Posts Tagged ‘alex monroe’

Firstly, we would like to say that our thoughts are with one of our newest Australian stockists, Something Different who are in Rockhampton, Queensland – and suffering with terrible floods. We offer our very best wishes to everyone affected by the floods. If you wish to find out more about what’s happening, and the relief fund, just click here.

January can be a bit of a gloomy month even at the best of times, so here are some things to hopefully cheer you up…..!

Our Burt’s Bees / BBKA auction before Christmas was great fun, but obviously the Ring could only go to one person – the highest bidder! But now everyone has the chance to own one of these coveted Rings with two on-line competitions running at the moment with both Elle and Glamour. Each Ring will be made to order for the winner, and the prize also comes with a Burt’s Bees Radiance kit.  You have until the end of the month to get clicking!

With a honey Sapphire and three little Diamonds.....

We sell our jewellery all over the world, but probably one of our most exotic stockists is Cooper Island Beach Club, which is on one of the gorgeous Virgin Islands. Unfortunately I didn’t manage to get a sales trip there, but the lovely Louise sent these pics through……

Look at that little glimpse of sea!

A selection of the pieces available in this idyllic location....

Sigh…….sometimes I think our jewellery has a more exciting life than we do!!

You may have watched the film ‘Love Actually’ recently (or quickly switched over!) as it’s always on a lot over Christmas, and we always get lots of enquiries whenever it is shown, as Alex is credited with making jewellery for the film. However, we didn’t make the piece that everyone is always after- which is the Necklace that Alan Rickman’s character buys for his mistress – rather than his wife, played by Emma Thompson. We can’t quite work out why everyone wants to buy a replica of a Necklace that causes so much heartache in the film, but you can see it here – with Rowan Atkinson going slightly crazy with his gift-wrapping.

The Necklace Alex did make, was worn throughout by Martine McCutcheon’s character……

If you can spot it, it’s a little Gold Heart Locket with a pearl hanging from it.

For a more current film, we’re all really excited to see ‘The King’s Speech’ – not only because it is having rave reviews from just about everyone, but also because they filmed a scene just around the corner from our studio! We watched how they transformed the street, so it will be great to see it on the big screen.

Well, it already seems a long time ago, but I hope that everyone had a lovely Christmas and New Year.

Emma x

… and when it comes drink lots of beer!

Well, I did have a glass or two last night….. we had our Crimbo party in Clerkenwell. Emma and I put our feet down, and insisted on Pub, Grub, and Karaoke. And it was brilliant fun. Top female vocals, Frieda. Top double act, Mayo and Miki. Top male vocal, well, that would be immodest. Suffice to say that I had a sore throat this morning. And we have Carols in our road tomorrow. Must be on form for that!

Party season’s in full swing, My neighbour’s annual feast on Thursday. I sat between Andy Coulsdon (Tory boy spin doctor), Justin Webb (today program), Jeremy Bowen (intrepid war correspondent), I could go on… heart surgeon, QC, etc. etc. It’s a good job I can make little flowers in silver or I might have been out of my depth… yummy food and a bottle of port from 1985 oiled the wheels… until I started ranting about those pesky Tories cutting foreign workers and how much we’re suffering because I can’t employ this fabulous japanese person…. oh no, I’m off again.

Then my brother’s party, up in Primrose Hill. Our work’s do last night, and we’re having a little do tomorrow…. all in all not a bad time of year.

And… And the new building is coming along very nicely! (albeit in a blizzard) We can’t wait for it!

At last, things are starting to quieten down here at AMHQ. Our 12 Days project went so amazingly well, we’re planning even more fun for next year. But we’re pretty much over the Christmas panic here, and everyone has taken to checking train and plane schedules to see if they can get home.

So, all that remains is to say Big Thanks to everyone and HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND HAVE A FABULOUS NEW YEAR!

Alex

Hi All,

Well, Christmas certainly is just around the corner. We’re slightly manic at AMHQ. Not helped by all this trouble with cyber-attacks on Visa and Mastercard, but we’re pressing on. Don’t worry too much if you have a problem using your card. I think the system is just slowed down, so maybe leave it a while and try again later.

