By Emily - Handmade Jewellery
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Fine jewellery handmade in rural Northamptonshire, England, inspired by classic English literature and nature. By Emily- wear a story!
"Whether it be teatime or gin o'clock, the appropriate adornment is an absolute essential- thus consider designer maker Emily Sidwell, your duchess of artful accessories. The offerings in her By Emily collection are a mixture of poise and playfulness drawing inspiration from beloved childhood stories and English history alike." http://fab.com/
It all began many years ago on her bedroom floor; inspired by favourite childhood tales she would sit for hours building houses out of shoe boxes with intricately drawn wallpaper and painted floor boards; she would meticulously glue together pieces of cardboard to create tiny but elaborate pieces of furniture; she would stitch dainty Victorian clothing decorated with ruffles and lace and beads. She was fascinated by history and narrative, swept away by minute detail. Since then it has been a whirlwind of adventure, while backpacking across the world after finishing her fine art degree Emily fell completely in love with jewellery making, a year later in 2011 she realised her dream and established an unmistakably English luxury jewellery company founded in London. Inspired by classic literature, Emily’s jewellery pieces reveal themselves like an unfolding narrative as intricate details are found upon closer inspection. Opening a locket can reveal a bee, the glint of rubies and emeralds can be caught in the eyes of hares or foxes and tiny diamonds can be discovered set in a ring. Her designs are never quite what they first appear to be as each piece had it’s own story to tell. Using the lost wax casting process, each tiny piece is first carved from a unique blend of wax resulting in figures that appear alive and untamed. The wax is then cast in precious metal and lovingly crafted together in her workshop in beautiful Oxfordshire. As each piece is handmade to order we can accommodate personal requests or even create something entirely new just for you so do get in touch, we would love to hear from you! So instead of her bedroom floor Emily now works at her bench designing and creating unique story inspired collections of exquisite tiny treasures from silver and gold for lovely customers all over the world. Our jewellery can also be found in boutiques and galleries across the UK, for a list of our stockists please do follow the link at the bottom of the page.
Don’t mind me, I’m “mass manufacturing” 😉
Last week I received an unkind email calling my jewellery “mass manufactured” and labelling me a hobbyist. It stung for a moment.
But after 16 years of making, I know that running a small business means some days are hard, and sometimes the comments are rubbish. Those days don’t define you or your work.
So if you’re a small business owner having one of those days: please keep going. You are enough. Every piece you make and every step you take matters.
My experience was rubbish, but kindness shines brighter. Thank you to everyone who speaks encouraging words into the world. You make all the difference ♥️
And exciting news is coming over the next couple of weeks. I can’t wait to share it with you!
youareenough madebyhands
13/10/2026
Some days are simply made for making things: wax, flowers, pumpkins and endless laughter 🎃🌼
On Saturday, Suzy Suzy I Northants Flower Grower Florist• Garden studio courses and I spent the day with lovely ladies carving a wax cosmos flower (this is the first step of lost wax casting, a technique I use to make some of my jewellery) and then arranging flowers inside pumpkins. We chatted about travelling, design and puppies, and somewhere between the carving tools and the cosmos, everyone made something that was entirely their own.
There’s something special about slowing down with your hands for a few hours. No screens, just a cup of tea, cake, good company and a little bit of creative magic.
Want to join the next one? Drop me a message or comment “workshop” and I’ll make sure you’re first to hear about it 👇
09/10/2026
“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”
Long before I made jewellery, I made a tiny dress - hand-stitched, for a Sylvanian doll, inspired by my favourite book Anne of Green Gables. I think I’ve been making small, careful worlds ever since. Now I just make them out of silver and gold instead of off cuts of cotton and thread.
October has always felt like the month that gives the most back for paying attention to it. The light, the leaves underfoot, the acorn treasure in your pocket.
These are the pieces I keep reaching for this month - the acorn necklace, the key and the squirrel, something small enough to hold, that feels like it belongs to the season.
Which piece says October to you? Tell me below 🧡
Some things should be opened slowly. 🗝️
An antique box, and inside it, something that has never existed before ♥️
A bespoke 18ct white gold ring, set with a pear shaped ruby the colour of a late autumn hedgerow and four diamonds that catch the light like frost on a morning walk.
