Hannah Mossman Moore is a jeweler and gem dealer in London who, in her words, sells “big rocks for powerful people.”
And Hannah’s idea of powerful involves standing up for yourself, shaping your own destiny and helping the planet at the same time.
The brand is called Jean, named after Hannah’s badass grandmother, a rebel and a journalist who spent her whole life challenging the patriarchal systems around her. Hannah has inherited this spirit in spades. Even the knuckleduster design of her rings is a reaction against her own years long and terrifying experience with a stalker. You can call them cocktail rings because the gems are so glamorous, but this no-nonsense jewelry is to be worn all day long – and all night if it helps you sleep better.
After university, Hannah worked for the jewelry company Alighieri, before moving to Sri Lanka to work for a gem company. While there, she made a documentary about Sri Lanka with Francesca Cartier of the famed jewelry family showing the incredible inspiration that the Cartiers took from the landscape. Soon after filming, Hannah fell gravely ill with dengue fever and returned t Europe to recover. While in France, she spent a great deal of time in the Cartier house library, studying their books on jewelry and becoming inspired to stat her own line. Shortly thereafter, she returned to Sri Lanka to source the first stones that would become part of the Jean range, and her first-hand knowledge of the mines where she sources her gems makes the brand unique in being able to trace the supply chain all the way back to the hands that dig the stones out of the earth.
The first time Hannah ever went to the markets, she was accompanied by an 80-year-old professor of gemmology who cut through the sales pitches and the bargaining and bustle, and taught Hannah how to hold her ground and leave with only the very best gems.
BSC: So sexism is a big problem in the industry?
HMM: Yes. It can be intimidating, but I think that sometimes such blatant hostility drives women to stick together and support each other more, like Beatrice, a mine owner who is now a friend and a great inspiration. I’ve named one of the rings after her. I met her through one of her sons, who told me about his mother being the first female miner in Sri Lanka. I couldn’t wait to meet her and immediately went to visit the mine. When she opened her mine, every single man in the industry told Beatrice to shut it down. There is a lot of superstition that goes with mining. Rituals and prayers are carried out on the land and still today women are seen as bad luck. But she believes that in life you should only listen to the universe – and now she is the boss of a mine as well as being married with three children. All the children work for her and she still lives modestly in spite of the size of sapphires that are pulled from the mine. The mine has shared ownership with all employees and Beatrice cares for them like family.
Beatrice wearing the "Beatrice" ring by Jean London
The Beatrice Smokey Quartz Ring, shot by David Mossman
Beatrice's mine in Sri Lanka
BSC: Do you think men feel intimidated by your success and your knuckledusters?
HMM: I hope so! Just kidding, but seriously, I like to sell jewellery to people who buy their own bling, who aren’t waiting for someone else to put a ring on their finger.
BSC: You design the rings so the stones touch your skin. Do you think they have different powers?
HMM: Yes! These rings are pushed up from the core of the earth over millions of years under immense heat and pressure. I’m certain they have different powers. But there’s also the confidence that wearing fabulous jewellery can give you. There’s the joy in that little glimmer of gold and silver and sunlight hitting an exquisitely cut rock as you go about your daily business.
The Maria Ressa Pendant in Citrine, shot by David Mossman
BSC: What’s your favourite precious stone?
HMM: My favourite precious stone is Purple Amethyst. It dates right back to 3100 BC and was used all the time by ancient Greeks and romans because of its special powers. We never hear about diamonds historically - they were never seen as anything special and have been branded as something expensive pretty recently. Amethysts are historically very powerful and have been found in royal tombs.
The Carole Purple Amethyst Ring, shot by David Mossman
BSC: Apart from Jean - If you could go back in time and meet any powerful woman you choose, who would it be?
HMM: I would love to meet Emmeline Pankhurst [organizer of UK Suffragette movement] and plan an intervention with her!
Hannah Mossman Moore is a jeweler and gem dealer in London who, in her words, sells “big rocks for powerful people.”
And Hannah’s idea of powerful involves standing up for yourself, shaping your own destiny and helping the planet at the same time.
The brand is called Jean, named after Hannah’s badass grandmother, a rebel and a journalist who spent her whole life challenging the patriarchal systems around her. Hannah has inherited this spirit in spades. Even the knuckleduster design of her rings is a reaction against her own years long and terrifying experience with a stalker. You can call them cocktail rings because the gems are so glamorous, but this no-nonsense jewelry is to be worn all day long – and all night if it helps you sleep better.
After university, Hannah worked for the jewelry company Alighieri, before moving to Sri Lanka to work for a gem company. While there, she made a documentary about Sri Lanka with Francesca Cartier of the famed jewelry family showing the incredible inspiration that the Cartiers took from the landscape. Soon after filming, Hannah fell gravely ill with dengue fever and returned t Europe to recover. While in France, she spent a great deal of time in the Cartier house library, studying their books on jewelry and becoming inspired to stat her own line. Shortly thereafter, she returned to Sri Lanka to source the first stones that would become part of the Jean range, and her first-hand knowledge of the mines where she sources her gems makes the brand unique in being able to trace the supply chain all the way back to the hands that dig the stones out of the earth.
