Jorie offers contemporary jewellery pieces that revive a time-honoured Scottish tradition
[dropcap]J[/dropcap]orie Grassie has revived Scottish tradition with her debut Jorie jewellery Cullachy Collection. The American-born designer lives on the Culachy Estate in Fort Augustus, Highlands with her Scottish-born husband and four sons and was inspired by both the organic beauty of stag tusks and the longstanding craft of using them to create jewellery and mementoes.
There is a royal precedent for using this unusual material. Prince Albert commisioned special pieces made from deer tusks for Queen Victoria – perhaps inspired by the longstanding passion for creating jewellery and amulets from stag teeth in his native Germany, and most certainly celebrating the couple’s shared love of their romantic Scottish home.
While it may revive a centuries-old old tradition, the new Jorie collection is contemporary, blending the organic shapes of tusks with chunky tumble-cut precious stones, including diamonds, peridots, garnets and tanzanites. Jorie, who is a keen conservationist and has lived in the Highlands for almost two decades, works to express particular features of the Scottish landscape in many of her pieces.
The deer tusks are a natural by product of the land management that takes place throughout Scotland’s estates, with selective culling taking place in order to preserve both the natural environment and the health of a red deer population that now lacks any natural predators (Scotland was once also home to bear, wolves and lynx).
Many Jorie pieces are inlaid with fine diamonds – glittering focal points that highlight the opalescent quality of the polished tusks. Alongside earrings, necklaces, brooches and rings there are some lovely chunky cuffs. You will even find unusual bejewelled deer tusk cufflinks in the mix, standout pieces that would make a perfect gift for the groom.
This debut collection is available to order direct from Jorie. You can also commission a bespoke piece including a particular gemstone or metal.
