July 9, 2026 |
BLINGIN’ IT IS TEN’S ONLINE SERIES WHERE WE SPOTLIGHT THE INNOVATORS AND CHANGE-MAKERS OF THE JEWELLERY WORLD.
Amidst one of the warmest summers on record, the sky has become a hot topic in and of itself. High temperatures, hazy horizons and endless light have us all looking upwards. For Danish fine jeweller Sophie Bille Brahe, though, the sky has always been a source of inspiration. Looking to the ever-changing relationship between the sea, stars and space, she creates jewellery that captures the beauty of the natural world. It’s an influence that is deeply personal too. Her Scandinavian roots trace back to 16th-century astronomer Tycho Brahe, whose groundbreaking astronomical observations helped mould the modern view of astronomy as a science. His relationship to outer space continues to influence her celestial symbolism.
Raised in Copenhagen with a deep appreciation for storytelling and heirlooms, Brahe has always believed jewellery is far more than an accessory. Her first high jewellery collection, Tangerine Sky, launched exclusively at Harrods in London at the end of June. Described as the culmination of a decade of ideas, it brings to life the forms she has imagined since the very beginning of her career. Since studying at London’s Royal College of Art, she strived to create pieces that reimagine modern luxury. Rather than viewing high jewellery as something reserved for special occasions, Brahe redefines it as something to be worn every day. Think pieces that accumulate moments and memories before being passed on.
Tangerine Sky explores the fluidity of nature through cascading settings of brilliant gemstones, inspired by the meeting point of the ocean and atmosphere. Across eight pieces crafted in polished 18-karat white gold and certified natural diamonds, Brahe combines organic lines with heart shaped and classic cut stones. Subtle asymmetry mimics wave-like curves to create statement rings reminiscent of her signature ocean motif, whilst her use of expansive diamonds transform the traditional tennis necklace, for a design evocative of the night sky’s constellations. Her designs exist between precision and spontaneity, balancing Scandinavian minimalism with natural movement.
With boutiques in New York and Copenhagen it is no surprise her creative influences have been drawn from across the seas. This collection marks the beginning of a conversation with the work of Cy Twombly. After visiting his exhibition at Gagosian’s Madison Avenue gallery in New York last spring, Brahe was captivated by his ability to convey weightlessness. Provoking thoughts as to how his fleeting marks could be translated into solid elements such as gold and diamond. Working alongside the Cy Twombly Foundation, she interprets that same feeling in Tangerine Sky, creating sculptural pieces that feel almost cloud-like.
Handcrafted in Italy, her collection is anchored by three key styles Sky 1, Sky 2 and Sky 3. The trilogy of rings each capture different aspects of the extraterrestrial elements that inspire her. Sky 1 presents a voluminous form like that of the weightlessness in a morning fog. Sky 2 draws from her longstanding ocean motif, using a swirling pavé-set band to softly display a singular 5.03-carat cushion cut diamond. Sky 3 showcases her distinctive timelessness with a heart-cut diamond wrapped in an 18-karat white gold gently curved band. Spanning necklaces, earrings and rings, each piece reflects Sophie Bille Brahe’s desire to create jewellery that gathers memories over multiple lifetimes.
Here, we chat to Brahe about her inherited inspirations, her personal connection to precious gemstones and the philosophy behind her everlasting designs.
ON HER FIRST HIGH JEWELLERY COLLECTION
In many ways, it feels less like a new beginning and more like a natural evolution of a jewellery language I have been developing for years. The ideas are the same, but high jewellery allows me to explore them on a different scale and with an even greater sense of rarity. I have always dreamed of creating high jewellery, but I believe these things should happen when the time is right. I’m not someone who forces an idea – I prefer to follow its natural course.
I believe this high jewellery collection marks a special place in my career, along with the opening of my very first boutique outside of Copenhagen on Madison Avenue in New York. It was the Madison Avenue boutique in New York that revealed a growing appetite among clients for larger, more exceptional stones. American customers approach jewellery differently, often layering and stacking pieces in ways that naturally lend themselves to more substantial designs.
ON COLLABORATING WITH HARRODS
I have always dreamed of working with exceptional stones, so in many ways this collection feels like a natural step forward. Harrods has been a trusted partner for many years, and the dialogue around creating a high jewellery collection began about a year ago. It evolved organically from our relationship, grounded in a shared desire to explore something more rarefied and ambitious.
ON WHAT INSPIRED TANGERINE SKY
Each collection begins with a feeling, a fragment of inspiration, or a piece of art that lingers in my mind. I am drawn to taking something familiar – like a tennis necklace and shifting its rhythm and proportions. By letting diamonds graduate in size or introducing subtle asymmetry, the classical becomes more fluid, more intuitive, and ultimately more modern. It is less about reinventing tradition and more about softening it, stripping it back to the raw beauty of the materials until it feels effortless, almost inevitable, as if it has always existed in that form.