All of our Trunk Shows went brilliantly, and the 12 days of Christmas has been such fun! All 8 of the ‘Maids-a-Milking’ style sold out in under 40 minutes!

I had a nice message from someone who sadly missed out, so instead she’s using the image as her screen-saver!

And oh yes, here’s a little reminder of the last of our Christmas sales; Primrose Hill Designer Sale, Saturday 11th December, St Mary the Virgin Church, Elsworthy Road, Primrose Hill. London NW3. 10 ’till 6.

Anyway, here’s my top idea for a Christmas pressie. If you like our cute little bee, how about giving the gift of membership for the Bumblebee Conservation Trust? Kate Humble (Kate Yumble more like!!) loves them too, and even demi-god David Attenborough supports them. Very easy to gift, and you get this fab poster, which I for one will be pinning on the wall of my studio as soon as it arrives!

How cool is that?  I don’t know, maybe it’s not for everyone but I think it’s a really nice thing to do for Christmas. Go on, you know you love ‘em!

Alex

What with a certain day looming on the horizon, we’re in overload here; trunk shows, studio sales, and Christmas fairs. We have Ede and Ravenscroft in Chancery Lane on 2nd December, and also Sefton in Upper street. Lots of special one-offs there.

LIBERTY CHRISTMAS TRUNK SHOW! On Friday 3rd we’re back in Liberty (and all week-end)

And then of course we have our CHRISTMAS STUDIO SALE starting on Friday night! We’re open at our Studios here in Iliffe Yard, London SE17 from 6-9pm on Friday 3rd. 11-5 on the 4th, and 11-4 on Sunday the 5th. (off Amelia Street and Crampton Street). We’re at number 9a, look out for my ice-cream van…..

I’m hoping to Christmas-pimp my ride (well, actually my Ice cream van) (and it’s with fairy lights), and we’ll even tidy the studio up!

We always have lots of nice things at our Christmas sale, and there’s plenty going on in the surrounding studios.

By the way, I just made a necklace for my old friend Jenny Eclair who is suffering away down under in I’m a Celebrity. Hubby Geoff asked me to make a locket for her, then he jetted off to spectate from a posh hotel. I think she won it in a challenge on Sunday, but I was out so managed to miss it all. Here’s a very bad pic of her wearing it…..

It says; ‘Time flies………..’ (and on the inside) ‘when you’re having fun’, and is full of jungly things! Although  rather think she might have preferred a Big Mac!

Anyway, I don’t mind being stuck here right now. I love this time of year, and especially all this snow!

See you at one of the trunk shows or at our studio sale. Oh yes, and my brother organizes a Christmas fair for his local church in Primrose Hill so I’ll be there next Saturday (11th December). More about that soon!

Best,

Alex

Hi All,

And I guess it’s ‘Happy Christmas’ time too!
Here’s what we’ve all been having so much fun doing. It’s our 12 days of Christmas Advent calendar!
So this is how it works; We’ve kind of changed the song around a bit to make it more fun, but on each of the 12 days from 1st December to the 12th, you can open a window and discover what’s behind.

I’ve spent a lovely few weeks making extra special pieces for each day. Each piece is entirely exclusive, and we’ve only made as many as it says in the song. For example (and I don’t think I’m giving too much away here) there will be Five gold rings available on the 5th, eight really cute pieces on the 8th, you get the picture. Once they’re gone, they’re gone.

Of course, one of my favourite pieces is the first, and we’re only making one of these! What to do? Well, I hope you’ll have as much fun with it as we have.
Perhaps you’d like some clues about what is behind each window? Hmm, how about you read our little poem and see if you can guess.

Happy Christmas

Alex

On the twelfth day of Christmas,

My true love sent to me,

Twelve keys a turning,

Eleven rabbits running,

Ten secrets sharing,

Nine teapots pouring,

Eight maids a-milking,

Seven daisies dancing,

Six geese a-laying,

Five golden rings,

Four calling birds,

Three french hens,

Two turtledoves,

And a partridge in a pear tree.

Here’s a nice idea for a Christmas Pressie…… Carol Woolton’s new book, ‘Fashion for Jewels’.

It’s just my thing, an intelligent book about fashion and jewellery, informative and interesting with lots of beautiful pictures. Carol kindly includes a nice little bit on us too and we’re very flattered to be in it.

