Collaborations are commonplace in fashion, but far less common in fine jewellery, where personal style and technique often define an entire career. That is what makes the new Polly Wales x Castro Smith collection so compelling.

Bringing together Wales’ celebrated cast-not-set gemstone technique and Smith’s intricate hand engraving, the collection introduces sixteen one-of-a-kind jewels that feel part treasure, part miniature artwork and part imagined ecosystem.

A Meeting Of Two Creative Voices

For more than two decades, Polly Wales has built a reputation for challenging conventional jewellery making. Her signature cast-not-set process allows gemstones to settle naturally into molten gold during casting, creating jewels that embrace unpredictability and individuality.

Castro Smith approaches jewellery from a different direction. Based in London, he is renowned for his hand engraving, creating miniature worlds inspired by mythology, history, nature and folklore. His work combines traditional seal engraving techniques with a visual language filled with creatures, symbols and storytelling.

Rather than compromising their identities, the collaboration allows both designers to remain unmistakably themselves.

Polly Wales x Castro Smith skull ring in gold, featuring hand-carved details, engraved motifs and a scattering of coloured gemstones

Sixteen One-Of-A-Kind Worlds

The collection consists of sixteen one-of-a-kind jewels, each functioning almost as a self-contained world.

Across rings, pendants and signets, gemstones become landscapes populated by snakes, butterflies, ravens, ants, flowers and hidden creatures engraved directly into the gold.

The imagery is both playful and intricate. Sapphires appear amongst engraved creatures. Snakes weave between gemstones. Birds emerge from textured surfaces. Tiny details reveal themselves slowly, rewarding closer inspection.

Many of the pieces feel as though they have been excavated from an imagined civilisation, combining ancient symbolism with contemporary craftsmanship.

A one-of-a-kind signet ring from the Polly Wales x Castro Smith collaboration, featuring engraved serpent motifs and vibrant gemstones set in gold

Built On Friendship And Trust

What makes the collection particularly interesting is its origin.

According to both jewellers, the project grew from years of friendship, conversations and exchanged ideas before eventually becoming a physical collection. The process required Wales to create spaces within her gemstone-rich compositions that Smith could later inhabit through engraving.

That sense of creative freedom is visible throughout the collection. Rather than feeling tightly controlled, the jewels possess an energy that reflects the personalities of both makers.

Castro Smith collaboration, combining engraved winged motifs, hidden details and a scattering of colourful gemstones

More Than A Collaboration

Designer collaborations are not new, but collaborations between independent jewellers remain relatively rare. Jewellery is often deeply personal, with makers developing highly individual techniques over many years.

The Polly Wales x Castro Smith collection demonstrates what can happen when two strong creative voices work together without losing their identities.

Wales contributes colour, texture and spontaneity. Smith contributes narrative, symbolism and extraordinary engraved detail. The result is a collection that feels genuinely collaborative rather than simply co-branded.

The Jewels Club Take

Many collaborations promise something unique but ultimately deliver a blend of familiar signatures. Polly Wales and Castro Smith have achieved something more interesting.

Each jeweller remains instantly recognisable, yet the collection creates a new visual language that neither could have produced alone. The sixteen pieces feel less like individual jewels and more like wearable stories, inviting collectors to look closer and uncover the worlds hidden within the gold.

Discover More

The Polly Wales x Castro Smith collection is available now and consists of sixteen one-of-a-kind jewels combining cast-not-set gemstones, hand engraving and narrative-driven design. pollywales.com

Follow their collab on Instagram @pollwales & @castrosmith

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