Look closely at the band and you’ll find tiny hand engraved leaves, each one cut by hand.
One person, one story, one ring that exists nowhere else.
✨ Save this if you’ve ever dreamed of a ring made just for you
💌 Send it to someone who’d love a reveal like this
💬 Would you have spotted the leaves?
From the hills to the Highlands 🏔️
Some news I’ve been keeping to myself: By Emily Jewellery is now stocked at .skye on the Isle of Skye.
These pieces begin in my little cottage garden workshop in Northamptonshire, made by hand from 100% recycled silver and gold, and inspired by the English countryside and the stories I grew up loving. Now they’re travelling north to one of my favourite places in all the world.
It feels right that something shaped by rolling hills and hedgerows will now sit among the mountains, mist and sea of Skye.
If you’re visiting the island, or live there, go and say hello to them at Òr 🤍
📍 Òr, Portree, Skye
✨ Handmade, recycled silver and gold
Swallows are known for their long journeys, and this little one has set off on one of her own 💫
I can’t wait to share where she’s heading 🤍 Come back at midday to find out.
🔔 Turn on notifications so you don’t miss it
24/09/2026
Imagine a day where you leave with flowers you chose and a piece of jewellery only you could have made. It’s real, and you can book now.
Saturday 10th October, I’m running another workshop with Suzy Suzy I Northants Flower Grower Florist• Garden studio courses, a day split in two.
In the morning, you’ll arrange flowers with Suzy, chosen from her garden, no two arrangements ever quite the same. You’ll take those home with you at the end of the day.
In the afternoon, you’ll come to the bench with me, and I’ll teach you to carve your own piece of jewellery in wax, a skill that’s been used by jewellery makers for centuries. I’ll then cast and finish it in my workshop, so once it’s ready to collect, it isn’t a rough first attempt. It’s a real piece, made by your own hand, that you’ll be able to wear for years.
It’s one of my favourite events of the year. Flowers and jewellery, all in one day.
Spaces are limited, and booking is through Suzy’s website, link in bio, or drop me a DM if you’d like to know more 🤍
📷 Hannah
This is the moment I’ve been waiting all year for.
Autumn, my favourite of all seasons. The season that bathes the world in gold, where the morning sunrise settles on the mist covering the fields, where treasures fill your pocket and you can’t help believing in magic.
This key necklace has always felt like it belongs to moments like this one. If I close my eyes just for a moment, the low evening sun on my face, I can imagine a door half hidden by ivy and beyond, a secret garden, walled and half forgotten 🗝️
Worth the wait, every single year 🧡
He came to life in the workshop this summer, curled up in the palm of my hand 🐭
A bespoke commission with a family link, hand-formed in silver and finished with 18ct gold plating, every whisker considered, every detail intentional- the chain passing through between his paws and the loop of his tail.
Sometimes the smallest pieces take the longest to get right. What would you name him if he were yours? 👇
16/09/2026
A hare, a swallow, an acorn - nature’s treasures for September. There’s a fourth treasure coming, but that one’s still a secret.
Hares are quick, and shy, and rarely seen - you might catch one for half a second before it’s gone, and spend the rest of the walk wondering if you imagined it. That rarity is exactly why people have always given them a kind of mystical weight, a creature that seems to exist just at the edge of what’s ordinary, half in this world and half in another.
Swallows travel further than almost any bird their size, and however far they go, they always find their way home. Sailors used to have them tattooed on their chests, one for every 5,000 miles, a swallow meant you’d travelled far and made it back.
An acorn is small enough to sit in the palm of your hand, and yet somewhere inside it is an oak tree that could stand for a thousand years. Older folklore carried them as tokens of patience, proof that the smallest, slowest beginnings can hold the most.
Three treasures found. There’s a fourth one on its way, and it’s exciting, I promise it’s worth the wait.
Which one’s yours - the hare, the swallow, or the acorn? Tell me below, I’d love to know 🍁
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Wightwick Manor, Wightwick Bank
Wolverhampton
WV6 8EE
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