Kate’s Calendar Updates and A Conversation with Catherine Zoraida

Today we have updated info on the Queen’s ceremonial birthday celebrations, one of which Kate is now confirmed to attend.  We also have our conversation with jeweler and artisan Catherine Zoraida. We begin with news about the upcoming events surrounding celebrations of the Queen’s 90th birthday.

FRIDAY:

• The start time for Friday’s National Service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul’s Cathedral is 11am; that is 6am EDT/3am PDT. The BBC is broadcasting the service live; their coverage begins at 9:30am. BBC Radio 4 is also covering the event, and their live coverage starts at 10:55am. The arrival time for Kate, William & Harry is 10:48am; Charles and Camilla are slated to be at the Cathedral at 10:53; HM and the Duke of Edinburgh arrive at 10:58. After the service Kate and William join guests at the Guildhall for lunch.

• More details on elements of the service via the St. Paul’s site:
  • Politicians past and present, including Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, diplomats and governors general will also be among the congregation.
  • Prime Minister David Cameron will read from the New Testament and the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd. and Rt. Hon. Justin Welby, will preach the sermon.
  • Organ music before the 11am service includes ‘Flourish for an occasion’ by William Harris, who taught the Queen to play the piano.
  • Sir David Attenborough & Paddington creator Michael Bond have roles in the service.
  • St. Paul’s commissioned an anthem ‘I love all beauteous things’. It was composed by Judith Weir, Master of the Queen’s Music.  To read more about Friday’s event and see the actual Order of Service click here. 

St. Pauls Cathedral

St. Paul’s is where the Diamond Jubilee Service of Thanksgiving was held in 2012, as well as last year’s National Service of Commemoration honoring those who served in Afghanistan.

SATURDAY:

• A reminder on times for Trooping the Colour: the event begins at 10am (5am EDT/2am PDT), the fly-past is scheduled for 1pm. We expect to see Prince George again, and there is also substantial chatter about the possibility of Princess Charlotte joining the family on the Buckingham Palace balcony. 

SUNDAY:

• This is when The Patron’s Lunch takes place, a giant street party on the Mall in St. James’s Park. The event celebrates the Queen’s patronage of more than 600 charities and organizations. William and Harry are Joint Presidents of the event. Kate’s participation at this event has now been confirmed, my guess is she will join HM, Prince Philip, William and Harry in the royal box mentioned in the Standard article below.  More from The Patron’s Lunch website:

…a truly magnificent event, The Patron’s Lunch; a classic British ‘street party’ lunch for 10,000 guests, the first of its kind ever to be held on The Mall.

The day itself promises to deliver an electric festival-themed atmosphere that can be enjoyed not only by the guests on The Mall, but also by the general public who will be able to soak up the festivities at large screens situated in the Royal Parks, Green Park and St James’s Park. 

• And from The Evening Standard

A carnival parade will travel along entertaining guests and the Queen and Philip will take to a stage at the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of the Palace to listen to speeches, before sitting in a royal box with the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry, joint presidents of the event, for part of the day.

All manner of products associated with the Queen’s birthday events, including Sunday’s Lunch, are being promoted. One such item: a Buckingham Palace model out of Pimm’s gelatin. (This was so bizarre I had to include it.)

We’re really rather proud of our wobbly Jelly replica of Buckingham Palace #HappyBirthdayYourMajesty #ThreeCheershttps://t.co/BLnW3zYBQR

— Pimm’s (@PimmsGB) June 8, 2016

According to The Daily Mirror, 30,000 glasses (that’s 5,000 jugs for those keeping score at home) of the British beverage will be served on Sunday.

The weather doesn’t look terrific, but it isn’t ghastly.

Via AccuWeather.com

The forecast shown above doesn’t include Monday when the annual Order of the Garter events take place, but that event isn’t impacted by the elements nearly as much as a military fly-past or outdoor picnic.

