Anyone who’s even remotely into their bling has most often or not taken a trip to Hatton Gardens at least once in their lives. London’s prestigious jewellery quarter is home to not only some of the world’s finest jewellers, but a whole host of exciting newcomers ready to adorn your neck, wrists and fingers in some of the most innovative designs out there.
The latter applies to Hatton Labs, the youth-centric jewellery brand which prides itself on modern, high-quality design at affordable prices. “I have been going to Hatton Gardens since I was born and my dad was a watch trader,” explains Jack Cannon, who founded the brand in 2018. “Jewellery has always always been at the back of my mind but it wasn’t until I started to visit Hatton Gardens again to make stuff for myself that I realised there was a space for a brand like Hatton Labs.”
Born out of Cannon’s desire to create something for both himself and his mates, Hatton Labs uses 3-D printing technologies and other innovative design methods to create desirable, understated pieces like nothing else out there.
“We have the history and heritage that comes with working in an environment like Hatton Gardens,” explains Cannon. “We have access to a community of skills and knowledge that has been honed in this area since the 17th Century. Having coupled this with both modern design techniques and our own contemporary styles and tastes, [we have created] our versions of modern classics.”
The brand’s latest venture may be its most ambitious to date. Just in time for Christmas, Hatton Labs has created a limited-edition capsule collection which honours the legacy of the late tattoo artist Norman ‘Sailor Jerry’ Collins. Renowned for his work in vivid colour and bold iconography, Sailor Jerry spent 1940-1970 crafting an ambitious kind of tattooing that would ricochet across the globe.
“[The collection] was made her in Hatton Gardens,” explains Cannon. “We use a few European manufacturers for larger production but we wanted this capsule to be made right here in the mothership.”
After making his way through Sailor Jerry’s most famous flash art, Cannon – alongside Hatton Labs’ co-founder Joe Gelb – ended up picking the designs they felt most connected to. “We were most excited about interpreting them in 3D form for the first time,” says Gelb, where you can expect sharks and hula girls encased in pendant form. Each of the pieces comes equipped with a one-of-a-kind natural stone set by one of Hatton Garden’s most respected stone setters – “we wanted to inject some of the culture and rawness that still lives within the Hatton Gardens community whilst it still exists,” say the pair.
Impeccably designed, with a whole lot of history behind them – these Hatton Labs x Sailor Jerry pieces – like a tattoo – will be something you cherish for a lifetime.
Images courtesy of Hatton Labs. The Hatton Labs x Sailor Jerry capsule collection is available December 11 here.
