The Hargreaves Hare or... Why the rabbit?

Lots of people, especially here in Sweden ask Jemima “why the rabbit?”. Here is why…

When she decided to launch the brand in 2017, Jemima knew she needed to reflect the combination of age old tradition she represents as a master goldsmith, her Scandinavian roots through her mother’s family and her British-ness. What better way than to reference the Scandinavian tradition of nature based family names and her own connection to this ancient British name.

The name Hargreaves originates in Lancashire in the northwest of England, UK, although also common in the West Riding of Yorkshire, particularly near to the city of Leeds, there are also two Cheshire hamlets called Hargrave. Hargrave is derived from the Old English elements “har”, which meant hare and “graf”, which meant grove. so as a whole "a grove of hares". Traditionally, the heraldic beast associated with the Hargreaves name is the stag but the hare is more appropriate for a number of reasons.

Not least because Jemima also has an even more personal connection to the hare, in British folklore the hare is always female, strong and cunning and has a long relationship with history’s most powerful women; Jemima, her mother, three sisters and two nieces all have some variation of the hare and the words “the hare runs into the fire” as a tattoo, a mantra for courage in the face of adversity. Jemima’s daughter is already planning her own hare tattoo despite being far too young to have one yet!

As for the colours, simply put, Jemima loves orange and has done since forever, the sumptuous chocolate brown is a great foil and helps to accentuate the vibrant orange.

The hare and the colours can be seen reflected across the whole brand and even in her signature range Bracteate, derived from the ancient practice of carrying a protective talisman with an engraved spirit animal. Every piece has a hare engraved as part of Jemima’s registered hallmark, an assurance of quality and her connection to this most mystical beast.