We have been proudly hand making jewellery using a mix of traditional and specifically developed techniques for over 30 years. From the design process to finishing touches, all of our jewellery is handcrafted in England by our in-house team of expert jewellers, working in tandem with long standing suppliers.
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Our Making Process

1
The Inspiration

The natural world, English countryside and nostalgia for British life will always be at the core of Alex Monroe Jewellery. There have been so many creative starting points to our collections over the years, and inspiration can also take Alex and our Design team on more exotic explorations from time to time!

2
Sketchbook

All of that inspiration is captured in the sketchbooks of Alex and his design team, where notes, drawings, paintings and collected items form the foundations of a collection or piece of jewellery.

3
Carving In Silver

Alex’s ability to recreate something organic and softly textured from solid metal with such delicacy has become synonymous with our jewellery. Many jewellers will carve into wax, but Alex and the team usually work directly into silver, by piercing, carving and forming the metal. Different thicknesses of silver sheet, rod, wire or even bits of scrap are used to capture the essence of an animal, bug, leaf, flower, fruit or vegetable!

4
Casting The Original

We have worked with our casting partners for many years, and they are absolute experts at ensuring none of our signature detail and delicacy is lost during the casting process. We send them our original prototype or ‘master’ from which they make a mould.From here, they can create multiple replicas in wax, which are then built up onto a huge 'tree'. Once we are ready for production, molten silver or gold is poured into the moulds to create the castings that will become our jewellery.

5
Back To The Workshop

Our highly skilled jewellers work on cleaning up the castings and sizing rings, ensuring intricate details are perfected. More complex pieces are constructed by hand, gemstones are set, and everything is polished and sent for plating where required. The final step is the quality check of every single piece of jewellery before it goes off to find a new home.

Jeweller at their jewellers bench working on a large silver piece of jewellery.
Metals

The majority of our jewellery is made using Sterling Silver, usually with the option of being plated with Fairmined Gold with a thickness of 2 microns. Silver always has, and always will be reused and recycled, and the Silver we use to make our pieces is 100% recycled.

We use the term ‘Fine Jewellery’ to refer to pieces we make from solid, precious metals such as 18ct Yellow, White and Rose Gold, and occasionally Platinum.

Most of the 18ct Gold we use in our fine jewellery collections consists of a minimum of 70% recycled metal. We also offer selected styles in Certified Fairmined Gold.

Read More About The Metals We Use
Working in overalls and respirator holding a cube of fairmined gold.
Certified Fairmined Gold

Since September 2021 every piece of Gold-plated that we've made at Alex Monroe Jewellery, is done so with licensed Fairmined Gold. Created by the Alliance for Responsible Mining, Fairmined is a global, accredited standard that certifies Gold from responsibly managed artisanal and small-scale community mines and can be traced accordingly.

The mining of Gold can traditionally be a very poverty-driven and destructive industry, so for us, using Fairmined Gold is a proactive way of both empowering social development and supporting better environmental practices.

Further Reading About Fairmined Gold
A large blue sapphire held on the back of a hand, resting between two fingers, with a pair of tweezers poised to pick it up.
Gemstones

We use a beautiful array of precious and semi-precious gemstones to enhance our designs with sparkle and colour.

Our main supplier of coloured gemstones is Wennick-Lefévre who we work closely with to select sapphires for our Fine Jewellery collections. Wennick-Lefévre use responsible mining techniques in Madagascar and Sri Lanka, alongside paying fairly for both stones and wages. Their positive impact is furthered by planting a tree for every stone sold, to help combat deforestation caused by irresponsible practices.

Other gemstones we work with are sourced through: Nineteen 48, Moyo Gems, Ancients 17 and Fairtrade Gems. We make a conscious effort to ensure that any stones we purchase are responsibly sourced. Sadly, it may not always be possible to guarantee the provenance of all the stones we use, as certified or transparent supply chains are still not commonplace.

Please get in touch if you have any questions or concerns regarding a specific stone or piece.

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A selection of different white, yellow and champagne coloured diamonds held in the palm of a hand, with one being picked up with tweezers.
Diamonds

You will find diamonds used in both our mainline and fine jewellery collections. Best known in their colourless or white form we also use a range of naturally coloured diamonds such as Champagne and Cognac.

All of our Diamonds are sourced from trusted suppliers and comply with the Kimberley Process. Whilst we make a conscious effort to ensure that any diamonds we purchase are responsibly sourced, unfortunately, it is often not possible to guarantee the provenance of the diamonds we use.

As an alternative supply chain, we are proud to offer Ocean Diamonds, a pioneering company working exclusively with professional divers to source diamonds from the seabeds around Namibia and South Africa, with minimal environmental impact.

The subject of lab-grown Diamonds may be one of much debate, but provides an option outside of conventional mining. We can offer stones from carbon neutral The Diamond Foundry via our Bespoke service.

We remain committed to pursuing responsible sourcing for all of the gemstones we use in the future, but in the meantime, please get in touch if you have any questions or concerns regarding a specific piece.

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Jewellery making benches with angle poise lamps and assorted tools in a large jewellery workshop.
Our Workshops

Alex worked closely with architects DSDHA on our two purpose-built Design and production buildings to ensure the utmost social and environmental consideration.

Building our own spaces has meant that we have health and safety considerations at the forefront, as the craft of gold and silversmithing often involves the use of tools, heat and chemicals. From the provision of protective equipment and correct disposal of solution waste to filtered ventilation systems, stringent procedures are in place to ensure the protection of our bench jewellers, and minimise our environmental impact.

Womans hands holding a small heart locket that has been opened to reveal old photos of relatives.

Jewellery To Last A Lifetime

At Alex Monroe, our pieces are designed and made to be worn, loved and treasured, and we are here for you and your jewellery for a lifetime.

We do not offer formal warranties, as a strong part of our brand ethos is the importance of repairing rather than replacing, to lessen our environmental impact.

As we make everything in our own workshops, we are here to clean, recondition or repair your pieces - wherever possible and are always on hand to help with any queries or concerns you may have.

Jewellery Care

Alex Monroe was established as a business in 1987 - with the intention of creating originally designed jewellery, which was made by hand and well-priced. Jewellery made to be worn, loved and treasured. All of these values remain unchanged to this day.

Alongside this, we are committed to working ethically and sourcing materials with as little impact on the environment as possible. Our proactive approach to sustainability is integral to the creation of our jewellery - we work closely with suppliers to seek out ever more ethical and sustainable materials, minimise social and environmental impact - and positively contribute to our community.

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Old black bicycle with wicker basket leant against a tree in the woods with ferns growing across the floor.

Reducing Our Carbon Footprint

Carbon has become the headline indicator for climate change, which is why we have taken ownership of our carbon footprint and are on a mission to reduce our emissions year on year. Throughout this ongoing process, we are encouraging our suppliers to follow suit, in the hope of establishing long term change across the industry.

There is no doubt that a jewellery business will have an impact on the environment, but we are actively committed to lessening ours.

Read More About Our Efforts