Posts Tagged ‘alex monroe’

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.

Cor blimey it was a bit nippy on my bike this morning. At the moment I’m on my old faithful the blue bike, which I wrote about in my very first blog back in November 2008. I still go to the Anchor and Hope most weeks to catch up with my brother.

Anyway, lots of fun and games this week…. we had a great night out out favorite, Ottolenghi, in Upper Street. Lovely because we all shared everything, and we over-ordered so there was no panic eating. My fave? The beef and the aubergines.

Delicious wines, a Pinot Noir, then Verdicchio, then a Gewurztraminer, then a desert wine while we passed round every different pud. That was me done (cycling back) but the energetic ones went on to a bar or two.

Yesterday I did a little reccie checking out shops in town. I started out checking out the new 18 carat Goldcrest collection in Liberty…

I need to finalize the designs for our new shop. Had a nice chat with lovely Laura Lee and she gave me lots of tips. Then rushed off to meet the builders on site. Some problems with locks etc. Building work should start in a week or so! Very exciting. Here’s a pic of the architect’s model…

Quick lunch at El Vergel then back to change for a press reception at Fortnum and Mason’s. Nice to see Pieter from St Erasmus in town with Anna from blog Miss Eco Glam (and she is pretty glam too!)

Lunch at El Vergel

Pieter and Anna

Big do for the Pink ribbon breast cancer charity tomorrow night. We donated this lovely necklace… let’s hope it raises lots of cash!

Back soon,

A

We’ve got big news that we’re all really excited about here at Alex Monroe HQ.

Several of Alex Monroe’s 18ct Goldcrest collections are now available in store at Liberty. The Forest Jewels and Eyebright Ring collections, plus a very special new 18ct Baby Bumblebee Necklace are there for you to go see, and try on!

18ct Baby Bumblebee Necklace

Liberty are the first brick and mortar shop to sell the Goldcrest pieces, which have previously been available only by appointment at our studio and online at the Alex Monroe website. The pieces maintain Alex’s signature style, with the added touch of luxury you get from 18ct Gold, and brilliant colour, thanks to the stunning stones used in each piece.

Forest Jewels

The Forest Jewels are dominated by beautiful trillion checkerboard cut stones, set in delicate twig rings.

Eyebright Rings

Whilst the stunning Eyebright Rings look great worn individually, and really make an impression when a few are stacked together, mixing the colourful stones for added effect.

Finally, and perhaps most excitingly, there’s the new 18ct Gold Baby Bumblebee Necklace. The addition of the pink sapphire stone shown in the photo, adds a colourful highlight to this Alex Monroe classic, reworked in amazing 18ct Gold. And if the pink sapphire isn’t for you, there are a selection of other coloured stones available. You really need to see this to understand just how beautiful it is!

18ct Baby Bumblebee Necklace

So pop along to Liberty to have a look at these 18ct Gold pieces and maybe try a few on. With Christmas now visible on the horizon, it’s not too early to start thinking about that extra special gift, for a loved one, or for yourself!

Soooo sorry I haven’t written for ages. Too much going on as usual. But I’m just back from Paris Fashion Week and I feel like I can catch my breath (before things start to hot up for Christmas!)

So once again, looking back on what’s been going on, I think I’ll do a little list. Just a little reminder of my late-summer. Lots of mucking around and some fun worky stuff too.

I had a brilliant Summer; the cycling I already wrote about, then we popped over to Majorca for that party, then we had a lovely week in France. In the Loire Valley in my uncles house. I love it there. It’s a huge rambling place near Bourgueil, so there’s lovely grub and loads of wine tasting. My Mum and Dad were there, and my sister and her family so it was a proper get together. I love playing Boules with my Dad and it was great when the kids joined in…

Then a week in Suffolk in the cottage we take every summer. Nice to see some old friends and do a bit of cycling with mates. I spend the days cycling, cooking and pottering around in my little boat. We picked so many wild plums and made gallons of lovely Suffolk Plum Jam. Ah… it’s the good life alright.

Summer over and it’s back to school. My middle one, Connie, started at big school. All very grown up. And of course I had to get on with some work as well…

Back to work means lots of hard graft of course, but there was a nice little treat when we were declared a ‘Trend Setter’ in Professional Jeweller’s ‘Hot 100′ list. So we duly attended the knees-up. I left early but the girls partied away.

Back to reality, my friend Dave needed an expert hand to help chop down a blooming great tree in his garden. Action man to the rescue. Dave is a fantastic photographer and film maker so watch out for us working together in the future.

We have struck a deal with my eldest, Verity. Bread for itunes. She bakes a loaf and we buy her two songs from itunes. Not a bad deal I reckon, especially since I love bread and butter almost more than anything!

Very nice for me that I’ve had so many commissions on that I’ve had to spend at least two days a week on the bench (my idea of heaven). Can’t even remember all the projects, exclusives for John Lewis, HP in Tokyo, 18 carat for Liberty, the Midomo charity bracelet, Astley Clarke, Burt’s Bees, British Bee keeping association, and of course new collections for London, Paris and Tokyo!

The Midomo bracelet came out great. It’s a really nice project, you may remember seeing the water purifying rolly thing on Dragon’s Den. Check out the bracelet on the Red Button website.

Then Connie got her Rabbit for being so clever. Look out for it’s influence in the collection!

We had great fun launching the exclusives at John Lewis (that’s Emma holding my glass while I photograph)

Very exciting to be working with Burt’s Bees and the British Bee Keeping Association. We’ve great ideas for raising money for bee research so watch this space!

