Moltke Jewelry at Dover Street Market: Gem-Studded Geometry

For Nicholas Moltke, good design is synonymous with classic architecture, both characterised by nods to geometric shapes and textural play. It’s something that is echoed in Moltke’s eponymous jewellery brand, available exclusively at Dover Street Market, London.

Crafted in recycled gold and featuring lab-grown diamonds, the ‘Abacus’ collection is distinguished by two patented cuts. Rings, necklaces, bracelets and hoops contrast these signature stones with a mesmerizing interplay of gold and diamonds. Here, Moltke takes us inside his young brand.

Within jewelry brand Moltke

gold and diamond ring from Moltke — Women’s ‘Abacus’ Eternity Ring in Yellow Gold with Lab-Grown Diamonds, £4,875, by Moltke, from doverstreetmarket.com

Wallpaper*: Can you tell us something about the philosophy of the brand? How was it shaped around your interest in design and architecture?

Nicholas Moltke: The Moltke philosophy is rooted in a desire to combine contemporary art, stonemasonry and classical architectural design principles with diamond and jewellery design. This creates a new language and visual universe. For me it is about pursuing a sense of truth. The added dimension of my philosophy is craftsmanship and excellence, developing unique diamond cuts and creating a new jewellery language takes decades of experience and skill. In my late teens I was focused on becoming an architect, my fascination with form and creation second only to my obsession with gemstones and diamonds. Ultimately I chose to immerse myself in the world of diamonds. However, it was my interest in the principles set forth by Vitruvius (80-70 BC) that I have now, three decades later, merged with diamond design.

W*: Graphic design codes give these precious materials a modernity. How would you describe your aesthetic?

NM: My aesthetic is predominantly contemporary minimalism mixed with a generous dose of sensuality. Geometric shapes are a major source of truth for me; they have their own universal language and have been used in stonemasonry. However, these principles have never been applied to diamond design as there has been a mild obsession with designing and cutting diamonds that prioritize brilliance. Therefore, you will find that geometric shapes take center stage in my visual universe, which also takes cues from contemporary art. Growing up in Copenhagen, Danish design, which embodies a mix of beauty, utility, timelessness, simplicity and enduring quality, has played a major role in shaping my aesthetic. Traveling the world and living in the UK (London), Botswana (Gaborone) and Belgium (Antwerp) has also influenced my aesthetic to something more global. My passion for precious materials, sustainability, quality, utility, form and craftsmanship are all interconnected; but with Moltke I wanted to show these in a more sensual and global way.

diamond and gold ring from Moltke

(Image credit: Moltke)

W*: Why do you want to work with lab-grown diamonds?

NM: It would be incredibly challenging to create my designs and diamond cuts using natural diamonds, firstly because it would be impossible to find enough of the right rough stones to cut these shapes from. Secondly, there would be too much waste when cutting natural rough diamonds. There is a drive in many creative fields to explore new materials, understand how they can be optimised and how they can be applied to reduce the human footprint. For me, sustainability is not just about carbon footprint, that is too simplistic. It is also about understanding utility and waste. Using lab-grown diamonds was the only viable option if I wanted to unlock the design vision I created for Moltke. Lab-grown raw diamond crystals allow for experimentation and innovation because very large, exceptionally high-quality crystals can be grown, resulting in low waste and a zero footprint. Using lab-grown diamonds allows me to pursue truth in my designs in a way that natural diamonds do not.

W*: What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced in creating your pieces?

NM: Creating an entirely new design language is incredibly challenging. The development of the ‘Abacus Diamond’ took almost two years to perfect. I worked tirelessly with our master diamond cutter in our Antwerp studio to develop this unique cut. Together we went through multiple phases of adjusting facet angles to develop optimal light performance and flare. In conjunction with the development of the cut, we conducted a parallel process of experimenting with multiple techniques to hand-set the Abacus in 18k gold. The precision and consistency required by our diamond cutters to cut the Abacus is remarkable. From a design perspective, it is challenging to take the principles of classical architecture and stonemasonry and apply them to a miniature scale and diamonds, but beauty has emerged as a testament to taking a different approach using age-old design and craftsmanship principles.

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