Jewellery brand of the month: Baccurelli

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accessories, Baccurelli, fashion, jewellery

For a while now I’ve been thinking about writing a monthly blog post, “Jewellery brand of the month”, as I love shiny sparkly pretty things and it would give me an excuse to post loads of amazing pictures. I figured January was a good time to start, so without any more ado, I would like to present my first brand:

BACCURELLI

Baccurelli is a relatively new jewellery brand based in LA, operated by wife and husband team Meli and Hugo. I first became aware of the brand after seeing Instagram posts from several Tatty Devine fans I follow: the two brands are similar in that they both focus on acrylic jewellery, but they have a very different aesthetic. Baccurelli designs, created by Meli, are original, unique and lots of fun.

The name “Baccurelli” comes from the Roman god Bacchus and the famous designer Elsa Schiaparelli. The Baccurelli slogan is “Be your alter ego”, and their longer manifesto emphasises the fun nature of their jewellery:

You are gorgeous exactly as you are. There’s nothing you need to change or be. That’s what Baccurelli is all about. When you wear a Baccurelli piece you feel playful, happy and most of all FEARLESS. We make jewelry and accessories that bring out your alter ego and inspire you to dream big and not take life too seriously.

As I mentioned, the brand has only been around for a couple of years, but they have already built up an impressive array of jewellery. Early pieces include this unusual phone necklace…

Rotary Phone Necklace

…and this amazing flamingo necklace, which is top of my wishlist.

Croquet Anyone? Flamingo Necklace

The Valley of the Dolls collection was brought out last year (I don’t know about anyone else, but when I see “Valley of the Dolls” I immediately start humming the Marina and the Diamonds song from the Electra Heart album) and became a firm favourite among Baccurelli fans. It features real-life and fictional characters who are very different, but have one thing in common – they are all strong women.

Bettie Page Brooch

Frida Kahlo Brooch

The above are just two examples – other “Dolls” in the collection include Marilyn Monroe and Rosie the Riveter. They are available in both necklace and brooch form. You can also get charm necklaces featuring some of the dolls, which include other beautifully detailed charms, such as this one starring Louise Brooks:

Louise’s 7 Treasures Charm Necklace

The Costume Party collection was launched late last year and it’s probably my favourite. The collection features favourite fictional superstars, including Morticia and Gomez, Superman and Wonder Woman, Glinda and Elphaba, and Jareth the Goblin King. These pieces are available in pairs or singly, as brooches or necklaces.

“Witch Besties” Brooch Set

Goblin King Brooch

Baccurelli are still selling on Etsy, but they have recently launched a website, as well as a brand new collection, Silkworms and Satire. I have my eye on a couple of pieces from this collection, especially this brooch:

Victorian Lady “Eff You” Brooch

If you’re interested in finding out more, you can follow them in a variety of ways:

Website: baccurelli.com

Etsy: etsy.com/uk/shop/Baccurelli

Instagram: instagram.com/baccurelli

Facebook: facebook.com/baccurelli

Twitter: twitter.com/baccurelli

Havering Museum

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Havering Museum, history, London, museum, Romford

On the same day as I visited Redbridge Museum, I headed further east along the TfL Rail line (soon to be Crossrail) and ended up in Romford, where I popped into Havering Museum. This museum opened in 2010, on the site of the old Romford Brewery, and seems to be popular: a map in the foyer shows the location of various visitors, some of whom have visited from all over the world, including Russia and Indonesia.

The museum explores the history of the London borough of Havering, with the main exhibition spread across two rooms. Rather than being arranged in chronological order, the displays are divided by town: so Romford, Havering-atte-Bower, Rainham, Hornchurch and Upminster all get their own section. This is a different but interesting way to arrange the displays. Each section also has its own information sheet, so rather than being overwhelmed with information during your visit, you can take home the sheet and read it at your leisure.

I learned some interesting things during my visit: Romford was originally a Roman staging post called Durolitum, on the road from London to Colchester. The Golden Lion pub by the marketplace has existed since 1440, and is said to have been visited by Dick Turpin. The museum has an interesting selection of artefacts associated with the town.

When I visited, the temporary exhibition room was hosting paintings by a local artist, and there was also a travelling exhibition, Pop It In the Post by the National Postal Museum, including two examples of early pillar boxes.

I was very impressed with my visit to Havering Museum, which struck me as being a cut above most local museums, well laid out and with very friendly and enthusiastic staff. Definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area.

FACTS

Address: 19-21 High Street, Romford, RM1 1JU

Website: haveringmuseum.org.uk

Opening Hours: 11-5 Wed-Sat

Prices: £2.50 adults, £2 senior citizens; children free

Redbridge Museum

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Ice Age, Ilford, London, museum, Redbridge Museum

As part of my Tube jaunt to the east, I decided to check out a few of the small museums on my list. Redbridge Museum is the local museum for the town of Redbridge: it opened in 2000 and is located above the library near the town centre.

In common with many local museums, the main collection is displayed in chronological order, looking at the history of the town through the ages. It does this in reverse, beginning with recent history and going back through the centuries via two World Wars and the Industrial Revolution. There are two reconstructed rooms to show what life would have been like in different periods of the town’s history.

