Is there anything quite as British as afternoon tea? Once characterised by dainty mouthfuls and even daintier china, the afternoon tea has lost some of its customs (ladies no longer wear gloves for example!) but none of its ingredients or charm. At Bonds, we’re embracing the traditional tea as an excuse to get out the […]
Author Archives: Douglas Bond
We’d like to introduce you to Bonds the Jeweller’s commercial side, bespoke jewellery makers Mallards. Mallards designs and creates quality sterling silver jewellery for heritage and visitor attractions, as well as commercial businesses. The story of Mallards Bonds’ founder Douglas Bond started making bespoke jewellery for visitor attractions back in 2004. This branch of the […]
A birthstone is a precious or semi-precious stone associated with a particular month. Some people believe that the gems have certain qualities – and at the very least, shopping by birthstone can narrow down tricky birthday present buying! The idea of associating gems with particular times of year goes back to ancient civilisations, when people […]
Halcyon Days crafted a beautiful enamel box to mark the 60th anniversary of VE Day; and we have a limited stock of this exquisite box available. Let’s lift the lid on this lovely little commemorative piece… The VE Day enamel box The VE Day limited edition enamel box celebrates that momentous day, 8 May 1945, […]
It’s time to embrace the pocket watch again. Increasingly popular with everyone from horologists to fashionistas, a pocket watch makes a real style statement – but in an elegantly discreet way. If you haven’t already thought about buying a pocket watch, here are some excellent reasons why this old-time charmer is becoming the timepiece of […]
The White Rabbit’s pocket watch in Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland stories has to be one of the most iconic watches in literature. So, we were all delighted at Bonds the Jewellers when the props team from the new Disney film adaptation, Alice Through the Looking Glass, approached us to provide them with a pocket […]
Amethyst, the birthstone of February, is a variety of Quartz that carries a spectacular purple colour that ranges from a blend of deep violet and red to a lighter lilac hue. Ancient Greeks believed that the stone protected the wearer from drunkenness and enabled them to keep a balanced mindset.
Garnet, the birthstone of January, is mined in a rainbow of colours. From the fiery orange of Mandarin Garnet to the rich green of Tsavorite Garnet and to the most widely recognized color of Pyrope Garnet, it is considered a great gift to symbolize friendship and trust.
Enamelling in its various forms was used as long ago as 3000BC as a decorative tool to embellish the work of the goldsmith, reaching popularity in England in the eighteenth century. Enamel boxes from the Georgian period are highly collectable and are sought-after pieces, first used by the aristocracy and socialites to contain snuff for […]
Lockets have been around for as long as humans have been adorning themselves. They are small, intricate containers shaped like decorative items, worn by individuals to hold something valuable to them. Early versions date back to the Roman and Greek times. Lockets come in various forms, but the hinged pressed metal heart-shaped design became popular […]
