Butler & Wilson

  Butler & Wilson 










 From humble beginnings selling vintage jewelry on a market stall

in London, Butler & Wilson has become the name that puts the glitter into glitterati. Beloved of stars and favored by young royalty, the company brought vintage sparkle to the bling generation.

from  humble beginnings selling vintage jewelry on a market stall

When their stall in the antiques market on London's King's Road proved successful, Nicky Butler and Simon Wilson opened a shop on the nearby Fulham Road in 1972. Unable to keep up with demand for their hand-picked vintage finds, they designed their first collection of costume jewelry, based on their period treasures.

  Butler & Wilson 

 Able to call on their experience in handling antique Georgian, Victorian, Art Nouveau, and particularly Art Deco jewelry, the designers had a strong pedigree, and have re-interpreted vintage designs for the modern market for the last 40 years.


 Their influences are taken from vintage, Oriental, and Indian designs. The company's blend of traditional and modern styles consequently have exceptional global appeal.


 

  Butler & Wilson 

Butler & Wilson's favored materials include pave-set rhinestones, crystals, faceted beads, semi-precious stones, and quartzes. Enamel work and faux pearls also feature. Bases include rhodium, gunmetal, and gold- and silver-plated metals.

Whimsy plays a strong part in Butler & Wilson's designs: teddy bears, champagne glasses, hands, spiders, bows, crowns, and monkeys all feature in the company's work. The striking black-and-white rhinestone-set dancing couple, with the lady wearing a fringed, swinging dress, and the articulated diamante lizard that clambered up Princess Diana's lapel in Canada are both iconic pieces and much reproduced.

  Butler & Wilson 

The articulated lizard pin is a fine example of Butler's & Wilson work, based on the silver, crystal-set lizard pins dating from Georgian and Victorian times. The beautiful pave setting is a highly effectiv e way of maximizing light through the rhinestones, as well as creating a lizard-skin effect. A skilful piece of design, the lizard's body and tail are not rigidly soldered, allowing the piece to "move."



 

The power-dressing couture of the 1980s demanded bold, showy jewelry and Butler & Wilson obliged with classics of the era such as huge jeweled bib necklaces and diamante pins. Celebrities including Jerry Hall and Bianca Jagger modeled for the firm, snapped by photographers like David Bailey. Butler & Wilson's admirers include Madonna and Kylie Minogue.

  Butler & Wilson 

The partnership broke up in the 1990s, with Simon Wilson retaining the name and taking the company to new heights during its 40th anniversary in 2009. Nicky Butler has continued to design jewelry under his own name.

Demand for Butler & Wilson's Christmas jewelry pieces, taking the form of a wide range of festive subjects, from Santa to reindeer, has gone from strength to strength. Featuring pave-set rhinestones, their colors are bold and primary, and the figures are charming.

Early designs in particular have become highly collectable, notably the teddy bear, spider, and lizard pins. As 1980s fashion makes a resurgence, prices are likely to rise. Pieces may be signed "B&W."