What I really liked about the museum was the effort they make to include the community in the displays. A changing display at the entrance explores different significant figures from the town. The current celebrated resident is Fauja Singh, who is (as far as is known) the oldest marathon runner in the world. He ran his first marathon aged 89 and only retired from long-distance running aged 101!

Redbridge Museum is currently hosting a temporary exhibition called Ice Age Ilford, which includes a life-size replica of the skull of a mammoth found in Ilford, as well as several fossilised bones uncovered during the Victorian era. Many of these bones are now cared for by the Natural History Museum and the British Geological Survey, and this is a rare chance to see them in their original home. There is also information about what the area would have looked like over 200,000 years ago, and a little about the Victorians responsible for the fossil discoveries.

Redbridge Museum is a nice little local museum and is well worth visiting if you’re in the area.

FACTS

Address: 2nd Floor Central Library, Clements Road, Ilford, Essex, IG1 1EA

Website: www2.redbridge.gov.uk/cms/leisure_and_libraries/culture/redbridge_museum

Opening Hours: 10-5 Tues-Fri, 10-4 Sat

Prices: Free

Celts: Art and Identity – British Museum

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British Museum, Celts, Celts: Art and Identity, exhibition, history, London

The Celts: Art and Identity exhibition at the British Museum looked at the history of the Celtic identity and what it means to be Celtic today. I was interested to learn that the name “Celts” was originally used by the ancient Greeks to refer to the “barbarians” in the north: it was a cultural label rather than an ethnic identity, and was adopted by the people of the modern Celtic nations.

The exhibition has been organised in partnership with National Museums Scotland, and traces the history of the Celts from 2,500 years ago to the present day. I was interested in the art and culture of the early Celts: helmets, shields and other artefacts are decorated with distinctive patterns, stylised as opposed to the increasingly realistic artworks of the Greeks and Romans. Many of the artefacts uncovered (some of which have come from the Thames, while others have been excavated from mainland Europe) have patterns relating to possibly mythical figures, though what they symbolise exactly is sadly lost to history. This is particularly apparent in the gorgeous Gundestrup cauldron, a breathtakingly detailed item on loan from the National Museum of Denmark.

Celtic culture survived throughout the Iron Age and the Roman conquest. Celtic art was influenced by Roman traditions, although it remained distinctive. As Christianity spread throughout Europe and Britain, Irish, Welsh and Scottish monasteries adopted many Celtic styles, in particular leading to the Celtic crosses that have become such a strong emblem for Celtic culture.

By the Victorian era, the Industrial Revolution made the lives of the Celts seem like very long ago indeed. Victorians were fascinated by Celtic culture, and reinvented it in literature and art: the poems of the supposed Celtic bard Ossian, and the Celtic-influenced designs of Rennie Mackintosh and the Glasgow School of Art, were particularly popular. I especially liked the statue meant to represent a noble Celtic warrior, standing proud in a kilt, but sporting a suspiciously Victorian moustache!

The exhibition ended in the modern day, looking at how Celtic culture is celebrated today, with clips from parades, football shirts and comic books. I really enjoyed this comprehensive and interesting exhibition.

 

An Evening with Ramin Karimloo – Union Chapel

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An Evening With Ramin Karimloo, gig, live music, London, music, Ramin Karimloo, Union Chapel

Union Chapel

I’ve written before about how much I love Ramin Karimloo, and I’ve been looking forward to his Union Chapel concert for months: he hasn’t performed in the UK for several years, owing to his role as Jean Valjean in Les Miserables on Broadway, followed by a stint in Japan. I was not the only one to be excited by the news, as the concert was sold out really quickly, so I was very happy to have got a ticket.

The Union Chapel is a beautiful venue, a working chapel which also hosts gigs, talks and other assorted events. It can be a bit chilly inside, but you’re allowed to take a cup of tea to your seat and watch the show, which helps create a cosy atmosphere. I must be getting old – this sounds very appealing compared to the traditional concert experience of moshing with a can of lager!

Ramin himself sounded incredible, but then I hadn’t expected anything less. He opened the show with “‘Til I Hear You Sing”, which is one of my favourite Andrew Lloyd Webber songs, and sang several musical numbers including “Oh What A Beautiful Morning” and “Bring Him Home”, which he performed as a duet with Hadley Fraser, who was present on stage for the entire concert. What I love about Ramin, though, is that he is so versatile – over the last few years he has branched out from musical theatre, and his gig included original songs and covers ranging from country and bluegrass to rock.

The concert was such a brilliant experience, and I’m really glad I made the effort to go. Who knows when Ramin will be back in the UK again? I’ve added the setlist at the bottom of this post: I would encourage you to go and look up the list on YouTube, to discover why this man is so amazing.

Setlist

1. Till I Hear You Sing

2. Traveller’s Eyes

3. On The Road to Find Out/Wild World

4. Driftwood

5. Broken

6. Letting The Last One Go

7. Constant Angel

8. State Lines (with Ashleigh Gray)

9. Bring Him Home (with Hadley Fraser)

10. We’re All In This Together

11. Wings

12. Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin’

13. Do You Hear The People Sing?

14. Murder In The City

15. I Wish The Wars Were All Over

16. Will The Circle Be Unbroken

Encore

17. Losing

18. Wagon Wheel