The first time Hannah ever went to the markets, she was accompanied by an 80-year-old professor of gemmology who cut through the sales pitches and the bargaining and bustle, and taught Hannah how to hold her ground and leave with only the very best gems.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Jean London
December 13, 2023
FASHION & BEAUTY
Photos: Courtesy of Hannah Mossman Moore
Interview/Article: Kerry Shaw
Hannah Mossman Moore is a jeweler and gem dealer in London who, in her words, sells “big rocks for powerful people.”
And Hannah’s idea of powerful involves standing up for yourself, shaping your own destiny and helping the planet at the same time.
The brand is called Jean, named after Hannah’s badass grandmother, a rebel and a journalist who spent her whole life challenging the patriarchal systems around her. Hannah has inherited this spirit in spades. Even the knuckleduster design of her rings is a reaction against her own years long and terrifying experience with a stalker. You can call them cocktail rings because the gems are so glamorous, but this no-nonsense jewelry is to be worn all day long – and all night if it helps you sleep better.
After university, Hannah worked for the jewelry company Alighieri, before moving to Sri Lanka to work for a gem company. While there, she made a documentary about Sri Lanka with Francesca Cartier of the famed jewelry family showing the incredible inspiration that the Cartiers took from the landscape. Soon after filming, Hannah fell gravely ill with dengue fever and returned t Europe to recover. While in France, she spent a great deal of time in the Cartier house library, studying their books on jewelry and becoming inspired to stat her own line. Shortly thereafter, she returned to Sri Lanka to source the first stones that would become part of the Jean range, and her first-hand knowledge of the mines where she sources her gems makes the brand unique in being able to trace the supply chain all the way back to the hands that dig the stones out of the earth.
The first time Hannah ever went to the markets, she was accompanied by an 80-year-old professor of gemmology who cut through the sales pitches and the bargaining and bustle, and taught Hannah how to hold her ground and leave with only the very best gems.
BSC: So sexism is a big problem in the industry?
HMM: Yes. It can be intimidating, but I think that sometimes such blatant hostility drives women to stick together and support each other more, like Beatrice, a mine owner who is now a friend and a great inspiration. I’ve named one of the rings after her. I met her through one of her sons, who told me about his mother being the first female miner in Sri Lanka. I couldn’t wait to meet her and immediately went to visit the mine. When she opened her mine, every single man in the industry told Beatrice to shut it down. There is a lot of superstition that goes with mining. Rituals and prayers are carried out on the land and still today women are seen as bad luck. But she believes that in life you should only listen to the universe – and now she is the boss of a mine as well as being married with three children. All the children work for her and she still lives modestly in spite of the size of sapphires that are pulled from the mine. The mine has shared ownership with all employees and Beatrice cares for them like family.
Beatrice wearing the "Beatrice" ring by Jean London
The Beatrice Smokey Quartz Ring, shot by David Mossman
Beatrice's mine in Sri Lanka
BSC: Do you think men feel intimidated by your success and your knuckledusters?
HMM: I hope so! Just kidding, but seriously, I like to sell jewellery to people who buy their own bling, who aren’t waiting for someone else to put a ring on their finger.
BSC: You design the rings so the stones touch your skin. Do you think they have different powers?
HMM: Yes! These rings are pushed up from the core of the earth over millions of years under immense heat and pressure. I’m certain they have different powers. But there’s also the confidence that wearing fabulous jewellery can give you. There’s the joy in that little glimmer of gold and silver and sunlight hitting an exquisitely cut rock as you go about your daily business.
The Maria Ressa Pendant in Citrine, shot by David Mossman
BSC: What’s your favourite precious stone?
HMM: My favourite precious stone is Purple Amethyst. It dates right back to 3100 BC and was used all the time by ancient Greeks and romans because of its special powers. We never hear about diamonds historically - they were never seen as anything special and have been branded as something expensive pretty recently. Amethysts are historically very powerful and have been found in royal tombs.
The Carole Purple Amethyst Ring, shot by David Mossman
BSC: Apart from Jean - If you could go back in time and meet any powerful woman you choose, who would it be?
HMM: I would love to meet Emmeline Pankhurst [organizer of UK Suffragette movement] and plan an intervention with her!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Jean London
HASSON
December 13, 2023
FASHION & BEAUTY
Photos: Courtesy of Hannah Mossman Moore
Interview/Article: Kerry Shaw
Hannah Mossman Moore is a jeweler and gem dealer in London who, in her words, sells “big rocks for powerful people.”
And Hannah’s idea of powerful involves standing up for yourself, shaping your own destiny and helping the planet at the same time.
The brand is called Jean, named after Hannah’s badass grandmother, a rebel and a journalist who spent her whole life challenging the patriarchal systems around her. Hannah has inherited this spirit in spades. Even the knuckleduster design of her rings is a reaction against her own years long and terrifying experience with a stalker. You can call them cocktail rings because the gems are so glamorous, but this no-nonsense jewelry is to be worn all day long – and all night if it helps you sleep better.
After university, Hannah worked for the jewelry company Alighieri, before moving to Sri Lanka to work for a gem company. While there, she made a documentary about Sri Lanka with Francesca Cartier of the famed jewelry family showing the incredible inspiration that the Cartiers took from the landscape. Soon after filming, Hannah fell gravely ill with dengue fever and returned t Europe to recover. While in France, she spent a great deal of time in the Cartier house library, studying their books on jewelry and becoming inspired to stat her own line. Shortly thereafter, she returned to Sri Lanka to source the first stones that would become part of the Jean range, and her first-hand knowledge of the mines where she sources her gems makes the brand unique in being able to trace the supply chain all the way back to the hands that dig the stones out of the earth.