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It is always a delight to learn more about new designers Kate wears, especially when they are artisans who design and create handmade pieces, like Catherine Zoraida. She has been kind enough to share some of her story with us, from her early artistic instincts to coping with The Kate Effect. Readers may recall the first time we saw Kate wearing the designer’s jewelry; it was during the 2012 Jubilee tour, the evening of the Malaysian state dinner.

James Whatling-Splash News/Mark Large-PA Wire

Kate wore the Spread Your Wings bracelet and Double Leaf earrings.

© James Whatling/Splash News

A closer look at the pieces.

Catherine Zoraida

One of the first questions I asked Catherine involved her plans when young, if she knew she would be doing something creative for a career. She explained that while she was always artistic, her mother’s influence was important.

My mother always encouraged me to develop my drawing skills and during the summers we would attend drawing summer school together. I didn’t really know where it would take me but I think learning to draw and paint definitely led me down the path to jewellery. It helps you appreciate forms and have an interest in how things are made.

After her basic coursework at Edinburgh University Catherine decided she wanted to specialize in jewellery and silversmithing.

I could have become a sculptor or painter but it was the precious materials and sparkling jewels that appealed to my girly side and finally won me over. I still use my drawing skills in my designs but it is creating something that I feel will be precious to someone that I really love.

Below, the designer at work.

Catherine Zoraida Instagram

I asked Catherine where she finds design inspiration.

I love to look to the natural world – I have always had a slight obsession with small intricate things and have a large collection of found objects waiting to be turned into jewellery or inspire a new collection. I have travelled a lot in my life (born in Colombia, followed by  living in the USA -Virginia,  Scotland, London and the Cotswolds). All of these places play a strong role in my designs and I think always will. I have been lucky enough to live in some fascinating places and it is hard not be inspired by them. A lot of my jewellery is cast from or inspired by items I have found on my travels (in the UK, Europe, the Americas and Africa) and then there are more obvious odes to my favourite places such as my Scottish thistles pieces, Brazilian hummingbird pendants and English Ash Leaf earrings (aka The Double Leaf Earrings).

Here you see the Duchess wearing the Double Leaf earrings during a visit to Uluru, or Ayer’s Rock, in 2014.

©i-Images

So how did Kate come to wear Catherine Zoraida on the tour? A bit of background via a 2015 Hello! story:

“Speaking about how her royal seal of approval came about, Catherine explained: “I had an extremely exciting call from Buckingham Palace requesting some pieces. 

Readers here are more-than-familiar with The Kate Effect, having watched products ranging from designer dresses to Zara jeans sell out within minutes of being seen on the Duchess. What is it like when it’s something you made that Kate is wearing? Catherine says it is hugely exciting and rewarding, a moment she will never forget.

The first time she wore the Double Leaf Earrings I had no warning at all, in fact I found out at the same time as everyone else, the moment she stepped out for dinner with the King of Malaysia.  It was the first major public engagement since their wedding and the world’s eyes were on her. The next day I saw The Double Leaf Earrings and The Spread Your Wings Bracelet on the front page of every paper in the UK (and lots more around the world). It was hugely positive and gave me the confidence and resources to push forward and grow steadily.

Knowing that too much business can be as challenging as not enough business, how was it coping with the frenzy following Kate’s first appearance in her jewelry?

…it was an incredibly busy period after she wore them for the first time (and a big learning curve). Luckily everyone who wanted to purchase the earrings after Kate wore them were incredibly understanding and generally very excited for me. I had to explain that everything was handmade and that there would be a bit of a wait but once everyone understood it was not a problem, especially when they realised they were being made specially for them. I had so many kind messages once I had sent out all the pieces. The Duchess and some other high profile names have now worn my jewellery on many occasions and although it is always a hugely exciting and busy time I always feel quite blown away with delight and happiness as you literally never know what’s around the corner.

