true celebration collection, and I’m incredibly proud of it.
I personally love the Diva earrings, as these have been inspired by a beautiful pair of vintage earrings, I picked up in an antique market in London many years ago. They are bold and sophisticated, yet edgy. I love how you can wear these with a simple monochromatic look to effortlessly elevate it, turning them into the focal point of an outfit.

Silk & Steel has turned 15 – time flies! Is there anything you’d do differently if you had to do it again?

I think it would have been beneficial if I had had a mentor in the early days, such as a business advisor, as that probably would have given me even more confidence to develop the brand earlier. Otherwise, my philosophy has always been to be like the oak tree – slow and steady, establishing deep roots.

Where do you hope to be in another 10 years? (Because who’s ever heard of a 15-year plan?)

In 10 years, I’d like to see the brand develop other lifestyle ranges… perhaps even opening a physical Silk & Steel store one day. Right now, my focus is to continue creating and evolving our beautiful jewellery ranges – there’s still so much I want to do and create!

What are your inspirations? What drives you to get out of bed in the morning?

Inspiration comes from so many different places, but our customers are a huge driver for me. Seeing customers wear our jewellery and hearing the personal stories and sentiments behind why they chose a particular piece is the ultimate reward. It really motivates me to keep creating and pushing the brand forward. Knowing that our designs are part of people’s lives is what gets me out of bed every morning.

I’m incredibly inspired when I travel – that’s one of my key inspirations for new ideas. I love architecture, seeing fashion in different countries, and experiencing different cultures, as well as visiting museums. History is a significant inspiration for me, and I also adore vintage jewellery. I think what happens is that I’m inspired by so many different things that eventually something resonates, and I feel a connection to an idea. That’s when I start developing the designs. For example, my heritage has been a huge inspiration for the last few collections, such as Azura and Sorrento. From the culture and architecture to memories of spending summers there, it was wonderful to see the collections come alive, reflecting those stories.

I’ve found there can be a conflict with creators, where the business side is always at war with the artistic side of what you want to do. Is this ever something you’ve struggled with?

I think there can definitely be an element of that when you’re creating a collection, and your favourite designs aren’t commercially viable. But then I see that as a positive challenge – to re-create something that still has the same feel but in a more cost-effective way. I’m getting much better at that, which has come with experience and knowing the cost of certain stones and the labour involved in creating certain pieces. But then I have the Couture line, where I can be fully creative as I develop these one-off bespoke pieces, which are like works of art. For me, if they sell, that’s great, but if they don’t, I have no problem holding onto some of those special pieces for our archives. I suppose I’m lucky that I have the marketing side and understand how to run a business, and to be honest, I enjoy both aspects of the business equally – both the creative and the business sides. Business can also be very creative, too!

I’ve recently been looking into the debate jewellers have been having about lab-grown diamonds versus natural diamonds. Is this something you’re able to comment on?

Personally, I love natural diamonds because of where they come from, how unique they are, and how long they’ve taken to form. There’s something incredibly special about knowing that a diamond has been created over millions of years under the Earth’s surface, making each one completely unique. While lab-grown diamonds are also beautiful, they don’t hold the same value or meaning in my eyes.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

To believe in yourself and go for it. There is never a right time to start a business, and if it were easy, everyone would do it. Follow your passion and your dreams, and you’ll never work a day in your life. Learn from your mistakes – they will help you grow. Focus on your passion, and success will follow.