Most fun for me has been working on the new collection. It’ll be out in the shops in Spring but here’s a sneaky peaky..

During London Fashion Week I managed the odd lunch with clients. Here I am with the girls from HP at the good old Anchor and Hope.

Oh yes, and noodles at Koya with Katsu and Kaori from Baycrews. Lovely place and the best for Soba in town.

Then off to Paris for the shows, nice to catch up with my Japanese distributor again………….

………….. and time for the odd snack as well.

More soon.

Alex

We have absolutely loads of news for you, but the run-up to any trade show or event is usually pretty frantic, so there hasn’t been too much time for blogging lately……

So, yesterday it was time to launch our new collection ‘Daisy Bell’ at London Fashion Week, and it was met with a great response from our buyers and the press….

Alex has been busy at the bench designing and making some extra-cute new pieces, all themed around a countryside picnic, with the old song ‘Daisy Bell’ being his initial inspiration. I’m sure everyone must know it, “Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do, I’m half crazy all for the love of you……..”

The collection won’t hit the shops until Spring, but here’s a little tease of what you can expect…..

As this collection won’t be available for a little while, don’t forget that there are some great Alex Monroe events coming up…..

London Fashion Week-End happens twice a year, and is a great opportunity to pick up lots of designer bargains. We will of course be there, with discounts on Classics and some great bargains too. It runs from Thursday 23rd to Sunday 26th September. Be warned – you do need to buy a ticket to attend, so check out the official website here.

While that’s all going on in London, I’m off to the west country next Saturday (25th September) where I will be visiting the lovely Bloomsbury team at their Cabot Circus store in Bristol with some brand-new Trunk Show pieces! The store is open from 10am – 7pm so come along and say hello and grab yourself a one-off Alex Monroe design.

As I said, we have lots of news, so as always, watch this space!

Emma x

Everyone loves our Bumblebee, and we do too!

Since it’s debut at the end of 2007, our Bee Necklace has gone on to become our most popular piece, and is now somewhat iconic and is signature of the Alex Monroe brand.

We are nearly approaching selling our 1000th Bee Necklace on-line, so to celebrate, we are offering the 1000th Classic Bumblebee (in Silver or Gold-Plate) for FREE!!

It’s a game of chance, but we reckon we’ll sell the 1000th Bee at the end of this month…..

The lovely Sophie modelling our Bee!

You need to actually purchase a Necklace, and we will notify you afterwards, and then refund your purchase.

We are also running a competition with the National Magazine Company, as part of their ’30 Days of Fashion and Beauty’ event, which details a September full of events, shows, offers and giveaways…..

By entering on-line, you can win a gift voucher for alexmonroe.com for £125

Lots of excitement, so good luck!!

Emma x

We were very surprised and of course thrilled, to hear on Monday that we have been shortlisted – by public vote – in Sheerluxe’s first ever Online Shopping Awards!

Sheerluxe is a fantastic interactive shopping guide, so we feel really honoured that their subscribers have voted for us – a great big THANK YOU if you voted for us!

And now for the favour…….!  It would obviously be great if we could sit this trophy next to our ‘E-Tailer of the Year’ award, so we would LOVE it if you could vote for us in our category of ‘Best Fine Jewellery Online’…..To do so, just click this link! There are a lot of categories, but you can just vote for ours if you like!!

You will need to sign up to Sheerluxe, but you can opt in or out of their newsletters, which often contain great offers or discounts, infact, we have previously offered 15% off at alexmonroe.com with Sheerluxe.

In other news, Alex has readjusted to life back on his feet after two weeks on his bicycle, and is in the workshop as I type making new pieces…….  We have got lots of exciting projects on the go at the moment, so as always, watch this space for news!

We are constantly sending out Jewellery at the moment, and have new stockists in: Aberdeen, Eindhoven, Glasgow, Liege, Munich, Paris and Waterford – amongst others!  We try and keep the stockists page of the site as up to date as possible, so don’t forget to check for your nearest store selling Alex Monroe!  Overseas customers just need to click on the little globe.

We have to confess that our Trunk Show page has been looking a little bit sad over the last couple of weeks – we just couldn’t keep up with demand for the Fruity pieces – but I am now very excited to say that we are going TROPICAL!! Check out this little beauty……

Stunning Dragonfly & Rhodolite Ring with a tiny Diamond.

And our next actual Trunk Show is at Bloomsbury in Bristol, to celebrate their 2nd Birthday. The date for your diary is Saturday the 25th of September, and I will be in-store to offer advice and an insight into life at Alex Monroe HQ!

Thanks again for your support!

Emma x

It’s been a very exciting couple of days here at Alex Monroe HQ……

As you all know, Alex has been cycling from Land’s End to John O Groats, truly an epic journey, and on Wednesday he finished! It’s a massive achievement, and we’re all very proud of him.

He emailed this photo to us on Wednesday lunchtime:

Nearly There!

Last night was the UK Jewellery Awards, which myself and Susie.L were lucky enough to attend – Alex managed to make it back from Scotland just in time for the nominations.  We were shortlisted for two awards, which is a pretty big honor in itself, E-Tailer of the Year, and Designer of the Year…..

Unfortunately we didn’t win the ‘Designer’ category, we had very stiff competition and it went to the amazing Shaun Leane, but….we are over the moon to have won E-Tailer of the Year!

All of us here have such an input into different aspects of running our website, and we all love it, so it’s a real boost to have won this category.

Here’s what they said:

Praise indeed.......

Celebration time!

So thank you for all of your support, and as always, do let us know your feedback. May alexmonroe.com go from strength to strength!!

Emma x