IN CONVERSATION:
GUY & MAX
Guy and Max Shepherd have taken London’s fine-jewellery scene by storm, since teaming up in the midst of the recession with their contemporary spin on traditional jewellery design tenets.
Article by Nick Scott
Max – your background is in product design: how has this impacted your approach to jewellery?
MAX: I’m not sure if product design alone is solely responsible, but I think it has a large part to do with my obsessive attention to detail and the embracing of a perfectionist streak that is most probably genetic. Both of these traits make me strive towards trying to find a better way to do things. Whether designing a jewel, a fork, a bag or a chair, I’m constantly trying to improve my designs through their detail. Whether designing jewellery or redesigning a catch, a setting or a link, it seems that the things other jewellery designers take for granted are the core of my passion. It’s these hidden elements that, for me, make up the soul of any product. Once I feel I’ve achieved this, the rest of the design falls into place.
How does 3D animation technology/printing help you creatively?
MAX: Using 3d software enables me to make “virtual prototypes” of ideas. My brain works in a very three-dimensional way, which often makes ideas difficult to articulate through drawing alone, so architectural software previously and, more recently, animation software have enabled me to explain my designs to the client. With the advancement in these sorts of software I can now test and improve a design without physically making anything. I use the modelling tools from an animation package as they give me the freedom to design anything, rather than being limited by the restrictive jewellery-specific packages available. With a 3D printer to produce actual models, I have all the tools needed to be a digital goldsmith - and more.
How do you go about sourcing stones – is your approach different in any way to other jewellers?
MAX: We have a family heritage in the diamond trade, which is the original source of our expertise and inspiration. We eschew the traditional notion of using stones of a specific scientific quality by first looking at the client’s skin, then choosing the most complimentary platinum or gold colour, before finally choosing the diamond or gemstone colour and quality which suits these factors best. Aesthetic perfection is our main consideration, also balanced with creating the most cost-effective option for the patron.
Are there any ethical issues to be taken into consideration when it comes to sourcing materials?
GUY: The short answer is “Yes” - GUY&MAX honours The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme when sourcing diamonds, and supports any trade embargoes on countries for gemstones. Our bullion is forged from recycled material whenever possible. The longer answer is that Guy was inducted into a passion for ethically sourced diamonds when one of his greatest friends, Alex Yearsley, was working for Global Witness and proved the link between diamonds and conflict in Sierra Leone. Alex became the global authority on the subject and instigated the United Nations resolution, known as The Kimberley Process. Guy is very proud of this association and has taken an avid interest to ensure that our wonderful trade is not blighted by this type of greed and corruption.
You allow your clients to be in complete control of the final outcome throughout the production stages – do you guide them, or give them complete autonomy?
MAX: Ultimately, the client is in control but, luckily, has usually come to us because they love our five unique collections so, if the parameters are moved, it is usually within the boundaries that are pre-dictated. In more one-off bespoke ideas, we’ll guide our customers in matters of safety and security.
Are there any requests you would refuse, and why?
GUY: In design terms, we’d refuse something we did not feel represented the nature of GUY&MAX. In an industry blighted by copying, we would never knowingly do so. Our customers are walking, talking advertisements for our brand. We want our products to stop traffic - for the most beautiful reasons only. In stone terms, we’d never reset a customer’s stones in our jewellery unless we felt sure of their ethical provenance.
Do they visit and see their commissions at various stages of production?
MAX: Our clients choose to be involved as much or as little as they desire. Any number of consultations are available before the stones and design are agreed. We can then email the digital illustrations for approval or further alteration. When this is finalised, we can then 3D print a resin model in the shop for the customer to try on. Some designs also require a metal fitting before we hand-set the stones. Even if the customer doesn’t want to, or cannot, come in for all these stages, we’ll often ask if they would like us to document the jewel’s development by publishing a graphics and photo mood board.
Guy – what’s your most memorable moment to date in your two decades working in jewellery?
GUY: That’s easy. I’d worked in the diamond and jewellery trade for ten years when Max arrived with his artistry and blew me away with his pioneering design and 3D printing vision. I can’t believe that we have been applying these original techniques and developing them for ten years when 3D printing has only been a buzz elsewhere in the last couple of years. I am still amazed every single day by the process.
Could you describe the inspiration and philosophy behind, and the overall aesthetic style of, each of your collections?
GUY: Our timeless bridal collections are Max’s unique twist on historical styles, hence the names Vintage and Deco, while the contemporary, Birdcage, draws inspiration from the strength in the triangulated chassis of the classic Maserati racing car. Sometimes, when leaving two boys in charge of beautiful girls’ jewellery, romantic inspiration is drawn from unusual places… Our more sculptural collections draw inspiration from microbiology and organic forms in Digital Nature, or random creation around pre-positioned gems in Algorithm. These art forms place emphasis on the infinite possibilities within Max’s creative process and are inspired by science in general. 
www.guyandmax.com
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