It all started with a letter. A bank in the heart of London was turning into The Ned, and Natalie Benmayor, a jewellery designer who had previously worked for many brands like ASOS, was asked to pick up her grandparents’ belongings from the vault. Inside, Natalie found her grandmother’s Victorian jewellery that she left Egypt with in 1958, a time capsule, she tells me.

Some of the items Natalie found in her family’s vault in the former Midland Bank

“It captured a moment in time when they were there”.

Natalie’s family by the pyramids. Although Natalie can trace her roots to Spain, her grandfather was born in Spain.

Natalie’s discovery of the past evolved into a vision for the future when, during COVID, she decided to launch her own brand of spiritual jewellery, Capsule Eleven. “I thought to myself, what would I want to put in a time capsule now to be rediscovered in the future?” As I was listening to her, I couldn’t help but think that it was a sentiment as old as Egypt itself. Our ancestors, too, have left traces of their lives for us to unearth and reimagine.

The Jewellery chest of Sithathoryunet, ca. 1887–1813 B.C.

In a world where spiritual jewellery tends to look bohemian, Natalie envisioned something different: high fashion and contemporary, yet timeless. “I started thinking about what spirituality might look like in the future,” she told me. “I wanted to explore Ancient Egyptian Futurism,” she added. The result is sleek jewellery that is as wearable as it is a statement piece.

The Capsule Necklace, designed to be unisex.

Growing up in Devon, Natalie became interested in crystal healing and energy work at a young age. She describes her St James-based healer as “very chic, not what you would typically associate with that kind of thing.” When she advised the designer to wear different crystals for her well-being, she gave her an idea; “What would a female CEO in a power suit want her crystal necklace to look like?”

Natalie Benmayor, Founder and Designer

And just like that, the Capsule collection was born: a modern amulet that allows the wearer to change the crystal depending on the energy they are seeking. Each of the crystals carries a meaning. Carnelian, turquoise, and Libyan desert glass all have connections to Ancient Egypt. The design of the capsule is a nod to the scarab beetle with an eye in its centre. Another ring recalls the folds in Egyptian Pharaohs’ robes.

The Capsule Ring

Since launching in 2020, Capsule Eleven has been worn by many celebrities, such as Dan Stevens, Tyla, and Grimes, who wore the brand to the Met Gala in 2021. Natalie says it has been organic. “I don’t know if it’s the crystals that attract them,” she quips. I think it may have been Natalie that manifested them. “Grimes was on my mood board because, for me, she was the pinnacle of futuristic, spiritual high fashion.”

 Grimes at the 2021 Met Gala wearing Capsule Eleven Jewellery

Capsule Eleven is currently available globally on the luxury e-commerce platform Farfetch. A modern mystic, sustainability is part of Capsule Eleven’s ethos. According to her, all Capsule Eleven pieces are made of recycled metals. “We’re quite lucky with jewellery that metals are very easy to recycle.”

Natalie poses, in her own designs, at the bank vault, now part of the Ned

As she looks toward the future of Capsule Eleven, she sees growth in bespoke, which she has been expanding to allow her customers to express themselves through her creative vision. For Natalie, the sky isn’t the limit. For all I know, one of her capsules may one day land on the moon to be found in a few millennia.

The Jewel Beneath Collection, made of solid gold, white, and black diamonds

Editor’s Note:

This is a new category of posts where I will feature designers who have caught my attention with their stories and designs. Let me know what you think.

Akram ElNagdy