Contemporary Jewellery Gifts For Family Members

I believe that contemporary jewellery design should be relevant to the times we are living in. It should show what is important to us in new ways that have meanings we understand and connect with. There wasn't a jewellery design that symbolised that families share an important connection, so I designed one. 

The DNA double helix is a familiar shape that we recognise as a genetic link but this shape was not a symbol for family until its discovery in 1953. Our ancestors would not look at this shape and think it was a symbol for a family connection. The distinctive twisted ladder is a beautiful and elegant form, perfect for jewellery, so it was a bit of a miracle that no one had used it in jewellery as a symbol for family bonds when I designed it in 2000. I launched this collection under the name Designer Genes in 2001 at Earls Court's International Jewellery London show. 

The unique shape of my DNA link has a twisted ladder that comes to a point at the top and has a curve at the opposite end which creates one unbroken line. A symbol of eternity. Inside the twisted shape, three bars create the ladder effect. The bars represent two parents and one child. 

Since then, I have protected this design and although others have copied the idea, none have the elegance or style of my original design.

Part of the process of maintaining protection of this design includes creating slightly differing versions so that only a few of each design is ever made, allowing each one to have the extended copyright protection that a work of art has. 

In 2025, I added the Family Link pieces to this collection. They have my unique DNA links joined by oval links that look like twisted ropes. 

This collection is a perfect gift for a family member who you share a bond with. Our customers have often bought it for a sister on a special birthday, for their mum to show how proud they are to be their daughter, and for daughters and granddaughters to show a physical representation of the invisible unbreakable bond that they share. A piece from the family link design is also a lovely gift for a silver wedding anniversary celebrating 25 years, many of which have involved raising your family together.

When you invest in a piece of quality jewellery, it means so much more if it represents something that is very important to you. Many of my jewellery designs are created to show something important that is invisible but which we know exists. A physical object that we can hold on to in a very transitory world, something we can even leave after we are no longer here is a desire that feels hardwired into us.