In 2018, two Georgian friends, Nina Dzhokhadze and Natia Chkhartishvili, joined forces to launch the luxury jewelry company NeverNot. Dzhokhadze’s background in sales and business development for Burberry and Stephen Webster gave her insight into the luxury market, while Chkhartishvili’s work in fashion styling and owning an accessories brand provided hands-on design and aesthetics experience.
At the time, there weren’t many luxury jewelry companies that mixed large, precious stones and pops of neon colors with bold enamel, unless it was for something like a special occasion cocktail ring or an oversized playful necklace. With the launch NeverNot, Dzhokhadze and Chkhartishvili aimed to change that, designing pieces that screamed “fun,” and whispered “luxury” that could be worn every day.
Courtesy of NeverNot.
Their combined approach to jewelry centers around “never not” wearing the gorgeous pieces in our jewelry boxes, and gravitating toward pieces that evoke joy and happiness. All the while, their inspirations in the design and art worlds run deep, with pieces made to touch upon creations by artists like Damien Hirst and Ugo Rondinone. Today, the brand is based between London and Tbilisi, Georgia, where each of the co-founders live. During the pandemic, the women communicated from afar, and executed two collection launches, produce new pieces, and even expanded the team, workshops, and showrooms.
Ahead of the holidays, Dzhokhadze shared with Whitewall how NeverNot bridges the gap between luxury and wearability, what the perfect last-minute gift could be, and what pieces she’s personally never not wearing.
Nina Dzhokhadze and Natia Chkhartishvili, courtesy of NeverNot.
WHITEWALL: When you realized you wanted to start a new brand, was there something missing in the market that you wanted to fill? If not, what does NeverNot bring to the table that’s different from other key players?
NINA DZHOKHADZE: When we started the brand back in 2018, the main idea was to create and design pieces that are luxury—big and precious fine jewelry pieces—but very wearable every day. Something that we wanted to wear ourselves and enjoy wearing all the time. The market at that point was quite formal and conservative, so when we showed our neon enameled pieces to the buyers, they were intrigued and excited even though there was still a doubt if consumers would be ready to invest in fine jewelry that’s “outside the box” and not classic and formal.
Since we’ve launched, we saw that this was the gap—fun, happy fine jewelry that brings you joy and positivity when you wear it. Something that combines high value and fun at the same time.
Courtesy of NeverNot.
WW: Can you tell us a bit about the design process, and typically how that begins and ends, and how the piece is produced?
ND: Our offices are split between Tbilisi, Georgia (where Natia lives) and London, where I live. Both cities have our workshops, where our pieces are produced, and also showroom space, where we can meet our customers, buyers, and press and NeverNoT friends. Natia always comes up with beautiful new collection ideas and she is amazing at sketching and combining colors together. We add new styles to our collections all the time, without any planning ahead, so it’s always exciting to get an idea and start working on it straight away.
During the pandemic, we were in different countries and haven’t seen each other for almost two years. But all this time, we were working more than ever and in touch twenty-four-seven—even more than before the pandemic. We managed to launch two new collections, produce new pieces, expand the team and offices, all while it was the most challenging time. It made our team even stronger!
Courtesy of NeverNot.
WW: NeverNot celebrates the idea that we should “never not” wear the beautiful pieces in our jewelry boxes. Which pieces of yours are synonymous with this idea? Are there any you never take off?
ND: Once you start wearing a NeverNoT piece, you don’t want to take it off. This usually happens with us, and we have our favorite pieces, which we wear every day. But it’s hard to choose only few! My custom-made ring, which was inspired by Damien Hirst art, is something I never take off. Natia wears the Chess ring and necklace all the time.
WW: What jewelry makes you feel the most alive?
ND: Jewelry needs to make you feel happy, active and boost your mood, motivate you even! Our rings are so colorful that only by wearing them—you already feel excited and very happy. That’s why we called our collection “Ready 2 Wear.” You are always ready for action, ready to do something exciting, and in general, ready to challenge yourself with something new!
Courtesy of NeverNot.
WW: The brand’s “Ready 2 Wear” collection features pieces within three “ready to” themes. How do “Hide n Seek,” “Show n Tell,” and “Grab n Go” embrace spontaneity?