The first time Hannah ever went to the markets, she was accompanied by an 80-year-old professor of gemmology who cut through the sales pitches and the bargaining and bustle, and taught Hannah how to hold her ground and leave with only the very best gems.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Jean London
December 13, 2023
FASHION & BEAUTY
Photos: Courtesy of Hannah Mossman Moore
Interview/Article: Kerry Shaw
No items found.
Hannah Mossman Moore is a jeweler and gem dealer in London who, in her words, sells “big rocks for powerful people.”
And Hannah’s idea of powerful involves standing up for yourself, shaping your own destiny and helping the planet at the same time.
The brand is called Jean, named after Hannah’s badass grandmother, a rebel and a journalist who spent her whole life challenging the patriarchal systems around her. Hannah has inherited this spirit in spades. Even the knuckleduster design of her rings is a reaction against her own years long and terrifying experience with a stalker. You can call them cocktail rings because the gems are so glamorous, but this no-nonsense jewelry is to be worn all day long – and all night if it helps you sleep better.
After university, Hannah worked for the jewelry company Alighieri, before moving to Sri Lanka to work for a gem company. While there, she made a documentary about Sri Lanka with Francesca Cartier of the famed jewelry family showing the incredible inspiration that the Cartiers took from the landscape. Soon after filming, Hannah fell gravely ill with dengue fever and returned t Europe to recover. While in France, she spent a great deal of time in the Cartier house library, studying their books on jewelry and becoming inspired to stat her own line. Shortly thereafter, she returned to Sri Lanka to source the first stones that would become part of the Jean range, and her first-hand knowledge of the mines where she sources her gems makes the brand unique in being able to trace the supply chain all the way back to the hands that dig the stones out of the earth.
The first time Hannah ever went to the markets, she was accompanied by an 80-year-old professor of gemmology who cut through the sales pitches and the bargaining and bustle, and taught Hannah how to hold her ground and leave with only the very best gems.
Hannah Mossman Moore is a jeweler and gem dealer in London who, in her words, sells “big rocks for powerful people.”
And Hannah’s idea of powerful involves standing up for yourself, shaping your own destiny and helping the planet at the same time.
The brand is called Jean, named after Hannah’s badass grandmother, a rebel and a journalist who spent her whole life challenging the patriarchal systems around her. Hannah has inherited this spirit in spades. Even the knuckleduster design of her rings is a reaction against her own years long and terrifying experience with a stalker. You can call them cocktail rings because the gems are so glamorous, but this no-nonsense jewelry is to be worn all day long – and all night if it helps you sleep better.
After university, Hannah worked for the jewelry company Alighieri, before moving to Sri Lanka to work for a gem company. While there, she made a documentary about Sri Lanka with Francesca Cartier of the famed jewelry family showing the incredible inspiration that the Cartiers took from the landscape. Soon after filming, Hannah fell gravely ill with dengue fever and returned t Europe to recover. While in France, she spent a great deal of time in the Cartier house library, studying their books on jewelry and becoming inspired to stat her own line. Shortly thereafter, she returned to Sri Lanka to source the first stones that would become part of the Jean range, and her first-hand knowledge of the mines where she sources her gems makes the brand unique in being able to trace the supply chain all the way back to the hands that dig the stones out of the earth.
The first time Hannah ever went to the markets, she was accompanied by an 80-year-old professor of gemmology who cut through the sales pitches and the bargaining and bustle, and taught Hannah how to hold her ground and leave with only the very best gems.
BSC: So sexism is a big problem in the industry?
HMM: Yes. It can be intimidating, but I think that sometimes such blatant hostility drives women to stick together and support each other more, like Beatrice, a mine owner who is now a friend and a great inspiration. I’ve named one of the rings after her. I met her through one of her sons, who told me about his mother being the first female miner in Sri Lanka. I couldn’t wait to meet her and immediately went to visit the mine. When she opened her mine, every single man in the industry told Beatrice to shut it down. There is a lot of superstition that goes with mining. Rituals and prayers are carried out on the land and still today women are seen as bad luck. But she believes that in life you should only listen to the universe – and now she is the boss of a mine as well as being married with three children. All the children work for her and she still lives modestly in spite of the size of sapphires that are pulled from the mine. The mine has shared ownership with all employees and Beatrice cares for them like family.
Beatrice wearing the "Beatrice" ring by Jean London
The Beatrice Smokey Quartz Ring, shot by David Mossman
Beatrice's mine in Sri Lanka
BSC: Do you think men feel intimidated by your success and your knuckledusters?
HMM: I hope so! Just kidding, but seriously, I like to sell jewellery to people who buy their own bling, who aren’t waiting for someone else to put a ring on their finger.
BSC: You design the rings so the stones touch your skin. Do you think they have different powers?
HMM: Yes! These rings are pushed up from the core of the earth over millions of years under immense heat and pressure. I’m certain they have different powers. But there’s also the confidence that wearing fabulous jewellery can give you. There’s the joy in that little glimmer of gold and silver and sunlight hitting an exquisitely cut rock as you go about your daily business.
The Maria Ressa Pendant in Citrine, shot by David Mossman
BSC: What’s your favourite precious stone?
