Cece Jewellery’s latest collection offers a masterclass in miniature narratives. British jeweller Cece Fein Hughes, known for her rich, painterly use of champlevé enamel, has ventured into something even more esoteric with Triptych: a lush, symbolic collection rooted in the allegorical universe of Renaissance Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch.
This collection, comprising The Underworld, Earthly Delights, and The Realm of Dreams, has been in the works for just under a year. Inspired by The Garden of Earthly Delights, “a painting rich in symbolism, mystery, and layered storytelling,” Cece sought to translate that world into her own visual language, weaving its surreal beauty into gold, enamel, and diamonds. “Each piece is an interpretation of its hidden meanings, told the Cece way,” she points out. The fantastical imagery is translated into 18-karat gold pendants, signet rings, lockets, and bangles; each detailed with hand-painted enamel and diamond-set engraving.
“I’ve always been drawn to the storytelling aspect of fine jewellery, how a single piece can hold deep personal meaning and be passed down through generations,” says Cece. The Triptych Collection is thus born from that love of narrative, told in three parts across each miniature gold panel. These panels are more than surface ornament. Like ancient codices, the panel opens to reveal symbols — butterflies and pomegranates, swans and serpents, motifs — chosen for their beauty and depth. “The pomegranate holds layers of meaning: temptation and rebirth, the serpent and ouroboros speak to renewal, while the swan carries more of a melancholic grace and beauty.”
The design vocabulary draws from fairy tales and tattoo art. Each piece juxtaposes contrasting identities — light and shadow, myth and memory, magic and mischief, unfolding a story that’s universal and deeply personal,” explains the designer. “It brings together the two worlds that have always inspired me: the symbolism of tattoo art, rich with meaning and permanence, and the dreamlike escapism of fairy tales, where darkness and wonder often coexist.”
Cece first stumbled upon this painting while studying art history. “There’s something about the darkness and mystery that draws you in completely,” she reflects. “It’s the kind of storytelling I dream of capturing on a miniature scale through my jewellery.” That dream has taken nearly a year to realize — and rather than recreate the artist’s work and detailing, Cece homed in on its essence. “My approach was to distill that intensity into something intimate and wearable, and in the handwriting of Cece Jewellery.”
The visual language may be poetic, but the process behind each piece is precise and exacting. Central to her studio’s technique is champlevé enamel — an ancient art form involving finely carved recesses filled with layers of crushed coloured glass, painted by hand. “Our craftsmen are often working on painted details that are no larger than a grain of rice, using a brush with just one hair,” she says. Specialist magnifying lenses are required to achieve the signature, storybook clarity of each enameled element.
The three-panel Triptych lockets are feats of modern and traditional engineering. Designed using CAD to perfect the mechanism’s dimensions, the lockets have been handcrafted and fitted with hinges that close with a satisfying click. The smooth curves of the gold, the textural contrast of engraving against enamel, the cool flash of diamond stars — every detail is engaging. “The magic isn’t just in how a piece looks, but in how it feels,” says Cece. “From the weight of the gold and the smoothness of the enamel to the tactile nature of the locket doors and the engraving, every detail is designed to evoke that sense of quiet magic.”
The Realm of Dreams proved the most elusive of the three worlds to translate. “It’s easy to fall into familiar clichés of clouds, golden gates, and halos,” Cece adds. “I wanted to move beyond that and imagine what ‘heaven’ might look like through the lens of Cece Jewellery.” Her heaven is quietly symbolic with moon phases that hint at time and dragonflies that flicker between realities. The lockets and bracelets, therefore, become powerful portals and modern-day talismans. “Jewellery has the ability to translate or bring together symbols that have unique meaning to the wearer,” Cece notes. “I’ve always been drawn to the idea that jewellery can hold something secret — a symbol or even a memory.”
While Triptych is not set to be expanded soon, Cece hints at exciting bespoke commissions underway. “It allows us to create one-of-a-kind designs that often carry their own layered stories…and personal meaning.” Like the allegories of Hieronymus Bosch, Cece’s Triptych collection, too, revels in complexity.
