FOPE is the jewellery brand you need in your life

Accessories have the power to make or break an outfit. They can take a simple blue-jeans-and-T combo from meh to amazing, and give old staples a new lease of life by adding a fresh twist.

Never is this more true than with jewellery – whether you’re a layer-it-up-with-chains kind of girl or have more of a pared-back aesthetic, the right precious metal is a fail-safe finishing touch. Best of all, lots of pieces work just as well peeping out from under an oversized shirt as they do taking centre stage with something formal.

That’s why we’re low-key obsessed with FOPE’s iconic Flex’it collections – each piece is a holy grail of easy-to-wear elegance, making them the perfect statement accessory to reach for over and over again.

The secret to FOPE’s Flex’it wearability lies in the tiny gold springs hidden between each link of its 18-carat gold mesh chains. The result of almost a century of expertise, experimenting and investment, the groundbreaking technique makes each piece – whether that’s a necklace, bracelet or ring – completely flexible, stretchable and smooth. Which means no more catching on clothes or leaving indentation marks on your skin.

Ivan Grianti

FOPE is an Italian brand that has been around for more than 90 years, but it’s come a long way since its early designs in 1920s Vincenza, where goldsmith Umberto Cazzola opened his first workshop with just 20 employees. Still owned by the same family, the craftsmanship, design sensibility and attention to detail is as evident as ever in its jewellery. From the Eka Anniversario, which celebrates the first-ever Flex’it collection released in 2007, to thoroughly contemporary classics and new launches, it’s clear every piece has been created with thought – not just for style, but for comfort as well.

The Luna collection is a case in point, marking the introduction of FOPE’s first Flex’it necklace. The heavy gold chain looks like a rigid choker, yet it lies softly against the skin thanks to the brand’s clever mesh system, so you can wear it all day long. The hidden clasp also means you’re not forever checking whether it’s twisted round – another level of detail we love. Then there’s Luna’s unisex range of bracelets in white, yellow and rose gold, which are just begging to be stacked.

Ivan Grianti

For those chasing a Nineties aesthetic, there’s the Solo collection – a modern, slightly more delicate update on the brand’s best-selling Unica range from the nostalgic period. With gold loops, pearls and diamonds across chokers, chain and tassel necklaces as well as earrings and rings, it’s a veritable sweet shop for jewellery lovers. Here, the clasp has come out of hiding to become a feature in its own right – a rondel set with a diamond in the ‘O’ of the FOPE logo, which conceals a button that opens the clasp.

Finally, one for the lovers out there – the new Soul collection of commitment rings in white, yellow or rose gold, each set with a precious stone. Crafted in the brand’s signature Novecento chain mesh, they’re intended to be gifts to celebrate romantic love or any other kind of relationship. It’s definitely a stylish way to say ‘I love you’, whether that’s a beau, a best friend or a little gift to self – because why not?