FASHTALKS WITH AUGUSTINE JEWELS

Tell us the story behind how your brand came to life. What inspired its creation?

Alexandra attended ESMOD School of Fashion and Design in Paris from 1988 to 1989, where she won a luxury jewellery design award. She later continued her education at University of Cambridge (BA) and Stanford University (MA), before going on to become Global Head of CRM for the Consumer Goods sector at Accenture.

After taking a career break to raise her children, Alexandra returned to study bespoke jewelry design at the Gemological Institute of America, where she became an Accredited Jewelry Professional (AJP) and also trained in diamond and coloured stone grading. It was during thistime that Augustine Jewels was founded.

Reconnecting with her original passion for jewelry design, Alexandra later purchased the building that houses Augustine Studios. Historically, Augustine Studios was part of the design group The Silver Studio from 1860 to 1963. Collections from The Silver Studio are now held by Middlesex University and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Alexandra revived this heritage name as Augustine Jewels: a design studio specializing in handcrafted jewelry.

How did you choose your brand name, and what does it represent?

Augustine Jewels embodies a sense of heritage, craftsmanship and luxury. Building upon the historic reputation of Augustine Studios, the brand has been reimagined as a modern jewelry house that honors the legacy of The Silver Studio while creating something entirely its own.

By drawing inspiration from this rich design history, Augustine Jewels has developed a name that reflects both tradition and innovation. Today, the brand is synonymous with exceptional craftsmanship, beautiful gemstones and thoughtfully designed pieces that celebrate artistry and elegance. Each creation continues the story of Augustine Studios, transforming a historic design heritage into contemporary jewelry that clients can treasure for years to come.

"⁠Our collections sit in a “sweet spot” of accessible luxury, with ready-to-wear pieces typically ranging from £500 to £5,000. Through our workshops in Jaipur and a global network of gemstone suppliers, we also have exceptional access to colored gemstones, allowing us to create distinctive designs that stand out. In essence, Augustine Jewels brings together luxury craftsmanship, authentic gemstones and strong design at a price point that offers clients exceptional value."

What core values guide your brand, and how do they show up in your designs?

At the heart of Augustine Jewels is a passion for creating truly beautiful jewellery for our clients. We craft exquisite designs using extraordinary gemstones, both through our ready-to-wear collections and our bespoke service. Across both areas of the business, we aim to offer a sense of accessible luxury, introducing clients to a wide variety of designs and gemstones available at multiple price points. Whether choosing from an existing collection or creating something entirely unique, each piece can be tailored to reflect our clients’ individual style and jewelry dreams.

What inspired you to become a designer, and how has that influence evolved?

After returning to the jewelry world following her career break, Alexandra’s passion was reignited and her journey as a British jewelry designer truly began. She initially focused on one-of-a-kind bespoke projects, but as the business grew, Alexandra began developing her own ready-to-wear collections, drawing inspiration from the luxury destinations.

Walk us through your creative process from concept to finished piece.

At Augustine Jewels we use luxury destinations as the main inspiration for each of our collections. Using these locations as a creative starting point, Alexandra absorbs the sights, shapes and colors of places like the South of France, Andalusia, Lake Como and Gstaad, translating them into jewelry collections that capture the essence of each region. Alexandra then hand draws initial ideas before sourcing some incredible stones to help visualize the combinations within the designs. After selecting stones that she feels suit the location and the feel of the collection, Alexandra and our team then refine them into digital mock ups, using examples of the stones selected to bring the designs to life. Once we have these mockups that we're happy with we move into extremely precise computer aided design (CAD) and then take the collection into production.

What sets your brand apart in today’s fashion landscape?

What sets Augustine Jewels apart is our position within a unique niche of the jewelry market. We combine the craftsmanship, design quality and colored gemstone expertise of leading luxury jewelry houses with pricing that is more competitive than large commercial jewelers.

Our collections sit in a “sweet spot” of accessible luxury, with ready-to-wear pieces typically ranging from £500 to £5,000. Through our workshops in Jaipur and a global network of gemstone suppliers, we also have exceptional access to colored gemstones, allowing us to create distinctive designs that stand out.

In essence, Augustine Jewels brings together luxury craftsmanship, authentic gemstones and strong design at a price point that offers clients exceptional value.

What was your first experience in the fashion industry, and how did it shape you?

Alexandra’s first experience of the fashion world was designing a detachable wrist band for swatch whilst she studied at Esmod School of Design in Paris. Here she notes learning about design, precision but most importantly the emotion created by adding something specific and exciting to a standard swatch.

What has been your biggest challenge so far, and what did it teach you?

After a successful 2025, opening our second store, on the Upper East Side of New York, and being shortlisted for Creative Jewelry Designer of The Year, our key goal for 2026 is to secure placement in a department store, ideally with a retailer such as Liberty, Fenwick or Selfridges. It’s a natural next step for the brand and one that will help unlock our next phase of growth. This year, our focus is on building the right connections and partnerships, with the aim of ending the year stocked in one of these leading stores.