Pedal to the Metal
Making rock ‘n’ roll jewellery since 1972, The Great Frog counts some of the biggest names in the music business amongst its many fans. Owner and designer Reino Lehtonen-Riley lets us in.
of the building, which was actually built in 1670 and is Grade II listed. We still manufacture our jewellery in the basement of the shop and, with the refurbishment, you will actually be able to see the jewellery being made. What are the forever bestsellers in the shop? We’ve got this one silver rose ring that we’ve been selling for about 20 years, and it’s always been popular, but sales of it have suddenly gone crazy, since Harry Styles bought one. We’ve also got a skull Mickey Mouse ring that Lady Gaga bought and wore in a video, and sales of that went mental. My dad, Paterson Riley, started it in 1972, and is now retired. I took over about 15 years ago. My dad taught me how to make jewellery. He always said the only reason to have children was to have a cheap workforce! If there were one person you could get to wear your jewellery who would it be? The weird thing is, practically everyone I’d love to wear our jewellery has. Mick Jagger would be up there, because he’s super cool, but he’s Who founded The Great Frog?
already had some pieces from us. I’d love to make a custom piece for him though. If we’re talking in the realms of fantasy, then I would have to say Jimi Hendrix if he was still alive. That would have been amazing. What other famous faces have bought from The Great Frog? We’ve sold jewellery to everyone from Keith Richards to Jay-Z, and Tom Hardy recently bought a load from us. The Jay-Z piece was a bespoke 18-carat gold piece with loads of diamonds. That was a £40,000 piece! Kate Moss also came in recently and spent a load of money. She was great fun and bought champagne for the staff. What does it mean to you for The Great Frog to be situated in the Newburgh Quarter? It’s so important for us. I’ve got a real historical tie to the place, because my dad started here. We’ve been here for so long, and for me it’s now better than it has ever been. Carnaby on the whole has some really interesting shops, and great places to eat such as Polpo on Beak Street, and Shoryu in Kingly Court does really good ramen.
Interview Tom Bottomley
What’s your favourite piece of jewellery at the moment? I’m doing this signet ring with a black enamelled shield which has a small skull in the centre. It’s a reissue of one we did about 10 years ago. It’s quite iconic. Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age wore it in loads of photo shoots, and Alex Turner from the Arctic Monkeys bought one.
with Vans, and we’re launching our own clothing collection. It’s mainly going to be leather pieces, rock star and biker style. I collect motorbikes and and I love to ride, so it’s a range of clothing that fits in with that lifestyle, but with more of a rock edge to it. What can you tell us about the upcoming store refurbishment? We’re fully restoring the whole building, stripping it right back to its original features, and we’re turning it in to what will be like a working museum/shop. What we are going to show is the originality have loads of vintage Harleys and Triumphs,
What are the exciting new additions to your design
offer for this season? We’ve got new Iron
Maiden, Judas Priest and Motörhead collaboration jewellery pieces coming out. We’re also doing a collaboration shoe
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