A Premature Longing for Autumn: The Spellbinding New Collection from Polly Wales
There is a distinct and beautiful rhythm to high summer. I’ve been trying to master it, to live entirely within its sun-drenched moments. It’s the sublime ease of slipping on a sleeveless dress, the fabric a whisper against sun-warmed skin. It’s the profound relief of a perfectly timed breeze cutting through the humid air, a gift from the universe on a sweltering afternoon. It’s the lazy indulgence of letting the children sleep in, their quiet breathing a gentle soundtrack to a house at rest, granting me the same stolen luxury. For weeks, I’ve been a devout follower of the now, resisting the urge to look forward.
And yet, it is always around this time in late July, when the sun is at its most relentless and the days are at their longest, that a quiet rebellion begins in the soul. A subtle yearning for a different kind of light, a different texture to the air. It might be spurred by the premature appearance of Halloween candy in stores or the first catalog showcasing cashmere and boots. It’s a whisper of autumn, a longing for crisp mornings, the scent of woodsmoke, and the rich, saturated tapestry of fall. I’ve been pushing it away, determined to appreciate the present.
That is, until I saw the Fall/Winter 2025 collection from Polly Wales. Suddenly, my resolve shattered. The quiet yearning became a clamorous demand: Is it fall yet? Polly Wales’ creations have always held a touch of the arcane, a hint of the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness. Her signature skull jewelry, exquisitely macabre and studded with gems that seem to grow from within, has long felt like treasure unearthed from a forgotten tomb. But this new collection is something else entirely. It doesn’t just hint at autumn; it is autumn, distilled into 34 pieces of wearable art that feel both wild and impossibly precious.
The Alchemist of Imperfection: Understanding the Polly Wales Magic
To truly appreciate the new collection, one must first understand the sorcery behind Polly Wales’ work. In a world of polished perfection and precise, prong-set stones, Wales is a celebrated iconoclast. She is the pioneer of the “cast-not-set” technique, a process as organic and unpredictable as nature itself.
Instead of meticulously placing gemstones into pre-fabricated settings, she arranges them directly in wax before casting the piece in molten gold. The hot, liquid metal flows around the stones, embracing them, securing them in a final, unique formation. Some stones might tilt slightly, others might become partially submerged, and the gold itself often retains a raw, textured finish. The result is jewelry that feels ancient and discovered. Each piece is a one-of-a-kind artifact, bearing the beautiful scars and idiosyncrasies of its creation. It’s a philosophy that celebrates imperfection, finding profound beauty in the flaws, cracks, and inclusions that make each gemstone and each creation utterly unique. This signature touch is the lifeblood of the new collection, making each ring, earring, and pendant feel as if it were forged in the heart of a volcano or pulled from the forest floor.
A Masterpiece of the Season: Diving into the Fall/Winter 2025 Landscape
The new collection is a narrative told in gold and gemstones, a story of the transition from the blazing light of summer to the deep, resonant colors of fall. It promises a season that is anything but muted, one that rivals the vibrancy of summer with a richer, more complex palette.
Cypress: A Forest Bath for the Senses
The brand’s own notes perfectly capture the collection’s core aesthetic with the introduction of a new colorway named “Cypress.” The description itself is a poem: “a forest bath of earthy hues—the acidic yellow greens of creeping lichen, the rich browns of the loamy floor, and the blue hues of a fragrant pine.” This is not just a color palette; it’s an experience. Looking at the pieces, you can almost feel the cool, damp earth underfoot. You see the flash of chartreuse peridots and the deep, moody greens of sapphires and tourmalines, evoking sunlight filtering through a dense canopy. These are contrasted with the grounding warmth of champagne and brown diamonds, like patches of rich soil and decaying leaves. The “blue hues of a fragrant pine” manifest in mesmerizing blue sapphires, their color ranging from pale sky to the deep, inky blue-black of twilight in the woods. It’s a palette that is alive, breathing, and deeply connected to the natural world.
The Titania Pinky Skulls: Macabre Meets Magical
Polly Wales’ skulls have always been a cornerstone of her brand, but the new Titania Pinky Skulls elevate the concept to a new, ethereal plane. Named for the formidable and enchanting fairy queen from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, these miniature marvels are designed for the pinky finger, a subtle yet powerful statement. The juxtaposition is breathtaking: the universal symbol of mortality rendered in exquisite, diminutive form, then brought to life with a dusting of precious gems. Imagine a tiny, solid gold skull, its surface textured and ancient-looking, with a constellation of rainbow sapphires scattered across its cranium like stardust. The gems are not perfectly aligned but sparkle from within the gold, as if they are the last remnants of a magical being’s power. It’s a piece that feels both tough and delicate, a talisman for a modern-day fairy queen who walks in the mortal world.
New Icons: Chubby Hoops and the Call of the Cetonia
The collection also introduces stunning new additions to the core lineup. The Chubby Hoops are a revelation for those who love a substantial, weighty piece of jewelry. These are not your delicate, everyday hoops. They are wonderfully chunky, bold rings of gold that feel satisfying and luxurious. True to the Polly Wales ethos, they are not smooth and polished but textured and organic, studded directly with a confetti of multi-colored sapphires. They look less like they were manufactured and more like they were grown, a perfect circle of precious geology.
Complementing the brand’s beloved “Flora” pieces are the new Cetonia Rings and Padlocks. The name “Cetonia” refers to a genus of beetles, famous for their iridescent, metallic carapaces. This inspiration is brilliantly realized in gemstone combinations that shimmer with an otherworldly glow. Think of rings where deep green tourmalines are nestled against black diamonds and flashes of brilliant blue sapphire, mimicking the jewel-like shell of a beetle catching the light. The padlocks, a recurring motif for the brand symbolizing protection and secrets, are now reimagined with this fauna-focused palette, making them feel like magical keys to a hidden, enchanted world.
It was an almost impossible task to choose favorites from the 34 new creations, each one a universe of color and texture. From pendants that dangle like captured bits of autumnal magic to rings that feel like they’ve been a part of your story for a thousand years, the collection is a triumph.
For those of us who collect and cherish jewelry, and for the retailers who curate the beautiful things we covet, this collection feels like a pivotal moment. The pieces have just made their wholesale debut, offering a tantalizing preview of what’s to come. They won’t be available to the public on the brand’s website until October, which makes this pre-season glimpse all the more special. It’s the perfect time to anticipate, to plan, and to get ready to embrace the fall not just as a season, but as a feeling, beautifully and brilliantly captured in gold and stone by Polly Wales. My devotion to living in the summer “now” has officially been suspended. My mind is already there, walking through a forest of Cypress, with a fairy queen’s skull on my finger.
