Cathy Pope is best known for her Chunky Choker design, which was spotted recently on actor Florence Pugh much to her delight.
Since it was first released in 2011 it has continued to be a best seller due to its enduring style appeal which can be dressed up, or down as Pugh demonstrated.
Even better for Pope. It wasn’t a paid placement. The necklace was bought by a customer for a friend who just happened to be Pugh. Nice!
The iconic Cathy Pope ‘Chunky Choker’ worn by Isabella Moore.
But that’s not all that’s been happening in the world of Cathy Pope whose business keeps morphing in new directions.
She runs tours to India for women – you can read more about that here – where most of her jewellery is ethically crafted in small batches.
Most recently she’s become obsessed with the art of silk knotting. A technique used to traditionally separate precious pearls from one another to protect them from rubbing together or loss if a string breaks.
A friend of her mum’s taught her the technique one evening and she admits it became an all consuming passion. She spent months refining her technique and experimenting with different coloured silks and that’s when “things went bonkers”.
She began posting images of her creations on Instagram of old-fashioned pearls restrung in black, red and blue thread and people not only wanted to buy them, they also wanted to know how to repair or modernise pearl necklaces passed down through generations as heirlooms. In many cases now broken into parts and lying unworn in a box.
Cathy Pope neon pink pearl necklace.
Now Pope runs runs hands-on “silk pearl knotting” workshops from her Ponsonby boutique at 5 Vinegar Lane and they’re wildly popular.
Attendees can bring their own old strands to restring or choose from her selection of quality beads and gems.
“A lot of people are really into swapping out an old broken clasp with two round rings at the end that they can join with a carabiner. It looks a lot more edgy and a whole reinvention of old materials and repurposing them which I really like.”
She adds it doesn’t really matter if the pearls are real or not. “They mean something to them. They’re sentimental, there’s a story. A memory of somebody who they love that they want to keep alive.”
Cathy Pope runs silk knotting workshops from her Ponsonby boutique.
Fun fact – A lot of the jewellery that was produced during World War II was made using glass instead of gemstones because there was a shortage of materials. Real cultured pearls were also hard to source, and glass ‘faux’ pearls where largely supplied by a Spanish manufacturer in Majorica, which exported more than a million pearl necklaces to America during the war.
Today Pope is having fun being creative with mixing pearls of different sizes as swell as using coloured thread. “When you then put a black, red or yellow thread through it, suddenly it looks completely different,” she says.
She’s also applied the knotting technique to her latest limited edition collection – Gem Wanderer – 26 necklaces made entirely by hand by Pope in her studio using gems she’s personally hand selected on a trip to Thailand earlier this year, where she’s “scaled everything up”.
Think chunky gemstones and dead corals that celebrate colour, texture and individuality. Each necklace design is unique with no two the same.
Statement piece from the Cathy Pope ‘Gem Wanderer’ collection
And then there’s Pope’s latest collaboration with Kat Huffer of The Huff who beautifully reimagines vintage ties and brooches into statement accessories. They also look sensational threaded onto Cathy Pope chunky gold and silver chains and like Gem Wanderer, every Huff piece is totally unique.
Pope met Huffer through one of her beading workshops at the store and what they’re creating together is both beautiful and genius.
Collaborating with The Huff
I’m all for a shortened “Dapper” bedazzled tie on a chain or pin that I don’t need to know a knot for. I reckon Pugh would also be a fan of these.