HMM: My favourite precious stone is Purple Amethyst. It dates right back to 3100 BC and was used all the time by ancient Greeks and romans because of its special powers. We never hear about diamonds historically - they were never seen as anything special and have been branded as something expensive pretty recently. Amethysts are historically very powerful and have been found in royal tombs.
The Carole Purple Amethyst Ring, shot by David Mossman
BSC: Apart from Jean - If you could go back in time and meet any powerful woman you choose, who would it be?
HMM: I would love to meet Emmeline Pankhurst [organizer of UK Suffragette movement] and plan an intervention with her!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Pink
frost
Thistle
brown
December 13, 2023
FASHION & BEAUTY
Photos: Courtesy of Hannah Mossman Moore
Interview/Article: Kerry Shaw
Super talented stylist-turned-photographer Thistle Browne and stylist Heathermary Jackson — both in New Zealand during COVID-19 lockdowns — traveled to Rangitoto Island, a dormant volcano off the coast of Central Auckland, to shoot the new campaign for New Zealand jewelry designer Jasmin Sparrow. The shoot showcases Sparrow’s timeless gold and silver jewelry, and a beautiful collection of hand-beaded bras and skull caps designed with Glen Prentice. Models wore mainly vintage from Search and Destroy and Brownstone Cowboys’ collection, combined with some local, sustainable brands and New Zealand gumboots (rainboots).
Photography:Thistle Brown Styling:Heathermary Jackson Designers: Jasmin Sparrow and Glen Prentice Models: Charlotte Moffatt, Nina Katungi, Obadiah Russon
Hannah Mossman Moore is a jeweler and gem dealer in London who, in her words, sells “big rocks for powerful people.”
And Hannah’s idea of powerful involves standing up for yourself, shaping your own destiny and helping the planet at the same time.
The brand is called Jean, named after Hannah’s badass grandmother, a rebel and a journalist who spent her whole life challenging the patriarchal systems around her. Hannah has inherited this spirit in spades. Even the knuckleduster design of her rings is a reaction against her own years long and terrifying experience with a stalker. You can call them cocktail rings because the gems are so glamorous, but this no-nonsense jewelry is to be worn all day long – and all night if it helps you sleep better.
After university, Hannah worked for the jewelry company Alighieri, before moving to Sri Lanka to work for a gem company. While there, she made a documentary about Sri Lanka with Francesca Cartier of the famed jewelry family showing the incredible inspiration that the Cartiers took from the landscape. Soon after filming, Hannah fell gravely ill with dengue fever and returned t Europe to recover. While in France, she spent a great deal of time in the Cartier house library, studying their books on jewelry and becoming inspired to stat her own line. Shortly thereafter, she returned to Sri Lanka to source the first stones that would become part of the Jean range, and her first-hand knowledge of the mines where she sources her gems makes the brand unique in being able to trace the supply chain all the way back to the hands that dig the stones out of the earth.
The first time Hannah ever went to the markets, she was accompanied by an 80-year-old professor of gemmology who cut through the sales pitches and the bargaining and bustle, and taught Hannah how to hold her ground and leave with only the very best gems.
BSC: So sexism is a big problem in the industry?
HMM: Yes. It can be intimidating, but I think that sometimes such blatant hostility drives women to stick together and support each other more, like Beatrice, a mine owner who is now a friend and a great inspiration. I’ve named one of the rings after her. I met her through one of her sons, who told me about his mother being the first female miner in Sri Lanka. I couldn’t wait to meet her and immediately went to visit the mine. When she opened her mine, every single man in the industry told Beatrice to shut it down. There is a lot of superstition that goes with mining. Rituals and prayers are carried out on the land and still today women are seen as bad luck. But she believes that in life you should only listen to the universe – and now she is the boss of a mine as well as being married with three children. All the children work for her and she still lives modestly in spite of the size of sapphires that are pulled from the mine. The mine has shared ownership with all employees and Beatrice cares for them like family.
Beatrice wearing the "Beatrice" ring by Jean London
The Beatrice Smokey Quartz Ring, shot by David Mossman
Beatrice's mine in Sri Lanka
BSC: Do you think men feel intimidated by your success and your knuckledusters?
HMM: I hope so! Just kidding, but seriously, I like to sell jewellery to people who buy their own bling, who aren’t waiting for someone else to put a ring on their finger.
BSC: You design the rings so the stones touch your skin. Do you think they have different powers?
HMM: Yes! These rings are pushed up from the core of the earth over millions of years under immense heat and pressure. I’m certain they have different powers. But there’s also the confidence that wearing fabulous jewellery can give you. There’s the joy in that little glimmer of gold and silver and sunlight hitting an exquisitely cut rock as you go about your daily business.
The Maria Ressa Pendant in Citrine, shot by David Mossman
BSC: What’s your favourite precious stone?
HMM: My favourite precious stone is Purple Amethyst. It dates right back to 3100 BC and was used all the time by ancient Greeks and romans because of its special powers. We never hear about diamonds historically - they were never seen as anything special and have been branded as something expensive pretty recently. Amethysts are historically very powerful and have been found in royal tombs.
The Carole Purple Amethyst Ring, shot by David Mossman
BSC: Apart from Jean - If you could go back in time and meet any powerful woman you choose, who would it be?