If you’re into jewellery and interested in fashion, it’s worth a look.

Alex

Part 5 – as there just seems to be too much news this month!

This week has been pretty busy, with our auction for the Burt’s Bees Ring going live on Monday lunchtime. All proceeds go straight to the BBKA – so get bidding!

Alex has also been working on a very exclusive collaboration with on-line luxury jewellery brand Astley Clarke, which also launched this week.

Forget Me Not Earrings in Silver and Gold Plate Mix.

It’s a very pretty capsule collection in Silver and Gold-Plate mix with Diamonds, and also features three show-stopping pieces in 18ct gold. Check it out here!

Very excitingly, we spotted girl of the moment, Emma Watson sporting our Bumblebee Necklace as she hit New York on the Harry Potter tour……

Emma's stunning new image...

.....with a little help from our Rosa Stud Earrings!

Emma is also a fan of our Rosa Damasca Stud Earrings, favouring the super-cool Black Ruthenium finish that we developed exclusively for Net-A-Porter……

Meanwhile, we started our run of Trunk Shows, visiting Jutta at Little 15 where we also did some filming….watch this space for the results…..! (*Cringe!*)

Next up, it’s Silverado in Brighton tomorrow morning – hope to see you there!

Emma x

The next month or so is going to be pretty manic here at AMHQ, but that’s not going to stop us from having some fun too……

We have SIX Trunk Shows planned over the few weeks, they are all London and Brighton based, so apologies to anyone further afield, but hopefully there will be a time & place for you!  Each store has be assigned their own piece (check out the images….) which will be available only there – so doubly exclusive!

First up is Little 15, next Thursday, the 18th of November. They are on Cullum Street in the City, and it all kicks off from Midday until 8pm.  Little 15 will be offering an amazing 20% off Alex Monroe (excluding the Trunk Show pieces)

Only at Little 15: Tiny Butterfly & Blackberry Loop Necklace, £144

On Saturday the 20th November we will be at Silverado in Brighton, for some fun with Tea, Cakes and Champagne! Silverado are offering 15% off Alex Monroe, and a goodie bag with purchase. There will also be a raffle for one of our cute Key Necklaces.

Silverado's special piece: Posy and Bird Heart Necklace, £135

Thursday 25th and Friday 26th of November we will be at Fenwick on Bond Street, who have a great new jewellery department, so we are looking forward meeting everyone who comes along.

Exclusive to Fenwick: Poppy & Cornelian Loop Necklace £144

Thursday the 2nd of December, we have double events! We are at Ede & Ravenscroft, Chancery Lane and Sefton on Upper Street.  Both events are running from 4-8pm, with some rather fabulous refreshments!  Check out their exclusives here:

Cherry Blossom Hoop Earrings with Pink Sapphires, £195 (Ede & Ravenscroft)

Sefton: Honeydew Ring with Citrines & Tourmaline, £225

We will be rounding off our Trunk Show marathon at Liberty on Friday the 3rd and Saturday the 4th of December, with lots more goodies including this beautiful necklace:

Cherry Blossom & Butterfly Branch Necklace with Pink Tourmaline & Ruby, £195

We all really enjoy getting out and about visiting our lovely stockists and meeting customers, so do come along and say hello!

Lastly, we can now also reveal that from Monday we will be auctioning this AMAZING Ring to raise money for the BBKA……

Burt's Bees / BBKA Limited Edition Honeybee Ring

We have collaborated with Burt’s Bees (who by the way, make the best lip balm ever!) on this exciting project, to promote their new Radiance range of products.  The Ring is one of a very limited number, and is a mix of Silver and Gold-Plate, with three Diamonds and a honey coloured Sapphire.  All proceeds from the auction will go to the BBKA to help the plight of the British Honey Bee.

The auction runs from the 15th November – 15th December, so that someone will have the chance of receiving a very special Christmas present! The winner will also receive a Burt’s Bees Radiance kit.

Burt's Bees Radiance Kit

There will also be opportunities in the New Year to win this exclusive Ring, but the auction will be the only way of securing one. When the bidding finishes, we will make the Ring especially for the winner, in their size.

