20 questions with jewellery designer Solange Azagury-Partridge
The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom”. What’s your guiding force?
My instinct.
“Don’t get even, get medieval” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?
“Adapt or die”, “make do and mend, “kill them with kindness, “do unto others”… I could go on.
Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2013?
Racism, homophobia and selfishness.
Tony Blair misses being Prime Minister. What do you miss most in your life?
My children when they were younger. I wish I could just spend the occasional afternoon with their little baby selves.
What might you swap all your wealth for?
My greatest wealth is the health of my family and friends so I would never swap.
Donald Trump was once a case of: “If you owe the bank a thousand, they close you down; but if you owe the bank a billion, you own the bank”. What’s your view on the banking crisis?
Close them all down and bring back the barter system.
What phrase or word do you most loathe?
“No”.
In the UK, some people consider charity to “begin at home”. What’s your view and what causes do you personally support?
I also believe charity begins at home. I consider my family, friends, local community, town, country I live in as being part of my home. I think St Mungo’s (a charity for homeless people in London) is fantastic. Shelter is the most fundamental need for a person.
The judge in Law Abiding Citizen states: “I can pretty much do whatever I want” before being blown up whilst answering her mobile phone. What’s your view on the appropriate use of such devices?
No answer.
If you could fill a carriage on The Orient Express, who would be your fellow passengers?
My husband, Elizabeth Taylor (we could talk jewellery), Einstein, Jesus, Queen Elizabeth I and II (we could talk jewellery), Jane Austen, Phoebe Philo, Dominick Dunne, Rupert Everett, Mozart, Carravaggio, David Attenborough, Michael Jackson, my son Otis and daughter Mardi, a bunch of friends, George Clooney, Angelina Jolie, Ben Stiller and Kay Montano.
If you were unfortunate enough to end up on death row, what would be your last meal and where would you eat it?
Garlic and chilli pasta with parmesan. I would eat it surrounded by my loved ones in the beautiful gardens of our country cottage.
What time is it acceptable to consume the first drink of the day?
A cup of coffee before I open my eyes.
A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?
A vodka on the rocks.
Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?
Those of good friends who like to dance.
Who is the most positive person you know?
No answer.
What’s your most guilty pleasure?
None of your business.
If a tattoo were to sum you up, what would it be of?
A rainbow.
If you were a car, what marque would you be?
A Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow. Luxurious, comfortable, generously proportioned and safe.
Cilla Black presented Surprise, Surprise. Tell us the most surprising thing about you.
None of your business.
What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?
Photos of my kids, jewellery they’ve bought and made for me, a rock crystal Buddha, a malachite dish I put my jewellery in at night, a brass kaleidoscope, a small pile of empty leather jewellery boxes, an array of perfume bottles and a Murano vase with glass flowers
Solange Azagury-Partridge is a London based jewellery designer. She was the former creative director of Boucheron and has also worked for Butler & Wilson. The Victoria & Albert Museum have pieces of her work in their permanent collection.
Follow her on Twitter at @SolangeAzagury
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Inspirational. She is a genius.
How delightful to pay a compliment to an unaffected lady with a sense of humour….and unlike certain others I have heard of her and her excellent work