Q + A with Dan Dower of Dower & Hall plus Style Link-Up

I was so privileged to receive an invite from the press team at Dower & Hall to attend their press event for the new Autumn/Winter collections and interview the owner and designer, Daniel Dower. My first ever blogger interview so I was pretty excited and prepared my questions all week :)
Dower & Hall is a British jewellery brand designed by husband and wife team, Dan Dower and Diane Hall. They deliver a distinctive style with meticulous attention to detail, ensuring that every piece is of the highest quality.
For the season ahead, we can expect to see rose golds, turquoises, lots of feathers (my favourite) and simple flower + paisley designs.
I really enjoyed my day at Dower & Hall and i'm excited to share it with you all. I'm sure you all enjoy sharing your posts too so i've been thinking, why don't we do a weekly link up where we can all share our posts with one another? It is up to you what you post - it could be your latest post, a previous post or your favourite items. The link up is at the end of the post and is really easy to join :) 
Now back to Dower & Hall...
Here's what Dan Dower had to say:
Q: Describe your jewellery designs in one sentence - what can you expect from Dower & Hall?
A: Very difficult to sum it all up in one sentence as we cover such a wide range of different influences        and styles. A lot of our shapes are very simple and sculptural but the detailing is very distinctive - I       guess that would encapsulate it.  Q: Can you tell us about your new collection and where your inspiration came from?
A: One of the new collections is the Chintz Collection. This is one of the first collections where we          have firstly taken inspiration from the actual stone itself which is the opalite. The stone has a       wonderful opal essence to it but is essentially translucent and we therefore created a lacy texture at       the back. The first impression is the opal essence of the stone but you soon see through to the lacy       detail which is evoked with lace from Devon (where I come from) and which relates to another       collection that we did called the Paisley Collection. That collection very much evokes the exotic       paisley shapes with all the detailing that they have so there is a lot of carving, piercing and cutting       away to create this multi-layered texture in our designs. Q: Have you always been interested in jewellery design and what tips do you have for aspiring        designers?
A: Jewellery design and becoming proficient in it takes many many years. There are many techniques       that can be played and experimented with. I started when i was at school because there was a small       jewellery workshop and then followed through at art college. It evolved from being able to make       things with my hands. There are a few complicated techniques - the way that the metal is heated,       twisted and cut away for instance. There are many jewellery courses so that people can get a taste       for it. I would say to focus on one area of technique and really perfect it. 30 years later and i am still       learning. Do not give up! Q: Are you influenced by other jewellery designers?
A: I think it is important to know what else is going on. We always keep an eye on trends because that       will dictate what our customers are looking for such as colours, combinations or the length of  a        pendant for instance. However, we always go back to original inspirations such as designers like       Rene Lalique, who was a phenomenal jeweller and an art nouveau. The original inspirations are still       true. Q: If you could choose one celebrity to wear your designs and sums up what your collections are       about who would it be.
A: Angelina Jolie because she is feminine whilst very strong. She is independent and knows her own       mind and personality. She is confident in her own skin which is very important to us. Many of our       customers are not led by what they think they should be wearing and are confident in themselves       and their own style. They know what they like to wear and what suits them.  Q: Where would you like to take your collection next?
A: I dont know what is going to inspire us next! I guess it will depend on where we travel to next. We       are off to Wales so maybe we will be inspired by some dragons. We shall see.  Q: Is it normally your travels that inspire you?
A: It could be travel or what i am reading. Who knows, could be what my son is studying at school. He       is 6 and exploring the world. He is coming up with lots of new things. It's all new ways of looking       at things which inspires most designs. They say there is nothing new under the sun but there is       always new interpretations, new ways of looking at things and that's always an inspiration. Talking       to customers can also suddenly spark an idea. Q: Stacking jewellery is a huge trend for 2013. What are your tips for stacking jewellery       stylishly?
A: The main thing is to have a bit of fun, explore and play. We have trays and trays of rings etc and       people love coming in and just picking combinations. Some people come up with combinations that       I never even thought of and I have seen hundreds of combinations. That keeps inspiring us to       produce new pieces. For instance, we have just brought out a range of more candy colours, much       more fresher colours which seems to be coming through this Summer. Q: What can we expect from Dower + Hall for A/W 2013?
A: Well the candy colours will continue into next season. We also have new letter pendants which from       a distance look like squiggles and fascinating pendants but when you get up close you realise they       are letters. We also have additions to our Nomad Collection and our Feather Collection which will       continue to be important throughout next season. In terms of trends, I think stacking and the colour       turquoise will be key trends as the year continues. 

The Weekly Link-Up
1.  Please follow The Fashion + Beauty Obsession (Bloglovin, Twitter, Facebook, GFC (see sidebar), Instagram)
3.  Link up anything you like ...  a new post, previous post - the choices are endless!
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5.  Simply add your link below! I hope we can all meet some new blogger friends + discover new ideas :)