Meet the Makers at Jessica McCormack

In Walpole’s special portfolio of essays and images for the Book of British Luxury 2025/2026, we celebrate the people behind the design of the products and services that have become a global calling card for British luxury excellence. From sparkling jewels and diaries of delicate blue paper to world- class whisky getaways, we speak with the highly skilled individuals who pour their passion into their respective crafts to create new British icons.

"We use a lot of traditional techniques inspired by antique jewellery but combined with a modernity that makes the pieces wearable," explains McCormack. “It’s about creating jewellery that feels timeless so that it can be worn, loved and then passed on to the next generation, who will wear it all over again and in their own way."

Having previously worked in the jewellery department at Sotheby’s, McCormack’s use of antique jewellery techniques has become synonymous with her brand. “My father was an auctioneer [in New Zealand], and he introduced me to the world of art and antiques from a very young age,” she explains. “I think that gave me an early appreciation for beautiful things, whether old or new. At Sotheby’s, I got to work with some of the world’s most famous jewellery collections, like stunning pieces from the 1920s by Cartier and Lalique, as well as multiple crown jewels. It was incredibly inspiring but also showed me the amazing level of craftsmanship that’s possible in jewellery design.”

McCormack launched her own brand in 2008, first designing from a small studio in Clerkenwell, London, before realising her dream to open a full workshop. Moore joined her ten years ago, having previously been workshop manager for Shaun Leane, often working in close collaboration with the late Lee Alexander McQueen, providing statement pieces to accompany the fashion designer’s catwalk collections. "Jessica approached me with this amazing opportunity to set up the entire workshop practically from scratch, bringing as much as possible in house," he explains.

If the upstairs rooms provide the perfect theatrical backdrop for customers to understand the ethos of the brand, the basement offers yet more spectacle. The entire bespoke side of the practice is now created here, in a room walled with glass on two sides. At one end, a viewing room allows clients to watch the craftsmanship in comfort. It’s a welcome surprise to be able to look on as the mounters, setters and polishers add their unique skills to the pieces. "It’s so rare to see that," says Moore. "As the traditional work has become farmed out over the years in many businesses, so the quality lowers. But here the customers get to appreciate the workmanship that goes into it, from the concept to the end result."

"It’s super important to me that we have dedicated craftspeople with those specialised skills in the workshop,” says McCormack. “They’re the ones preserving and refining the skills, and also ensuring the quality of each piece.” To that end, the brand has an apprenticeship scheme in the workshop to ensure the traditional techniques are kept alive for generations to come.

By way of example, Moore shows one of Jessica McCormack’s signature touches: using a Georgian finishing technique where a stone is set in white gold (or traditionally silver), which is meticulously cut back by hand to provide a seamless join; the metal encases the stone with only a few decorative claws remaining. Moore clearly revels in giving clients an insight into the mysteries of the process. "It’s amazing to show them raw gold on a tray in the workshop and then the finished piece – some people don’t believe it could have come from that."

Having the workshop at the heart of the townhouse is key to the process that McCormack and her team have established. "It’s always a very collaborative conversation in which we decide on the most suitable materials and techniques for the design," she says. "From there, the workshop will create the piece, and we will review and refine the design until it’s perfect – at this stage the devil is in the detail, so a new design might pass through the workshop three of four times before it’s ready to call finished. We’re so lucky to have a workshop on site, it means that I can pop in and out throughout the day as needed. I really enjoy the process of designing and developing the pieces. It’s fun pulling ideas together and seeing something come to life, and I have a great team that I feel lucky to work alongside every day."

Photography by Sam Walton