HMM: I would love to meet Emmeline Pankhurst [organizer of UK Suffragette movement] and plan an intervention with her!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Jean London
December 13, 2023
FASHION & BEAUTY
Photos: Courtesy of Hannah Mossman Moore
Interview/Article: Kerry Shaw
Hannah Mossman Moore is a jeweler and gem dealer in London who, in her words, sells “big rocks for powerful people.”
And Hannah’s idea of powerful involves standing up for yourself, shaping your own destiny and helping the planet at the same time.
The brand is called Jean, named after Hannah’s badass grandmother, a rebel and a journalist who spent her whole life challenging the patriarchal systems around her. Hannah has inherited this spirit in spades. Even the knuckleduster design of her rings is a reaction against her own years long and terrifying experience with a stalker. You can call them cocktail rings because the gems are so glamorous, but this no-nonsense jewelry is to be worn all day long – and all night if it helps you sleep better.
After university, Hannah worked for the jewelry company Alighieri, before moving to Sri Lanka to work for a gem company. While there, she made a documentary about Sri Lanka with Francesca Cartier of the famed jewelry family showing the incredible inspiration that the Cartiers took from the landscape. Soon after filming, Hannah fell gravely ill with dengue fever and returned t Europe to recover. While in France, she spent a great deal of time in the Cartier house library, studying their books on jewelry and becoming inspired to stat her own line. Shortly thereafter, she returned to Sri Lanka to source the first stones that would become part of the Jean range, and her first-hand knowledge of the mines where she sources her gems makes the brand unique in being able to trace the supply chain all the way back to the hands that dig the stones out of the earth.
The first time Hannah ever went to the markets, she was accompanied by an 80-year-old professor of gemmology who cut through the sales pitches and the bargaining and bustle, and taught Hannah how to hold her ground and leave with only the very best gems.
BSC: So sexism is a big problem in the industry?
HMM: Yes. It can be intimidating, but I think that sometimes such blatant hostility drives women to stick together and support each other more, like Beatrice, a mine owner who is now a friend and a great inspiration. I’ve named one of the rings after her. I met her through one of her sons, who told me about his mother being the first female miner in Sri Lanka. I couldn’t wait to meet her and immediately went to visit the mine. When she opened her mine, every single man in the industry told Beatrice to shut it down. There is a lot of superstition that goes with mining. Rituals and prayers are carried out on the land and still today women are seen as bad luck. But she believes that in life you should only listen to the universe – and now she is the boss of a mine as well as being married with three children. All the children work for her and she still lives modestly in spite of the size of sapphires that are pulled from the mine. The mine has shared ownership with all employees and Beatrice cares for them like family.
Beatrice wearing the "Beatrice" ring by Jean London
The Beatrice Smokey Quartz Ring, shot by David Mossman
Beatrice's mine in Sri Lanka
BSC: Do you think men feel intimidated by your success and your knuckledusters?
HMM: I hope so! Just kidding, but seriously, I like to sell jewellery to people who buy their own bling, who aren’t waiting for someone else to put a ring on their finger.
BSC: You design the rings so the stones touch your skin. Do you think they have different powers?
HMM: Yes! These rings are pushed up from the core of the earth over millions of years under immense heat and pressure. I’m certain they have different powers. But there’s also the confidence that wearing fabulous jewellery can give you. There’s the joy in that little glimmer of gold and silver and sunlight hitting an exquisitely cut rock as you go about your daily business.
The Maria Ressa Pendant in Citrine, shot by David Mossman
BSC: What’s your favourite precious stone?
HMM: My favourite precious stone is Purple Amethyst. It dates right back to 3100 BC and was used all the time by ancient Greeks and romans because of its special powers. We never hear about diamonds historically - they were never seen as anything special and have been branded as something expensive pretty recently. Amethysts are historically very powerful and have been found in royal tombs.
The Carole Purple Amethyst Ring, shot by David Mossman
BSC: Apart from Jean - If you could go back in time and meet any powerful woman you choose, who would it be?
HMM: I would love to meet Emmeline Pankhurst [organizer of UK Suffragette movement] and plan an intervention with her!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Jean London
December 13, 2023
FASHION & BEAUTY
Photos: Courtesy of Hannah Mossman Moore
Interview/Article: Kerry Shaw
Hannah Mossman Moore is a jeweler and gem dealer in London who, in her words, sells “big rocks for powerful people.”
And Hannah’s idea of powerful involves standing up for yourself, shaping your own destiny and helping the planet at the same time.
The brand is called Jean, named after Hannah’s badass grandmother, a rebel and a journalist who spent her whole life challenging the patriarchal systems around her. Hannah has inherited this spirit in spades. Even the knuckleduster design of her rings is a reaction against her own years long and terrifying experience with a stalker. You can call them cocktail rings because the gems are so glamorous, but this no-nonsense jewelry is to be worn all day long – and all night if it helps you sleep better.
After university, Hannah worked for the jewelry company Alighieri, before moving to Sri Lanka to work for a gem company. While there, she made a documentary about Sri Lanka with Francesca Cartier of the famed jewelry family showing the incredible inspiration that the Cartiers took from the landscape. Soon after filming, Hannah fell gravely ill with dengue fever and returned t Europe to recover. While in France, she spent a great deal of time in the Cartier house library, studying their books on jewelry and becoming inspired to stat her own line. Shortly thereafter, she returned to Sri Lanka to source the first stones that would become part of the Jean range, and her first-hand knowledge of the mines where she sources her gems makes the brand unique in being able to trace the supply chain all the way back to the hands that dig the stones out of the earth.