ND: Each subcollection is very different, but at the same time, it is united by one message—wear your pieces; don’t be shy to wear color. We have noticed that customers who were not so confident in wearing colorful fine jewelry completely changed their minds and are enjoying experimenting with color combinations, and are not afraid to wear neon big rings and necklaces.
For us, it is extremely important that the pieces are the highest quality possible, and I think my over-a-decade experience in the industry taught me that fine jewelry can be only high quality. Nothing else. It needs to be top quality in all aspects—craftsmanship, stones, enameling, setting, etc. It has to be even better than the beautiful high-res image; better than any picture or visual. It has to fit you perfectly and you should enjoy wearing it for years to come.
Courtesy of NeverNot.
WW: NeverNot honors travel and living a colorful life. What are some travel destinations, artworks, or fashion eras that have inspired you to live colorfully?
ND: Both me and Natia are obsessed with color, and I think anything we have is colorful. So for us, creating colorful jewelry is like playing on a playground. We can’t stop! Travel is the main inspiration for creating NeverNoT pieces. We love traveling for work, as it has combined having fun, exploring, and working at the same time, which is great. Our latest collection, “Rocks” rings, were inspired by traveling to Las Vegas, where we visited Ugo Rondinone’s Seven Magic Mountains installation in the middle of the desert.
Public art is redefining the identities of places around the world, and Seven Magic Mountains strengthens Nevada’s identity as a place that celebrates and supports the work of interesting artists and draws attention to Las Vegas as it evolves into a city also known for the arts. Visible neon rocks across the desert were the ultimate source for inspiration and truly represents the mix of art, travel, and color all in one.
Courtesy of NeverNot.
WW: Do you have a collection(s) you can tell us about—of jewelry, art, and/or design? If so, are there any names, designers, or works you can share?
ND: Natia enjoys art; she buys it from time to time to slowly build her vast collection. Her current collection is filled with contemporary Georgian artists, like Tamara Kvesitadze, Uta Bekaia, and Sopho Chkhikvadze. Mainly, the collection is filled with portrays, which create a serene atmosphere in her very own study room. She feels a certain form of attachment to each of the figures, almost as if they have silent conversations together.
The NevernNoT showroom is full of rare semi-precious stones, which Natia collected from the different countries she travels to—ranging from Malachite, Lapis, and Quartz.
Courtesy of NeverNot.
WW: Did the pandemic impact the way you viewed your jewelry?
ND: The jewelry landscape dramatically changed due to Coronavirus, and it was a big step forward for many designers who were brave enough to choose “action mode” instead of the “pause and wait” mode. Especially during the pandemic, people were brave enough to buy from us online, without trying or seeing the piece in real life and investing thousands of pounds on a ring, which they haven’t seen before. It opened the door to many customers, who realized that you actually don’t need to go to the store or a showroom and try things on and think about them. You can buy online and enjoy the piece delivered to your home. The pandemic made a lot of people braver to invest in and enjoy jewelry. Somehow, everyone started living in the present and enjoying today, and enjoying wearing meaningful pieces.
Courtesy of NeverNot.
WW: For the holiday season, what’s one NeverNot piece you can recommend for a gift?
ND: Definitely the Life in Colour customized necklace. We chose the one eye pendant, which has been the star of the show—our bestseller, loved-by-everyone, and most distinctive piece that’s created online. It’s a playful way to choose your own colors and make it truly your “life in colour” experience. The owner can choose from a variety of colors, starting from classic palettes and adding super-hot and bright neon enamel colors, too. The interactive creation allows you to choose from four different central stone variations (pink, blue, yellow, or green topaz) and continue with three steps of choosing enamel colors to customize the pendant, which comes in 14karat yellow gold, including the chain. It’s super easy to create your own necklace on our website, which will be produced and delivered within two weeks.
WW: What are you working on now?
ND: We are just completing our London showroom space refurbishment and planning a big launch party to start 2022 with lots of happy memories. The space will be super colorful and eclectic, and we can’t wait to reveal it soon. In early 2022, we are launching a new stud earring collection as a continuation of the “Life in Colour” necklaces.
