The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2022 - Issue 31

bitewatch CoeurdeLion The Joys of Colour T he French word ‘Coeur de Lion’ refers to several interpretations of the phrase, such as Lionheart in English used to describe medieval monarchs Rich- ard I of England, Louis VIII of France and Boleslaus I of Poland, a French cheese brand by Bongrain, and the 2008 Heart of The Lion film directed by Boubacar Diallo. The Great Western Railway 4-4-0 broad gauge steam lo- comotive, the British Railways Standard ‘Britannia’ class number 70007 and the British Rail Class 87 number 87012 are named after it. In the case of Carola Eckrodt, Coeur de Lion is a jew- ellery brand founded in Germany in 1987. She present- ed her first creations using industrial parts provided by her husband Nils, who worked for Mercedes-Benz, at the Avantgarde exhibition in Munich. Influential Dus- seldorf-based couturier Hanns Friedrichs bought the complete first collection of gearbox parts, rubber, petrol hoses and alloy steel. Today, her materials include glass, acrylic, and lucite skilfully combined with stainless steel and aluminium. The brand adopted a protective oxide coating on the alu- minium to prevent corrosion, producing the first colour- ed anodised designs in silver, gold, blue, and red. It then became the first German company to work diamond-cut anodised aluminium into silky, glittering jewellery. In 2014, Coeur de Lion was awarded Best Jewellery Brand at the UKWatch and Jewellery Awards thanks to its “pri- marily colourful and especially vivid brand” status. They were also a finalist for the same awards in 2015. In 2016, they received the prestigious German Design Award and Brand Award. The jury praised them for “uniquely beautiful, timeless designs full of strength and joie de vivre (exuberant enjoyment of life)” for the first accolade. The following year marked Coeur de Li- on’s 30th anniversary, celebrated with a gala dinner in Stuttgart at the famous Alte Reithalle (Old Riding Hall), a steel and glass building built in 1887-88 by architect Robert von Reinhardt, and a unique limited edition col- lection. They heralded another award in 2018, a German De- sign Award in the Luxury Goods and Excellent Product Design categories. The iconic Bauhaus-inspired GE- OCUBE®, first launched in 1999, was celebrated twenty years later with a special limited edition. It initially fea- tured semi-matt cubes but was updated with sparkling, vibrant multicoloured Swarovski® Crystals highlighted by rose gold plating for the 20th anniversary. The brand added two German Brand Awards to its accolades col- lection. Incorporating Mother Nature’s classic colours and per- fect, precise shapes and proportions, Coeur de Lion develops sophisticated designs with natural stones and high-grade materials. Its jewellery consists of crystals, glass, gemstones, freshwater pearls or haematite with stainless steel and crystals with glass, mother-of-pearl, gemstones, crystal pearls or a combination of mother- of-pearl, crystal pearls and stainless steel. There is also glass and edelstahl, or crystal pearls and gemstones. Cristina Lloyd enjoys a rainbow of colours in the Coeur de Lion jewellery and watch collections.