The first time Hannah ever went to the markets, she was accompanied by an 80-year-old professor of gemmology who cut through the sales pitches and the bargaining and bustle, and taught Hannah how to hold her ground and leave with only the very best gems.
BSC: So sexism is a big problem in the industry?
HMM: Yes. It can be intimidating, but I think that sometimes such blatant hostility drives women to stick together and support each other more, like Beatrice, a mine owner who is now a friend and a great inspiration. I’ve named one of the rings after her. I met her through one of her sons, who told me about his mother being the first female miner in Sri Lanka. I couldn’t wait to meet her and immediately went to visit the mine. When she opened her mine, every single man in the industry told Beatrice to shut it down. There is a lot of superstition that goes with mining. Rituals and prayers are carried out on the land and still today women are seen as bad luck. But she believes that in life you should only listen to the universe – and now she is the boss of a mine as well as being married with three children. All the children work for her and she still lives modestly in spite of the size of sapphires that are pulled from the mine. The mine has shared ownership with all employees and Beatrice cares for them like family.
Beatrice wearing the "Beatrice" ring by Jean London
The Beatrice Smokey Quartz Ring, shot by David Mossman
Beatrice's mine in Sri Lanka
BSC: Do you think men feel intimidated by your success and your knuckledusters?
HMM: I hope so! Just kidding, but seriously, I like to sell jewellery to people who buy their own bling, who aren’t waiting for someone else to put a ring on their finger.
BSC: You design the rings so the stones touch your skin. Do you think they have different powers?
HMM: Yes! These rings are pushed up from the core of the earth over millions of years under immense heat and pressure. I’m certain they have different powers. But there’s also the confidence that wearing fabulous jewellery can give you. There’s the joy in that little glimmer of gold and silver and sunlight hitting an exquisitely cut rock as you go about your daily business.
The Maria Ressa Pendant in Citrine, shot by David Mossman
BSC: What’s your favourite precious stone?
HMM: My favourite precious stone is Purple Amethyst. It dates right back to 3100 BC and was used all the time by ancient Greeks and romans because of its special powers. We never hear about diamonds historically - they were never seen as anything special and have been branded as something expensive pretty recently. Amethysts are historically very powerful and have been found in royal tombs.
The Carole Purple Amethyst Ring, shot by David Mossman
BSC: Apart from Jean - If you could go back in time and meet any powerful woman you choose, who would it be?
HMM: I would love to meet Emmeline Pankhurst [organizer of UK Suffragette movement] and plan an intervention with her!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Jean London
December 13, 2023
FASHION & BEAUTY
Photos: Courtesy of Hannah Mossman Moore
Interview/Article: Kerry Shaw
Hannah Mossman Moore is a jeweler and gem dealer in London who, in her words, sells “big rocks for powerful people.”
And Hannah’s idea of powerful involves standing up for yourself, shaping your own destiny and helping the planet at the same time.
The brand is called Jean, named after Hannah’s badass grandmother, a rebel and a journalist who spent her whole life challenging the patriarchal systems around her. Hannah has inherited this spirit in spades. Even the knuckleduster design of her rings is a reaction against her own years long and terrifying experience with a stalker. You can call them cocktail rings because the gems are so glamorous, but this no-nonsense jewelry is to be worn all day long – and all night if it helps you sleep better.
After university, Hannah worked for the jewelry company Alighieri, before moving to Sri Lanka to work for a gem company. While there, she made a documentary about Sri Lanka with Francesca Cartier of the famed jewelry family showing the incredible inspiration that the Cartiers took from the landscape. Soon after filming, Hannah fell gravely ill with dengue fever and returned t Europe to recover. While in France, she spent a great deal of time in the Cartier house library, studying their books on jewelry and becoming inspired to stat her own line. Shortly thereafter, she returned to Sri Lanka to source the first stones that would become part of the Jean range, and her first-hand knowledge of the mines where she sources her gems makes the brand unique in being able to trace the supply chain all the way back to the hands that dig the stones out of the earth.
The first time Hannah ever went to the markets, she was accompanied by an 80-year-old professor of gemmology who cut through the sales pitches and the bargaining and bustle, and taught Hannah how to hold her ground and leave with only the very best gems.
BSC: So sexism is a big problem in the industry?
HMM: Yes. It can be intimidating, but I think that sometimes such blatant hostility drives women to stick together and support each other more, like Beatrice, a mine owner who is now a friend and a great inspiration. I’ve named one of the rings after her. I met her through one of her sons, who told me about his mother being the first female miner in Sri Lanka. I couldn’t wait to meet her and immediately went to visit the mine. When she opened her mine, every single man in the industry told Beatrice to shut it down. There is a lot of superstition that goes with mining. Rituals and prayers are carried out on the land and still today women are seen as bad luck. But she believes that in life you should only listen to the universe – and now she is the boss of a mine as well as being married with three children. All the children work for her and she still lives modestly in spite of the size of sapphires that are pulled from the mine. The mine has shared ownership with all employees and Beatrice cares for them like family.
Beatrice wearing the "Beatrice" ring by Jean London
The Beatrice Smokey Quartz Ring, shot by David Mossman
Beatrice's mine in Sri Lanka
BSC: Do you think men feel intimidated by your success and your knuckledusters?