The ocean has always been my greatest source of inspiration, especially that quiet horizon where sea meets sky – where two worlds dissolve into one. It is a moment of stillness and movement at once. I often refer to this as a ballon moment, a term from ballet describing the illusion of weightlessness in a jump. For me, it captures those rare instances in life when time seems to suspend itself: standing before the horizon where everything softens and expands. That line between ocean and sky feels like the essence of it all. Diamonds rising and falling like waves became my way of translating that sensation – continuing the ocean motif into my high jewellery, as an attempt to hold onto that fleeting sense of magic and suspension.
Inspired in part by Cy Twombly’s work, I wanted the diamonds to feel almost suspended – as though they hover on the body rather than simply sit upon it. Even at this scale, the pieces remain deeply personal and unmistakably my own. I’ve always felt close to Cy Twombly’s way of seeing. There is a softness and freedom in his work that feels deeply human. Last spring, while visiting his exhibition in New York, I was struck by the weightlessness of his paintings; the way colour seems to float across the canvas like a cloud, fleeting and almost impossible to hold onto. That feeling became the starting point for this collection. I wanted to translate that same sense of lightness into jewellery: to make gold and diamonds feel fluid, gentle, almost suspended in motion.
ON THE ORIGINS OF HER COSMIC INFLUENCES
I grew up in a family of storytellers and dreamers, where evenings unfolded like constellations of tales, shared around the dinner table. I trace that instinct back to my ancestor, Tycho Brahe, as if storytelling itself runs in my blood. I think I inherited that same need to translate life into story, but through my hands. I’ve always lived between earth and sky: diamonds feel like the earth’s captured starlight, pearls like small moons held in orbit. Jewellery became my way of turning those celestial impressions into something tangible, pieces that hold memory, meaning, and gather the light of a lifetime.
ON WHO SHE IS DESIGNING FOR
I love that those who choose my jewellery wear it every day. True to my philosophy that precious pieces are meant to be lived with, never kept away. Even in my high jewellery collection, that philosophy remains the same. Each piece is designed to hold meaning over time and eventually be passed on to generations to come. The collection explores “every day diamonds” – wearable high jewellery pieces reimagined with a modern twist, designed to feel personal, effortless and layered into daily life.
What matters most to me is that the person wearing the jewellery feels comfortable and truly like themself. That sense of ease and personal connection is far more important than anything else.
ON HER PERSONAL FAVOURITE PIECES
My jewellery is defined by signature collections that have, over time, become personal favourites. Among them, my Grand Ensemble Ocean holds a very special place – I wear it every day. The ocean has always been my greatest source of inspiration, especially that quiet line where the sea meets the sky, where two elements dissolve into one. The piece captures that moment: diamonds rising and falling like waves, creating a sense of constant, gentle movement.
The Ensemble collection is another cornerstone of my work. It began with the idea of wearing larger diamonds in a way that feels effortless and intimate. By letting the stones graduate in size, the designs take on a natural rhythm. This simplicity yet modern design has been drawn into my high jewellery collection as well.
ON THE EMOTIONAL APPEAL OF PRECIOUS STONES
I have always wanted to create jewellery that celebrates life’s most beautiful moments, objects meant to last a lifetime and be passed on to future generations. That intention naturally led me to the finest materials. Diamonds and gold feel almost elemental to me. Formed over millions of years, they carry a sense of time far beyond our own. We are, in a way, only temporary custodians of their beauty, which makes it feel even more meaningful when we are allowed to wear them within our lifetime. I see jewellery as something deeply emotional. It holds memories: moments of joy and love.
One of the memories that has shaped my design process is when my mother gave me a pearl necklace after the birth of my son. It was a beautiful gift, full of meaning, but I never quite felt like myself wearing it. That experience sparked a question: how could I reimagine a classic pearl necklace in a way that felt more effortless and modern? That idea became the beginning of the Peggy necklaces and later evolved into the Ensemble collection with its graduating diamonds and pearls. It reminded me that jewellery is never just an object; it carries stories, emotions, and moments in time. To me, the most meaningful pieces are the ones we live with, allowing them to gather memories and become part of our own narrative before being passed on to the next generation.
These pieces should simply not be owned; they are meant to be lived with. And eventually, they continue their journey, passed on, carrying their stories forward. There is something profoundly beautiful in that continuity.
What interested me most was the challenge of working with exceptional stones while preserving a sense of lightness and intimacy. Traditionally, high jewellery begins with the centre stone, and I was drawn to that old-world approach. The question became: how do you make something incredibly precious still feel effortless to wear? That balance between weight and weightlessness runs throughout the collection.
ON THE FUTURE OF SOPHIE BILLE BRAHE
The coming years are centred around thoughtful expansion. At the same time, we are exploring retail expansion in the near future. Beyond this, there is a desire to expand into new product categories, continuing to evolve the universe around my designs, and further establishing the brand within the international luxury scene.
Photography by Adam Friedlander
