If Lady Gaga is a fan, you can be pretty sure you are dealing with something that's a little out-of-the-ordinary.
The ever-eccentric star was recently spotted sporting a pair of sliced Diamond Bannerol Earrings by the online jewellery brand, Plukka. The elongated, 18K rose-gold earrings were an unusually modest choice, perhaps, for the Queen of Pop, but they certainly highlighted the brand's tendency to create pieces that are just that little bit different.
Plukka - a play on the British colloquialism pukka, meaning superior, and the noun pluck, as in courage and resolution - made its international debut in December 2011 and has since featured in countless big-name magazines and been worn by in-the-know celebrities such as Gaga and Pharrell Williams.
The Plukka website features more than 800 pieces - rings, necklaces, bracelets and hair accessories, in 18K gold, diamonds and gemstones - that range from the unfathomably delicate to the downright outlandish.
A made-to-order business model eliminates middlemen and means that the website can offer prices of between 60 and 80 per cent less than customary retailers. Unsaddled by brick-and-mortar stores, distribution agents, showrooms or inventory risk, Plukka can dispense with unnecessary markups - but is also free to create jewellery that might be considered too risky or creative for conventional retailers.
"Ultimately, who doesn't love incredible creativity at unbeatable prices?" asks the company's chief executive, Joanne Ooi.
Who indeed?
www.plukka.com
sdenman@thenational.ae
