Go designer to save cash! 5 hot young jewellers to buy NOW.

Don't spend your hard-earned pennies down at H&M now there's a recession on....tat is bad on many levels - it looks cheap, it will break, and it's probably supporting some nasty sweat-shop somewhere. We all know that there's no fair way to produce a pair of £2.99 earrings. Seriously.

So here's the plan: cunning and wise fashionistas who know how to get their moneys worth are shopping with independent designers. And we don't mean Camden Market, we mean the hoards of jewellery designer/makers hiding away on random websites and obscure boutiqes. If you know where to find them, you're not only in with a chance of finding a limited edition or one-off piece that no one else will have, but you're also supporting these struggling artists rather than your local highstreet. Yay!

So we've picked our top 5 hot young designers du jour, for you to go forth and enjoy...

First up today (the rest will follow throughout the month) is Duffy Jewellery. Duffy is making the kind of rock'n'roll pieces that will add serious weight to your collection - big, fierce, heavyweight rings, bespoke link bracelets and necklaces, and hand-carved pendants. Our favourites are the crazy (and highly impractical) knuckledusters (above), the gold 'sad clown' skull pendant and this fishbone necklace.





Also - although it's a little cheeky - you can sometimes negotiate with the designer if you contact them directly. We're in no doubt that designers we're featuring throughout the next few weeks will most probably get snapped up by major retailers - but if you buy direct from the studio you could be looking at a lower rate. Barter hard, ladies, barter hard...