Jeweller in the workshop using a file to finish a bumblebee casting at the jewellers bench.

Handmade in England

Handmade in England

At Alex Monroe, we have been proudly hand making jewellery in England using a mix of traditional and specifically developed techniques, for over 30 years. From the inspiration behind our collections, to how our collections come to life, read on to discover the making process behind every piece of Alex Monroe jewellery.

The Inspiration

Unique in their quality, character and craftsmanship, every piece of Alex Monroe jewellery begins as a flicker of inspiration sparked between Alex and our wonderful team of designers and makers. From the natural world, to a museum exhibition, a memory from Alex's childhood or an important environmental concern - there have been so many creative starting points for our collections over the years - and they have all been captured in Alex's ever-growing collection of sketchbooks!

alex monroe sketching
Alex Monroe Jewellery London Workshop

The Original

Alex and our brilliant design team create all original Alex Monroe designs by hand, carving directly into sterling silver as opposed to the more commonly used wax. This unusual yet highly skilled technique allows our team to achieve the intricate, natural detail that has become synonymous with our jewellery. The creation of a new Alex Monroe collection can take anything from a few weeks to months, or even occasionally years to take shape, with initial inspirations twisting, shifting and evolving until a final story of finished jewellery comes to light.

Once a collection is finalised, the original ‘master ’pieces are carefully packaged up and sent off to our long term casting partners ready to be ‘cast’ for the first time, and prepared for production...

The Casting Process

In jewellery, the process of casting is where molten metal is poured into a mould to create a series of ‘castings’ - copies of the original master which will be in a rough form, and missing the intricacies of our signature detail.

Then, between our craft partners in Birmingham’s historic jewellery quarter and our production workshop in Bermondsey, brilliant jewellers will work their maker’s magic, and hand finish every single piece.

Alex Monroe Jewellery London Workshop
Alex Monroe Jewellery London Workshop

Back to the Workshop

Our production jewellers are incredible. From cleaning up and perfecting the detail in our castings, to experly soldering elements together, hand setting gemstones, and polishing, plating and quality checking our jewellery. This is the team responsible for ensuring that every single Alex Monroe piece meets the highest standards, ready for our website, boutiques, stockists and of course our wonderful customers. This is also where your jewellery is given a little TLC as part of our Repairs and Reconditioning Service, so you know your precious piece is in the most capable hands!

To Last a Lifetime

Alex has always designed his jewellery based around his own inspirations and what personally touches him, as opposed to short term trends and fast fashion season. This approach allows him to create special pieces of the highest quality, which our customers can imprint with their own stories and treasure for years to come.

Every well loved piece of silver and gold jewellery can always benefit from a little TLC over time, simply due to the accumulation of particles from daily wear, the natural process of oxidation which occurs when metal comes into contact with the air, or the impact of cosmetics, water and other elements on even the hardest wearing pieces. From a deep clean, to a chain change or a re-plate of gold, our cost-effective Repairs and Reconditioning service was set up to ensure your Alex Monroe jewellery will last a lifetime and beyond.

Alex Monroe Jewellery London Workshop
Alex Monroe Jewellery London Workshop

Responsible Craftsmanship

Jewellery making has a notoriously complicated history when it comes to ethical practice and sustainability. With nature forming the cornerstone of Alex’s inspiration, since the beginning, he and our team have always been conscious and committed to doing everything we can to minimise, absorb and balance the impact of our work on the environment and its people, and act as a positive and pioneering influence within our industry. From the use of recycled materials throughout our business, to the ethical sourcing of our gemstones.

Discover our Jewellery

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