Glass speaks to founder Charlotte Coombs of London-based silverware brand, Ware

THE BUZZ surrounding cryptocurrencies still peppers conversations in watering holes, offices and restaurants the world over. If you’ve managed to artfully dodge these competitive conversations then perhaps you’re more familiar with cryptos younger sister? The titillating NFT. Either way, both newfound technologies raise the question of value and worth.

Independent jeweller and founder, Charlotte Coombs wanted to challenge “the current shallow world of fashion. People pay huge amounts of money for branded items, such as a t-shirt with a logo.” There’s no denying a high fashion logo adds immediate value but that doesn’t necessarily translate to long term value.

Step in Ware, a newly launched London based silverware brand infusing contemporary luxury across their range of jewellery, accessories and homeware. Every piece “is emblazoned with a solid sterling silver tag made in England, hallmarked and uniquely serial numbered. Each precious piece is made to last, transcending trends and championing sustainable luxury.”

Ware Silverware

Ware Silverware Ware Silverware

Coombs first acquainted herself in the world of luxury whilst studying Gemology and cad design at GIA in New York. After graduating, she then went on to work for diamond dealers and fine jewellery brands across the globe, all the while aware of her desire “to playfully critique the world of luxury.”  With a breadth of experience under her belt, Coombs has returned home to her roots, using “local workshops and silversmiths as much as possible.”

Ware Silverware Ware Silverware

Originally from the Midlands, Coombs opted for the Birmingham Jewellery quarter — “You enter these incredibly atmospheric workshops that must be violating a million health and safety regulations but have been working that way for decades. The bench workers tend to be sons of bench workers. These miniature factories are really some of the last signs of industry in UK cities. I am happy to sacrifice my margins to have pieces finished in England because it would be devastating to think that these professions are soon to be no longer. Everything is also hallmarked in Birmingham featuring the eponymous anchor and our own sponsor mark.”

Ware Silverware Ware Silverware

Silverware stereotypically conjures up imagery of traditional tableware but Coombs has redirected it onto a modern path via Ware. “Exalting both relevancy and legacy, Ware delivers a timely and timeless form of luxury, synthesising meaningful value and empowered individual expression.” Each piece can be personalised and repaired if needed, providing both a long term product and service for customers.

Long before the world woke up to its responsibility over the climate crisis, throughout her childhood, “buy quality over quantity” was drummed into Coomb’s head by her mother Lorna. Lorna encouraged her daughter to “buy a classic but with a twist. Unique, lasting things, forget the trends and one hit wonders.”

And so the Coombs legacy lives on through Ware’s contemporary pieces. Whether you opt for a cosy cashmere beanie, a streamlined cotton cap, a genderless tag necklace or bracelet, or for a chunky chain ring, you are sure to add “elevated essentialism.”

by Charlie Newman

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