This month we celebrate ten years of Little by Little and we'd like to tell you a bit of behind the scenes at this unique, sustainable jewellery brand. 

Little by Little Olive Collection launching November 4th 2021. Here's the details...

Emerging from lockdown with Little by Little...

1. It's been a crazy year for all of us! What does stepping out of lockdown look like for you? 

Like everyone, we’ve had to make big readjustments to daily life; personally and professionally. We have five young children between us so getting to grips with homeschooling was one of our biggest challenges. Work was being squeezed around Zoom classes and in the beginning there was certainly an element of muddling and juggling! However, over time, we found our groove in this new normal. 

The beauty of running an online, digital business (and being best friends) has been the flexibility it’s afforded us to ride the ups and downs of the year together.

2. There have been some upsides to lockdown...what are your highlights of this last year?  

It’s been eventful for both of us! Baby girl Cox and baby boy Fuggle landed in lockdown. Georgina moved house and is 3 months into countryside living. We’ve made new friends along the way too. With face to face engagements being off the cards for some time, this little online community we’ve fostered over the last few years has kept us connected and able to explore new opportunities and collaborations. For that, we are so grateful. We’ve even made two new recruits!

3. When all restrictions eventually lift, how will you and the brand be celebrating?

We’re longing to see one another in person and meet each other’s lockdown babies. It feels so bizarre to be saying it! We’ve missed those simple interactions the most. From a brand perspective, Annbel’s return from mat leave means she has her creative design hat back on and is working on new collections. We’re hoping to reach more customers and raise more funds for Luminary. Outside of work - we can look forward to getting glammed up again! 

4. Looking forward to the future, what is coming for Little by Little this year?

2021 is going to be an exciting year for us. We have two new additions to the team, helping shape our journey. A summer collection will be launched followed by an exciting collaborative Christmas collection with a talented chef. We’re so excited about the new lines and this new season. Can’t wait to share more with you really soon!

5. Lastly, your top jewellery picks for the new season!

We’re loving crushed and mixed metals, hoops and layered necklaces to inject some glamour into 2021. For us, summer is all about the Wedge and Seville collection; you can mix and match to create a unique multi-layer effect to suit your mood, change up look and just have some fun with your summer style. Now all we need is a party invite! 

1. What is ‘Little By Little’ and what are your core values?

I think at our core lies the desire to offer people beautiful elegant jewellery that gives back to people and the planet.

2. Why is the brand called ‘Little By Little’?

The naming of little by Little came about because at it’s crux we were a small unit who had big aspirations and this quote struck us and informed us as we dreamed of our business:

“ Little by little… one travels far.” J.R.R Tolkien

3. What does sustainability mean to Little by Little?

WeIl, I think the principle of being sustainable lies in the area of relationship. When you refer to ethical Jewellery it is about having a transparent, fair and enabling chain of custody.

4. Why is it important to be transparent?

Within an industry that traditionally is all about smoke and mirrors and concealing your source, because this is seen to be your USP. It has been interesting to bring the focus back to the design and revealing how it evolves from a concept, working in collaboration with our makers into our final pieces. Rather than concealing our sources we are trying at every stage to reveal things to people. 

5. Where is the jewellery manufactured and why is this important to the brand?

The jewellery is lovingly created by a well established jewellery producer in Lima, Peru. The factory has been running for 25 years, employs 350 people and has just 25 clients. From its inception its aim was always to bring opportunity and employment which it does this by giving jobs to people with no prior technical experience, training them in the art of jewellery. Having visited herself, Annabel can verify that it is a well equipped, safe and spacious place to work. 

We also know the excellent team who make our jewellery. They are made up of 3 key individuals who we liaise with regularly; Piero, Mayra and Sandra. Knowing these individuals is really important to feeling like we own and are proud of the brand.

6. Why does LBL think it is important to collaborate with a charity? 

Right from our first thoughts we knew that we wanted to tackle the plight of food poverty faced by many around the world. This ambition came first; the jewellery followed.

Our charitable partner is Luminary Bakery – they are a London based charity that provides opportunities for women to build a future for themselves. They have a safe and professional environment where women can grow holistically – encouraging ambition, restoration and second chances. They use baking as a tool to take women on a journey to employability and entrepreneurship, equipping them with transferable skills for the working world. Luminary offer courses, work experience and paid employment within the bakery, empowering women to build their career. By investing in and releasing them to realise women’s dreams, through training, employment and community, we aim to break the generational cycles of abuse, prostitution, criminal activity and poverty. With every purchase of Little by Little jewellery we donate sufficient funds to enable a disadvantaged woman to train at the bakery for a day, building her career.

Amy Mcdowell, a friend of LbL, who is flying the ethical flag in all that she does, is living in Norwich. Here she writes about what's hot on the ethical scene. 

We are shining a light on 3 Independent British Brands, all made in London and all that share similar values too Little by Little Jewellery.  We think you will love them as much as we do!  

As Mother's Day is fast approaching we thought we would share 3 Jewellery gift ideas that feature some of our favourite pieces, that are a perfect gift for this special day.