PHEW – There is still more news, but I think that will have to be it for now!

Have a great weekend everyone! Emma x

Hi All,

I was filmed today for EC One, a nice idea to introduce their designers. It reminded me that I wanted to post a little film to introduce the workshop, then I will show each process of jewellery making in more detail. Anyway, Emma filmed a little clip so here goes… it’s my first attempt at embedding a clip on the blog…

Hello All,

Well it’s definitely getting a chilly now at AMHQ. Not that I’m complaining mind. I’ve been having a great time working on our very special Christmas project, ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’.  It’s going to be a really fun way to show some of the one-off work we do. I say one-off, it’s more…. well, that would be giving things away. You’ll just have to watch this space. Anyway, The 12 Days of Christmas starts December the 1st on our web-site. You really mustn’t miss it! (Here’s a sneaky peek, Two Turtle Doves…..)

And I’ve been doing a bit more writing. It’s all good practice because I’ve started writing a book! Or at least I’m trying to write a book. But that’ll take some time. I’m also writing a regular blog for Retail Jeweller (here) which I really enjoy.

Lots more charity stuff too. I made this great ring for Ronan Keating’s Emeralds and Ivy ball. It’ll be auctioned off on the evening. Last time we raised over £6000.00 for the necklace we made them. Fingers crossed this time for even more! Jemma Kidd requested one of our necklaces in her perfect Christmas stocking, so we’re auctioning this for Macmillan’s. Nice Peacock Feather necklace for Trinity Hospice Snowball auction…. the list goes on….

Emeralds and Ivy ring

And me personally? Oh yes, my slightly off-beat daughter wanted to go camping(!) for her birthday. It all went just as you’d expect, I managed to persuade a farmer in Kent to let us camp, I drove down with 6 thirteen year old girls. We lit a big fire, they ran around screaming until the early hours. I froze half to death. At 4 AM a storm hit and blew the tents down and I got soaked. Slightly more sedately and lots of fun, we dressed up as Pirates and went out on Rosie’s canal boat. Me and the kids and the gang from work. Very nice too. We went from Little Venice, through London Zoo, and Camden. We loved it! Oh yes, mustn’t forget Halloween, and Guy Fawkes of course. I like this time of year, lots of things to do and make.

I needed a few pics for the press and for our homepage, so my old mate David Stockings came along on a drawing trip and snapped away. Then he visited the studio and took lots more. He’s in the city by day, so this is really a hobby, but he doesn’t half take a good pic.

As you will have spotted, those pesky kids came along for the ride…. Dulwich wood is great this time of year.

One last thing, it’s Movember, and I’m growing a tash! Movember is a fun way to raise awareness and cash for Men’s health issue, Prostate Cancer. My Dad’s got it at the moment so I thought it apt. Here’s my Movember donations request if anyone feels like supporting the cause…

“  This Movember, the month formerly known as November I’ve decided to donate my face to raising awareness about prostate cancer.  My donation and commitment is the growth of a moustache for the entire month of Movember, which I know will generate conversation, controversy and laughter.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. One man dies every hour from the disease in the UK. This is a cause that I feel passionately about and I’m asking you to support my efforts by making a donation to The Prostate Cancer Charity. To help, you can either:

•  Click this link http://uk.movember.com/donate/your-details/member_id/1093562/ and donate online using your credit card or PayPal account . Or,

•  Send cheques and CAF vouchers (made payable to ‘The Prostate Cancer Charity Re Movember’) directly to The Prostate Cancer Charity – First Floor, Cambridge House, Cambridge Grove, London W6 0LE. Be sure to include the person’s name on the back of the cheque.

The Prostate Cancer Charity will use the money raised by Movember for the development of programs related to awareness, public education, advocacy, support of those affected, and research into the prevention, detection, treatment and cure of prostate cancer.
For more details on how the funds raised from previous campaigns have been used and the impact Movember is having please visit http://uk.movemberfoundation.com/research-and-programs.

Thank you in advance for helping me to support men’s health. ”

I was rather hoping for an Orlando Bloom but it looks like I’ll be getting a Ned Flanders. Ah well… here’s me today. I’ll keep you updated weekly…

Bye, A.