There are other leaf pieces in the collection now, including the Lucky Leaf Drop pendant and silver Lucky Leaf Drop Earrings.

Catherine Zoraida

In September of 2015 Kate added a pair of Fern Hoop earrings to her Catherine Zoraida collection; they were seen again at a Fostering Network function in November. 

© James Whatling/Splash News, Stephen Lock/i-Images

The talented designer has also created collections for some of fashion’s most notable names, including Lulu Guinness, Vivienne Westwood and Matthew Williamson, a brand Kate has worn. I asked about her favorite and not-so-favorite parts of running her own business.

I love making the prototypes and designing new pieces but when I receive letters or emails from happy customers, that really makes my day. The difficult thing is to not let the admin side of running the business take over. It is easy for paperwork and accounts to take up a lot of the day so I have to be very strict and allow myself lots of time to do what I love and what is most important, designing and making. The other most difficult thing is getting your name out there so people know what you do and what you create. So as a young designer it’s a dream come true to have customers like DofC as it has helped spread the word across the globe and is always so exciting to see how she wears them.

Below, a Dragonfly Ring and a pair of Hibiscus Sweet Nectar earrings.

Catherine Zoraida

Being your own boss brings an often unique set of circumstances.

My job allows me to work from my studio in the Cotswolds and my workshop in Hatton Garden, London. So between the two I love the complete contrasts of city life and country life. But it’s also very hard starting up and running your own business. When I first started the company I was working in my attic and now a few years down the line I have a workshop in London with a small team to help and a studio in Gloucestershire.

Catherine Zoraida Instagram

I wondered if the notoriety has been helpful in any way beyond the obvious sales boost. Where does Catherine want to see the brand go from here?

I still run everything myself but with the brand getting more recognised it also means I can find help with other areas such as developing my website along with accounting and marketing etc. As the business grows my role changes slightly but I don’t mind as long as I can still do the bits I love as well. The dream would be to one day have our own stand alone store with the workshop inside so people can come and see what’s being made. It’s hard being creative and to be successful so I feel very lucky to be able to do what I do.

A look at the Zodiac Pendants.

Catherine Zoraida

Catherine continues to grow the company. Fortnum and Mason offers select pieces, as do Wolf and Badger, Lux Fix and other retailers. In the USA there is an exclusive collection at Stone and Strand in New York. There is also a new line of jewelry storage items, including a jewelry roll, boxes and envelopes.

Catherine Zoraida

Catherine has also launched her new “Life’s A Beach” collection. Below, Seahorse and Starfish earrings from that group.

Catherine Zoraida

We corresponded about William and Kate’s tour of India and Bhutan. India has a special significance for Catherine.

I have been to India a few times and it holds a very special place in my heart. When I first met my (now) husband we were at a small music festival in England. We were both in our final year of Uni and my husband had based his final project on the Ramayana, the epic indian tale of romance and adventure. The day after we met at the festival he was going off to India to research the project. It was really sad as we desperately wanted to see each other again.

 

After a week of him being out there he asked me to come and join him, it was quite scary as we hardly knew each other and I had never been to India before but I had to see him again so I bought a ticket and headed off! He traveled all the way from Calcutta to Delhi to meet me at the airport and we had the most magical week in Pushkar before I had to return home to Scotland. We have been together ever since. So India was kind of our first date and it brings back amazing memories of those first happy days, falling in love in an indian fairytale. It was a real adventure.

atherine also shares her knowledge and skills, like at this 2014 workshop in Port Eliot. The workshops were part of a collaboration with Anthropologie; Catherine spent three days teaching people attending the annual Port Eliot Festival how to cast and create pendants, like the one seen below right.

Catherine Zoraida

How does the gifted artisan relax? With her husband and their much loved Bedlington whippet, Fox-in-Socks.

Our thanks to Catherine for sharing so generously of her time, she is every bit as delightful as she is talented.

We’ll see you tomorrow for coverage of the SportsAid annual SportsBall.