Loquet

Each Loquet tells a story. The clear sapphire crystal face, encased in solid gold, is designed to open and be personalised with collectable handmade charms and birthstones. From a lucky horseshoe, a gold initial, a June pearl or a diamond-studded shooting star, every Loquet is a bespoke gift, a precious memento, a love letter coded in charms. Today, Loquet is sold worldwide by some of the very finest international jewellery specialists, including Selfridges London, Net-a-Porter, Broken English New York and Los Angeles, White Bird Paris, Lane Crawford Hong Kong and Goop USA.

Country: United Kingdom
Brand business card: A modern approach to the era-spanning idea of a keepsake locket

Brand designer

Sheherazade Goldsmith and Laura Bailey

« It began as a conversation between friends. I’d been given a perspex pendant from my son and wore it all the time. It had some tiny dried flowers enclosed inside and, enamoured with it, I started wondering at its possibilities. Soon after, at Laura’s house, chatting about favourite vintage pieces, memories became conversations, that turned into planning, followed by a course in jewellery design at the Central Saint Martins. With no experience in production I enlisted the advice of my uncle, a jeweller himself, who I’d often assisted as a teenager in Grays Antiques Market in London, and together we took a trip across the world to see if the locket we dreamt up could be achieved. »

Jewelry production

Our story

Much time, persistence, sampling and responsible-sourcing followed Securing the ethical origins of all elements of each Loquet was paramount to our process. Finally, the first Loquet was born—elegant, fine and yet resilient. Its innovative side opening became a cue for the name: meaning a simple door fastening in French. Loquet started as a conversation and continues as such. It's a cross-generational creative collaboration between friends and lovers, artists and children. Each Loquet is one-of-a-kind, like all the best love stories. A piece to last forever, and be handed on. I wear my loquet everyday, it has my children’s birthstones, a rainbow to make me smile and a tiny piece of quartz I found at the top of a mountain in Alaska. I’m never without it as it makes me feel close to the people I love and those memories that make me smile.

Sustainability

Loquet was founded by environmentalist Sheherazade Goldsmith in partnership with Laura Bailey. A pioneering reporter in her field, Sheherazade has a legacy of shining a light on environmental practices and spearheading ethical policy changes. Sustainability and workplace conditions is immensely important and central to the way Loquet is run and developed. We are continually considering our impact on both the environment and communities that help us to realise our designs. We oversee every aspect of our jewellery production, from the initial sourcing of our stones to the final shipping of each unique piece, to ensure the highest standards in design, quality and ethics. Our stones are exclusively sourced through respected suppliers. We work with conflict free diamonds sourcing only from companies that adhere to the Kimberley Process and the World Diamond Council's System of Warranties, preventing the distribution of conflict diamonds in both rough and polished cut stones.

Ethics

We believe in preserving the story of our world for future generations to enjoy. We are thoroughly committed to ethically sourcing each element of our designs, working closely with our suppliers to ensure that every aspect of Loquet jewellery is scrutinised under our own strict guidelines from conception to completion. Everything that we purchase and produce must be aligned with our core values. We believe that it is our responsibility to innovate and be leaders in the industry by adopting the best sustainable practices as they become available, and to hold ourselves to the highest standards with every design we produce.

Artisans

We have visited every single atelier we work with to ensure that our craftspeople are working in a healthy environment. In addition, each of the ateliers are audited by independent workplace conditions organisations, which assess the environment, wages and health and safety of each individual worker. Without the skill of the expert local craftspeople in China and India who meticulously make our Loquet charms by hand with the utmost care, we wouldn’t be able to accomplish your beautiful, unique designs. By working with Intertek’s Workplace conditions assessment board and the Hong Kong jewellery trade association we ensure all artisans are treated in accordance with the Human Rights Act.