Behind the Design: The Joy & Craftsmanship of In The Summertime

At Francesca Jewellery, designing a collection is never just about trends, it’s about capturing emotion, light, colour, and the stories we’ll tell each time we wear a piece. With In The Summertime, we wanted the design process itself to echo summer’s spontaneity and nuance. Below, we pull back the curtain on how this collection came to life: from hand-selecting gemstone beads to upskilling our studio team and weaving layering possibilities into every design.

The Soul of the Stones: Natural, Ethically Sourced Gemstones

One of the most magical parts of the design journey is choosing the stones. Each year, our designers travel to the Hong Kong Jewellery Fair to hand select strands of beads. This year we had summer in mind: blue skies, green waters, sunset hues, luminous pearls. We source ethically, with transparency at the heart of every choice.

When we discovered oval-cut aquamarine from Brazil, we knew it was a star. Its soft blue tone and unique shape meant that it had to become the centrepiece of a statement necklace.

This collection also introduces new stone shapes—pear cuts, irregular cuts, elongated forms—and pushes our designs beyond the familiar. It’s an invitation to play with stacks, mix textures and hues, and let your personal style emerge.

To complement the gemstones, we introduced filigree beads, silver-filled and gold-filled beads sourced at the same fairs. These metallic accents add contrast and dimensionality, catching light in between the soft glow of stones and pearls.

Because natural stones and freshwater pearls vary slightly in colour, shape, and tone, we celebrate that variability: no two pieces from our handmade range will be quite the same. It’s part of what makes every piece unique.

From 100 Samples to a Final 20: Refinement & Depth

Designing a meaningful collection takes iteration. For In The Summertime, we began with around 100 sample designs. From there, 20 were selected and refined. Depth was non-negotiable: we layered hues, textures, mixed stones and metals, varied bead sizes, and pushed silhouettes until they had weight, resonance, and coherence.

A key priority: these new designs had to layer beautifully with our evergreen range. We didn’t want this to be a standalone capsule, we wanted you to continue building your stack with past favourites, mixing old and new seamlessly.

Crafting with Intention: Upskilling & the Studio Process

After finalising styles, our focus shifted to execution. Every team member in our Australian studio underwent a week of training: learning new techniques, working with new materials, and mastering the particular demands of each design. Upskilling the team was central to preserving quality, consistency, and our unique aesthetic.

It takes years of experience to make a piece that feels weightless in the hand, durable in wear, yet refined in appearance. For this collection:

• A necklace can take about 20 minutes to assemble

• But the invisible work—stringing, reinforcement, finishing—takes craftsmanship

• Quality and durability are built in from the start

Designing for Summer Style: Layering, Stacking & Self-Expression

A guiding aim in In The Summertime was to lean into our signature strength: stacking jewellery and layering. We designed every ring, chain, bracelet, and pendant to speak to others—yet be powerful on its own.

Summer jewellery tends to embrace bold, expressive layering over minimalism, highlighting a shift toward pieces that feel soulful, tactile, and meaningful.

By combining gemstones, metals, textures, and organic shapes, we gave you the framework to tell your own story. Mix your past Francesca pieces with these new designs. Create contrast. Craft mood.