Colour rush: fine fashion jewellery from Matthew Campbell Laurenza

By Rebecca Doulton

“Just about everybody in Hollywood has worn my jewellery,” says Matthew Campbell Laurenza, the American designer behind the M.C.L fine jewellery label. Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Meryl Streep and Annette Bening prove that his clients are as varied as his gemstones are colourful. Large, bold, sculptural and gothic, M.C.L jewellery is a statement for women with personality.

Pinning-down Matthew Campbell Laurenza is not easy. Shuttling back and forth between Hong Kong and Thailand where he is based, Matthew makes the occasional pit-stop in his native USA. “I reckon I clocked up about 400,000 air miles last year,” he tells me during our phone interview. Travelling to different countries and immersing himself in different artistic cultures is fundamental to understanding his work.

green agate and silver earrings — Matthew Campbell Laurenza black rhodium plated silver drop earrings with 12.52ct of green agate. (£450)

Describing his fine fashion jewellery as “confident, colourful and eclectic”, Matthew Campbell Laurenza launched M.C.L in 2007 creating bold, vibrant pieces resonating with his passion for architecture and sculpture. Having started a degree in architecture, his creative vocation led him to fine-tune his path, going on to obtain a degree in fine arts with a speciality in sculpture. “Studying sculpture gave me an understanding of volume and how a piece of jewellery relates or sits on the body,” he explains. “Architecture gave me the technical know-how.”

If you look closely at some of his larger pieces, like the highly architectural Art Deco-style cuff with black enamel and coloured gemstones, you will see how the silver on the interior part of the bracelet has been hollowed out to lighten the jewellery - similar to the ancient Roman practice of coffering used to lighten the dome of the Pantheon.

Primordial silver cuff in black enamel with sapphires — This statement Matthew Campbell Laurenza Primordial cuff in black rhodium-plated silver, with black enamel and 16.13ct of multi-coloured sapphires, is a wearable piece of sculpture for your wrist. (£3,130)

Working predominately with sterling silver plated with black rhodium and sapphires “thanks to their huge colour spectrum”, all his designs are executed in his own jewellery manufacture in Thailand, where he supervises every single step of the process. Currently developing a collection in platinum, Matthew is not interested in the value of a certain material. “It’s not about the intrinsic value of a stone or the setting. I don’t look at jewellery with a price in mind but what it does for a person. A less expensive piece of fine jewellery can give you as much return on investment as a very expensive jewel.”

Matthew Campbell Laurenza Primordial ring in black rhodium-plated silver, with black enamel and multi-coloured sapphires. (£520)
Matthew Campbell Laurenza black rhodium plated silver drop earrings with 12.52ct of green agate. (£450)
Matthew Campbell Laurenza Orbit bracelet, in rhodium-plated silver with purple glitter enamel and purple amethysts. (£1,330)
Simple but elegant silver half-ball stud earrings, hand-set with multi-coloured sapphires, by Matthew Campbell Laurenza. (£425)
Matthew Campbell Laurenza Orbit bracelet set with multi-coloured sapphires in black rhodium-plated silver. (£1,330)
Matthew Campbell Laurenza bangle in black rhodium-plated silver with purple glitter enamel and 7.8ct of sapphires. (£1,555)
American designer Matthew Campbell Laurenza mixes the cultures and experiences from his travels to produce bold and bright fine jewellery.
This statement Matthew Campbell Laurenza Primordial cuff in black rhodium-plated silver, with black enamel and 16.13ct of multi-coloured sapphires, is a wearable piece of sculpture for your wrist. (£3,130)