HMM: I hope so! Just kidding, but seriously, I like to sell jewellery to people who buy their own bling, who aren’t waiting for someone else to put a ring on their finger.
BSC: You design the rings so the stones touch your skin. Do you think they have different powers?
HMM: Yes! These rings are pushed up from the core of the earth over millions of years under immense heat and pressure. I’m certain they have different powers. But there’s also the confidence that wearing fabulous jewellery can give you. There’s the joy in that little glimmer of gold and silver and sunlight hitting an exquisitely cut rock as you go about your daily business.
The Maria Ressa Pendant in Citrine, shot by David Mossman
BSC: What’s your favourite precious stone?
HMM: My favourite precious stone is Purple Amethyst. It dates right back to 3100 BC and was used all the time by ancient Greeks and romans because of its special powers. We never hear about diamonds historically - they were never seen as anything special and have been branded as something expensive pretty recently. Amethysts are historically very powerful and have been found in royal tombs.
The Carole Purple Amethyst Ring, shot by David Mossman
BSC: Apart from Jean - If you could go back in time and meet any powerful woman you choose, who would it be?
HMM: I would love to meet Emmeline Pankhurst [organizer of UK Suffragette movement] and plan an intervention with her!
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Jean London
FASHION & BEAUTY
January 22, 2024
Hannah Mossman Moore is a jeweler and gem dealer in London who, in her words, sells “big rocks for powerful people.”
And Hannah’s idea of powerful involves standing up for yourself, shaping your own destiny and helping the planet at the same time.
The brand is called Jean, named after Hannah’s badass grandmother, a rebel and a journalist who spent her whole life challenging the patriarchal systems around her. Hannah has inherited this spirit in spades. Even the knuckleduster design of her rings is a reaction against her own years long and terrifying experience with a stalker. You can call them cocktail rings because the gems are so glamorous, but this no-nonsense jewelry is to be worn all day long – and all night if it helps you sleep better.
After university, Hannah worked for the jewelry company Alighieri, before moving to Sri Lanka to work for a gem company. While there, she made a documentary about Sri Lanka with Francesca Cartier of the famed jewelry family showing the incredible inspiration that the Cartiers took from the landscape. Soon after filming, Hannah fell gravely ill with dengue fever and returned t Europe to recover. While in France, she spent a great deal of time in the Cartier house library, studying their books on jewelry and becoming inspired to stat her own line. Shortly thereafter, she returned to Sri Lanka to source the first stones that would become part of the Jean range, and her first-hand knowledge of the mines where she sources her gems makes the brand unique in being able to trace the supply chain all the way back to the hands that dig the stones out of the earth.
The first time Hannah ever went to the markets, she was accompanied by an 80-year-old professor of gemmology who cut through the sales pitches and the bargaining and bustle, and taught Hannah how to hold her ground and leave with only the very best gems.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Jean London
December 13, 2023
Fashion & Beauty
Photos: Courtesy of Hannah Mossman Moore
Interview/Article: Kerry Shaw
Hannah Mossman Moore is a jeweler and gem dealer in London who, in her words, sells “big rocks for powerful people.”
And Hannah’s idea of powerful involves standing up for yourself, shaping your own destiny and helping the planet at the same time.
The brand is called Jean, named after Hannah’s badass grandmother, a rebel and a journalist who spent her whole life challenging the patriarchal systems around her. Hannah has inherited this spirit in spades. Even the knuckleduster design of her rings is a reaction against her own years long and terrifying experience with a stalker. You can call them cocktail rings because the gems are so glamorous, but this no-nonsense jewelry is to be worn all day long – and all night if it helps you sleep better.
After university, Hannah worked for the jewelry company Alighieri, before moving to Sri Lanka to work for a gem company. While there, she made a documentary about Sri Lanka with Francesca Cartier of the famed jewelry family showing the incredible inspiration that the Cartiers took from the landscape. Soon after filming, Hannah fell gravely ill with dengue fever and returned t Europe to recover. While in France, she spent a great deal of time in the Cartier house library, studying their books on jewelry and becoming inspired to stat her own line. Shortly thereafter, she returned to Sri Lanka to source the first stones that would become part of the Jean range, and her first-hand knowledge of the mines where she sources her gems makes the brand unique in being able to trace the supply chain all the way back to the hands that dig the stones out of the earth.
The first time Hannah ever went to the markets, she was accompanied by an 80-year-old professor of gemmology who cut through the sales pitches and the bargaining and bustle, and taught Hannah how to hold her ground and leave with only the very best gems.
BSC: So sexism is a big problem in the industry?
HMM: Yes. It can be intimidating, but I think that sometimes such blatant hostility drives women to stick together and support each other more, like Beatrice, a mine owner who is now a friend and a great inspiration. I’ve named one of the rings after her. I met her through one of her sons, who told me about his mother being the first female miner in Sri Lanka. I couldn’t wait to meet her and immediately went to visit the mine. When she opened her mine, every single man in the industry told Beatrice to shut it down. There is a lot of superstition that goes with mining. Rituals and prayers are carried out on the land and still today women are seen as bad luck. But she believes that in life you should only listen to the universe – and now she is the boss of a mine as well as being married with three children. All the children work for her and she still lives modestly in spite of the size of sapphires that are pulled from the mine. The mine has shared ownership with all employees and Beatrice cares for them like family.
