As bones are a Westwood motif used since the 1970s, it was inevitable that an entire skeleton would be proposed: the motif was first used as earrings in Westwood's Autumn/Winter 1995 Vive La Cocotte show, executed in silver. This motif connects with the notion of Memento Mori, a Latin phrase translating as ‘remember you must die’. Since classical antiquity, reminders of mortality were worked into artworks, but also into jewellery during the renaissance. During this period, motifs of skulls, cross bones, and even entire skeletons were worked into jewellery as reminders of the inevitability of death and therefore the preciousness of life. Here, the skeleton earrings are executed in wood and brass, which also give them the feeling of a totem or talisman.

The Skeleton motif was first introduced in the early 1980s by Vivienne and Malcolm. Bones were first seen in 1972 'Let it rock' on t-shirts, with chicken bones. Bones were often worn to remind the wearer of the inevitability of death, to make themselves feel less afraid. The 'New York' earrings, featuring skeleton figures, appeared in the Andreas Kronthaler Spring-Summer 2018 collection.

Vivienne Westwood's fascination with armour is a direct echo of her deep interest in history, and her use of its construction methods is the result of extended study. In the late 1980s, she examined the suits of armour held in the collection of the Wallace Collection, a museum in central London. Spanning from the 10th to the 16th centuries, these pieces inspired a series of jackets replicating armour ‘plates’ in tweed in her Autumn/Winter 1988 Time Machine collection. The shapes and original materials of armour naturally translate to jewellery, and Westwood borrowed the articulation of metal panels in traditional plate armour to inspire the ‘armour’ ring, which debuted in the mid-1990s.

The Armour ring emulates the design of plate armour-inspired jackets, from the 'Time Machine collection' of 1988 - following Vivienne's fascination with the Wallace collection. She described the museum as ‘A jewel box’ of treasures. ‘The Wallace Collection is the greatest art school in the country’. she expressed. To her, the museum epitomised the century; ‘A high point of culture.'

Distorting scale is a central and recurrent leitmotif of Vivienne Westwood and Andreas Kronthaler’s work, one often explored through details, accessories and jewellery. Presented as part of the Spring/Summer 2021 Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood collection, this necklace blows up chain links to a vast size, the resulting dimensions resembling primitive or medieval metalwork rather than the traditional delicacy of jewellery. There are also connections to ideas of bondage and restraint, connecting with the buckled straps and implied constriction that characterised much of Westwood’s punk work.

The Zelda style appeared in the Vivienne Westwood Spring-Summer 2021 collection, titled 'Down to N.10' - featuring bondage-inspired details, reminiscent of the house's signature Punk aesthetic.

The present can be a mirror of the past – here literally. The volumes of an original piece of late 18th century jewellery, originally executed in silver and diamonds are recreated not through a moulding or casting process, but through broken shards of mirror, their surfaces serving to mimic the sparkle of those gems. This piece collides Westwood’s love of the delicacy of 18th century jewellery with DIY urges in a single contradictory piece. It is also an act of design alchemy: discarded, ‘worthless’ items are transmogrified into something unique and precious.

The Maritza necklace follows a classic Paure style, popular during the Victorian era - and often used as a decorative piece or for fancy dress. The piece appeared in the Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood 2023/24 collection, featuring elements of broken glass and rope. The design features layered elements to create a 3D style, traditionally worn by society women to portray one's social status.

A direct echo of the studded dog-collar, an item of jewellery that remains innately tied to punk ideology, this piece refashions the collar as an elaborate pavé-set solid ring necklace. Also inspired in part by an ancient African bracelet executed in wood, it is simultaneously referent to Vivienne Westwood’s interest in other cultures, her constant study of ancient societies, and an inherent anti-establishment streak. The purity of this design would also have appealed to Westwood, who often pared her creations down to the simplest iteration, using geometric shapes in both pattern-cutting and, here, jewellery.

The Memona neck ring appeared in the Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood Spring-Summer 2024 collection. The design follows the style of wooden African bracelets, carved by traditional tribe members. The style has been reimagined in brass, complete with cubic zirconia details, lending the piece a futuristic look.