Ritual Studio x DARN - Interview with Designer Aquila Dunford
Aquila Dunford is the founder and designer of Ritual Studio, an independent jewellery label based in Dorset, UK. A maker of beautiful made-to-order and limited-run rings, bangles, necklaces and charms, each piece is enriched with meaning and symbolism.
Worn as talismans that help guide us through our days, life decisions and interactions with others, Ritual Studio jewellery reminds the wearer of their inner strength, heart-to-heart love connections and the animal spirits that walk with us on our own personal journeys. Aquila is a believer in spirituality and interweaves a connection to the old rituals of tarot, astrology and intuition throughout her work; giving each item a feeling of being blessed by its creator before being passed onto its bearer.
There is a kindred connection between DARN and Ritual Studio, with multi-tasking, Wonderwomen founders at the helm of either company, who relish in connecting family, friends and new faces through design that carries a deeper meaning.
Whilst holidaying in Sardinia in the summer of 2023, DARN founder Amelia pitched the idea to Aquila of a collaboration. Understandably from one avid multi-tasker to another, she kindly expressed how a partnership wouldn’t be possible within her schedule. However, a greater force was at work. In the true spirit of this collaboration, two days later Amelia received a message and flurry of images from Aquila of sampled pieces with a rush of excitement “SO! I’ve made these, what do you think?”.
Hitting the spot first time with her initial sample of the Scallop earrings you see below, Aquilia captured perfectly the mood and energy of the coastline where DARN resides and draws endless inspiration from. A few weeks later, a collaborative photoshoot took place at the shoreline of Amelia’s local swimming spot, overseen by the weather Gods in their amusement as they sent sunshine and intermittent flurries of wind and rain that required sheltering under a nearby tree.
Seen below worn on Alice and Vivian, only ten sets of Siren Earrings have been brought into the world. We believe the earrings will find their way to their rightful owners, through a kismet energy that was born at their very inception.
Scroll down to read our Q&A with Aquila.
Shop the Ritual Studio x DARN collection here.
How did it all begin with you making jewellery?
It began in lockdown to scratch a creative itch. I was stuck at home with two small kids, pregnant with my third and teaching yoga online. I wanted to connect to something real and tangible that was all mine. The lost wax process is meditative and slow yet immediate. And then suddenly you have something sent back to you from the foundry that has been alchemised. It’s total magic.
How did the design come about for the scallop earrings?
We were thinking about big female symbols. I found this incredible book on the history of the scallop throughout art in a charity shop and have been pouring over it. I wanted a way to adorn in a really feminine way, using the pearls almost like teardrops or something more sexy.
What is your mantra currently for life?
‘Boldness has genius, magic and power in it. Begin it now.’ - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
How do you start your day and how does it usually end?
I choose my jewels for the day depending on what mood or energy I want to invite in. Then I peel them off at the end of the day, to then start anew.
What direction do see Ritual Studio heading?
I want to continue to play and learn. This year I hope to do a sculpture course and learn sand-casting. It’s all been such a wonderful surprise so far, I want to continue to keep it fresh.
What’s your favourite jewellery piece currently and why?
I keep returning to the simplicity of the Nudo Mama. It has such timeless elegance to it. But I’m totally fickle and every day I have a new fave!
Who and what inspires you currently?
I’m obsessed with the poet Emory Hall and her poem ‘I have been a thousand different women’.
It’s about forgiveness and honesty. Poetry gives me such hope and insight in times of great turbulence.
Shop the Ritual Studio x DARN collection here.
Visit the official Ritual Studio store.