Beatrice wearing the "Beatrice" ring by Jean London
The Beatrice Smokey Quartz Ring, shot by David Mossman
Beatrice's mine in Sri Lanka
BSC: Do you think men feel intimidated by your success and your knuckledusters?
HMM: I hope so! Just kidding, but seriously, I like to sell jewellery to people who buy their own bling, who aren’t waiting for someone else to put a ring on their finger.
BSC: You design the rings so the stones touch your skin. Do you think they have different powers?
HMM: Yes! These rings are pushed up from the core of the earth over millions of years under immense heat and pressure. I’m certain they have different powers. But there’s also the confidence that wearing fabulous jewellery can give you. There’s the joy in that little glimmer of gold and silver and sunlight hitting an exquisitely cut rock as you go about your daily business.
The Maria Ressa Pendant in Citrine, shot by David Mossman
BSC: What’s your favourite precious stone?
HMM: My favourite precious stone is Purple Amethyst. It dates right back to 3100 BC and was used all the time by ancient Greeks and romans because of its special powers. We never hear about diamonds historically - they were never seen as anything special and have been branded as something expensive pretty recently. Amethysts are historically very powerful and have been found in royal tombs.
The Carole Purple Amethyst Ring, shot by David Mossman
BSC: Apart from Jean - If you could go back in time and meet any powerful woman you choose, who would it be?
HMM: I would love to meet Emmeline Pankhurst [organizer of UK Suffragette movement] and plan an intervention with her!
Hannah Mossman Moore is a jeweler and gem dealer in London who, in her words, sells “big rocks for powerful people.”
And Hannah’s idea of powerful involves standing up for yourself, shaping your own destiny and helping the planet at the same time.
The brand is called Jean, named after Hannah’s badass grandmother, a rebel and a journalist who spent her whole life challenging the patriarchal systems around her. Hannah has inherited this spirit in spades. Even the knuckleduster design of her rings is a reaction against her own years long and terrifying experience with a stalker. You can call them cocktail rings because the gems are so glamorous, but this no-nonsense jewelry is to be worn all day long – and all night if it helps you sleep better.
After university, Hannah worked for the jewelry company Alighieri, before moving to Sri Lanka to work for a gem company. While there, she made a documentary about Sri Lanka with Francesca Cartier of the famed jewelry family showing the incredible inspiration that the Cartiers took from the landscape. Soon after filming, Hannah fell gravely ill with dengue fever and returned t Europe to recover. While in France, she spent a great deal of time in the Cartier house library, studying their books on jewelry and becoming inspired to stat her own line. Shortly thereafter, she returned to Sri Lanka to source the first stones that would become part of the Jean range, and her first-hand knowledge of the mines where she sources her gems makes the brand unique in being able to trace the supply chain all the way back to the hands that dig the stones out of the earth.
The first time Hannah ever went to the markets, she was accompanied by an 80-year-old professor of gemmology who cut through the sales pitches and the bargaining and bustle, and taught Hannah how to hold her ground and leave with only the very best gems.
BSC: So sexism is a big problem in the industry?
HMM: Yes. It can be intimidating, but I think that sometimes such blatant hostility drives women to stick together and support each other more, like Beatrice, a mine owner who is now a friend and a great inspiration. I’ve named one of the rings after her. I met her through one of her sons, who told me about his mother being the first female miner in Sri Lanka. I couldn’t wait to meet her and immediately went to visit the mine. When she opened her mine, every single man in the industry told Beatrice to shut it down. There is a lot of superstition that goes with mining. Rituals and prayers are carried out on the land and still today women are seen as bad luck. But she believes that in life you should only listen to the universe – and now she is the boss of a mine as well as being married with three children. All the children work for her and she still lives modestly in spite of the size of sapphires that are pulled from the mine. The mine has shared ownership with all employees and Beatrice cares for them like family.
Beatrice wearing the "Beatrice" ring by Jean London
The Beatrice Smokey Quartz Ring, shot by David Mossman
Beatrice's mine in Sri Lanka
BSC: Do you think men feel intimidated by your success and your knuckledusters?
HMM: I hope so! Just kidding, but seriously, I like to sell jewellery to people who buy their own bling, who aren’t waiting for someone else to put a ring on their finger.
BSC: You design the rings so the stones touch your skin. Do you think they have different powers?
HMM: Yes! These rings are pushed up from the core of the earth over millions of years under immense heat and pressure. I’m certain they have different powers. But there’s also the confidence that wearing fabulous jewellery can give you. There’s the joy in that little glimmer of gold and silver and sunlight hitting an exquisitely cut rock as you go about your daily business.
The Maria Ressa Pendant in Citrine, shot by David Mossman
BSC: What’s your favourite precious stone?
HMM: My favourite precious stone is Purple Amethyst. It dates right back to 3100 BC and was used all the time by ancient Greeks and romans because of its special powers. We never hear about diamonds historically - they were never seen as anything special and have been branded as something expensive pretty recently. Amethysts are historically very powerful and have been found in royal tombs.
The Carole Purple Amethyst Ring, shot by David Mossman
BSC: Apart from Jean - If you could go back in time and meet any powerful woman you choose, who would it be?
HMM: I would love to meet Emmeline Pankhurst [organizer of UK Suffragette movement] and plan an intervention with her!
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