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Living in a jewel's paradise

M itch Nugent is a diminutive jewel - ler , a young-looking 42, who dresses like a trucker and sports a ring so enormous as to unhinge your jaw. Born in New York Ciry and trained in industrial design, sculpture and anthropology, he has lived much of his adult life in the manner of a happy - go -

lucky hippie. In 1968 he travelled to Hong Kong, Thailand and the Philippines island of Mindanao, where he lived among Mar - anhao Muslims. Two years later he flew to East Africa and hiked from Nairobi ac - ross Uganda into the Congo. He discovered that these cultures combined, in the breath - less words of his press release, "vulgarity

with sensitivity, lavishness with restraint, and obviousness with mystery". In 1971 Nugent settled for total anonymity on the remotest hill in Wales and endured this questionable bliss for seven years. On the advice of the Electrum Gallery ("Do what you love" ) he decided to teach himself the art of jewellery, and proved sufficiently accomplished to earn some cufflink commissions from the local angling club. In the early Eighties he moved to Camden Town and set up in the back of a shop which, although " unsatis - factory ", brought him his first break. "The crew for Labyrinth, who were working on pre-production , wandered in, saw my work, and commissioned stuff for their lead, who turned out to be David Bowie." Nugent promptly took larger premises in Clerkenwell and buried his head in his brief, producing a baroque set of amulet, riding crop and orb for Mr Bowie. Heated wrangles ensued over copyright owner - ship , andin the end senior members of the Henson Organisation, which produced the film, took him to lunch. '"This is the film business,' they told me. 'Who are you? You're working with Bowie and your things will be in die film, isn't it lovely?'" Result: Nugent vs Tri-Star . He never did get to meet "David" .