Hannah Martin has challenged conventional definitions of luxury ever since she launched herself into the art of goldsmithing, determined to disrupt the norms and rewrite the rules. Her journey began at Cartier, deep in the heart of Paris’s Place Vendôme, where she first encountered the seductive pull of precious metals – gold, in particular, leaving a lasting impression.
Intrigued by the rigidity of gendered jewellery, Martin questioned why pieces for men and women had to follow such different paths. That quest became the seed for her debut collection in 2005 – a bold statement of intent that introduced her signature sculptural aesthetic, rich with androgyny and edge.
Since then, she has carved out a space entirely her own, defined by fearless creativity and subversive elegance. With a distinct identity and a progressive approach to form and gender, Martin continues to sit comfortably at the heights of contemporary, niche jewellery.
Says Hannah: “Although luxury jewellery isn’t about to save the world, I believe very strongly that creative output in any form is an essential part of our survival as humans.”
“I wanted to make pieces of jewellery that felt like they were oozing with life. Getting to the essence of who and what we are – flesh, bone, skin. Real. Human. Messy and beautiful and full of life.”
Where Art, Punk and Precious Metal Collide
At the heart of London’s Mayfair, Sotheby’s Salon remains the destination of choice for collectors and connoisseurs alike, an immersive space where the worlds of art, design and luxury converge on New Bond Street in true Sotheby’s fashion.
For over two hundred years, the auction house has been at the forefront of the global art market as a benchmark of excellence for the valuation and sale of iconic works. Alongside its legacy in fine art, Sotheby’s has expanded its operations to the landscape of jewellery, watches, and luxury objects, achieving record-breaking results with rare gemstones, timepieces and sought-after handbags.
This summer, the Salon presents a curated ensemble of British jeweller Hannah Martin’s most compelling pieces. The designer’s distinctive creations will be available to view and buy for a limited time only, from August through to 5th September.
It Is Hannah Martin’s Time at Sotheby’s Salon
The Queen of Punk’s best-known collections – It’s Only Rock n Roll, Aguila Dorada, The Perfect Drug and Vincent – are available worldwide and have attracted her a loyal celebrity clientele including musicians and designers such as Cara Delevigne, Erin O'Connor, Zaha Hadid, Madonna and Rihanna. Sotheby’s selling exhibition includes creations from the A Vanitas collection and Martin’s tenth collection, The Perfect Drug.
A Vanitas was born of a powerful creative labour of love between Hannah Martin and Guy Berryman, Coldplay bassist and founder of the fashion label Applied Art Forms. The collaboration brings to focus the quiet intensity of 17th-century Dutch Vanitas paintings – works known for their meditations on time, mortality and beauty –relaunching these age-old themes through a razor-sharp contemporary lens.
The result is a strikingly modern, gender-fluid capsule created in both silver and gold, with razorblade motifs and pearls hand-carved into skulls punctuating the creations, each piece more daring than the last. The aesthetic is unmistakably Martin’s: subversive, composed, expressive and exquisitely made – a study in contrast and control.
The Perfect Drug: Jewellery as Raw Emotion
Martin’s tenth collection, The Perfect Drug, follows in the same rebellious spirit. The designer describes it as a response to the “numbness” of the digital age, to the overstimulation and disconnection brought on by modern life. Her antidote is raw and physical: jewellery that captures feeling in its purest, most unfiltered form. These are not mere decorative objects, if not emotional artefacts that embrace duality: pain and pleasure, vulnerability and strength. The edge is literal and metaphorical, each piece daring in both form and feeling.
Also on view at Sotheby’s Salon are highlights from Martin’s core collections: the sculptural Ring of Fire from White Heat, the electric emeralds of Delirium, and key works from Somebody’s Sins, Aguila Dorada and It’s Only Rock ’n’ Roll. Among them, the golden shackle bangle from Aguila Dorada shimmers with symbolism. With its piratical undertones, it conjures a sense of lost treasure, though, as Martin notes, its message is not one of confinement but of liberation.
These are jewels made to move with the body and stir the soul. They come alive on the skin – sensual, provocative, and emotionally charged – to deliver a visceral experience through their suggestive references of music, myth and memory.
Hannah Martin is Not Conventional Jewellery
The artist’s creations embody a raw energy and the spirit of rebellious punk, with works inspired by political upheaval, radical honesty and personal transformation.
From the sculptural purity of Constantin Brâncuși to the surrealist lens of Man Ray and the raw eroticism of Tom of Finland, Hannah Martin draws on a range of influences to create a jewellery language defined by raw emotion, self-expression, and the constant act of reinvention.
Donning an ever-black punk uniform and her signature mohawk, Martin studied jewellery design at Central Saint Martins, fully immersing herself in the school’s cultural energy and sonic undercurrents. After graduating, she moved to Paris, where she perfected her craft at Cartier’s Place Vendôme ateliers. Having won the prestigious Cartier Award, she went on to design high jewellery collections for legacy houses including Louis Vuitton and Chaumet.
Armed with masterful goldsmithing technique and a singular creative voice, Martin returned to her home city of London. In 2006, she launched Hannah Martin Jewellery, a brand forged from rebellion and precision, with pieces that blur boundaries, defy labels, and remain unmistakably her own.
Final Note
In a perfect fusion of refinement and rebellion, Martin pushes the art of goldsmithing to new heights, exploring with ingenuity to achieve her signature contrasts and create jewellery that is as technically striking as it is poetic. In an industry often fixated on the idea of polished perfection, Martin’s work offers a provocative counterpoint. Embracing authenticity, individuality and emotional depth with resolute conviction, her jewellery challenges conventions, marking her as one of the most recognised voices in contemporary design.
