Nathalie Kabiri, fine jewellery connoisseur

In less than ten years, independent boutique Kabiri has established itself as London’s most fashion-conscious jewellery brand and the go-to destination for contemporary trend-led designer jewellery.

Nathalie Kabiri founded her eponymous independent jewellery boutique in 2004. After graduating from Goldsmith’s University with a degree in History of Art, Nathalie returned to London following time spent travelling the world. Beginning her career with a stint freelancing in the import and sale of designer jewellery, Nathalie and her husband Darius eventually decided to open their own store in the heart of Covent Garden, a beautiful space spread over two floors that remains the Kabiri flagship today. The ground level houses the ever-changing designer collections and jewellery at the more affordable end of the spectrum (a 22k gold plated snake chain pendant, for instance, will set you back £75), while downstairs the finest of the fine jewellery is on display and the most exclusive pieces can be viewed by appointment – we’re talking diamond-encrusted finery upwards of £20,000 a pop.

Now, at seven years old, the Kabiri brand has grown to include a store on stylish Marylebone High Street and a concession in Selfridge’s on Oxford Street. How has Kabiri achieved iconic status in less than a decade? What really sets Kabiri apart from other jewellers is Nathalie’s approach to buying, and her desire to create a symbiotic relationship between jewellery and fashion. As sole buyer, Nathalie always has one eye on the international catwalks, tracking trends as they occur, and the other on the look out for hot new design talent. When selecting new designers, Nathalie uses her magpie-like skill to find edgy collections and striking designs that chime with what’s going on in the fashion world each season.

To that end, what has Nathalie prescribed to complement spring/summer trends this year? One of the biggest trend stories to emerge from the catwalks last September was that white is going to be very hot for summer 2011, with Derek Lam, Alexander Wang and Calvin Klein the New York minimalists leading the way. The starkly elegant pieces of the latest Umane fine jewellery collection, exclusive to Kabiri, share this minimal aesthetic. The Long Pebble Chain earrings (£5465), a pair of onyx stones set with pave diamonds, take monochrome to a whole new luxe level.

On the other hand, bold colour was on show on the catwalks of Paris and Milan. Taking a cue from the colour blocking seen in the spring collections of Jil Sander, Prada and Sonia Rykiel, Sho fine jewellery is crafted from 18 carat gold and features shades of purple, pink and jade in geometric shapes. The Tiger’s Eye Clementina (£465) is an octagonal sterling vermeli cocktail ring set with pink sapphires that will set off your bright summer separates perfectly.

For more information and to shop online visit the Kabiri web shop.

Umane's Long Pebble Chain Earrings, Henriette Lofstrom's Small Golden Symmetry Necklace and Sho's Tiger's Eye Clementina Ring