Joanna Boyen and the team at biiju create and curate handcrafted, British fine jewellery celebrating the natural world through contemporary design. A love letter to nature, biiju pieces are ethically sourced, sustainable and handmade in London with exquisite attention to detail.
We caught up with founder Joanna Boyen to find out more about biiju.
Creator and Founder Joanna Boyen
How did it all start?
I had been working in hotels in various parts of the world – Les Grandes Comores, Moscow, Bora Bora & Peru & was fascinated with the way each culture expressed itself in jewellery in very differing ways. The reasons people make & buy jewellery the world over – to bring joy, to empower, to symbolise a sentiment or encapsulate a memory – is the same though. When I finally came back to London & was able to put down some roots I knew that was what I wanted to do.
What makes biiju different?
biiju is about celebrating those fleeting, ethereal moments of nature which provoke wonder & hopefully inspire us to protect them. Every piece across the collections tells this story in contemporary designs which are made to wear every day, and be comfortable enough to feel like a second skin and last forever.
I like to showcase the beauty of the imperfect or imprecise & also shine a spotlight on everyday materials which are often taken for granted – rock crystal for example, which is the feature stone in the Careless Rhythm collection, where it’s paired with 18 carat gold & diamonds & has been deliberately cut to highlight its inclusions (faults), which are what makes each piece unique.
Tell us about the provenance of your items and the history with Hatton Garden?
Every piece is made by hand here in Hatton Garden & we also source all our materials & gemstones locally through a carefully curated group of long standing & trusted suppliers, using Fairtrade & recycled materials wherever possible.
Hatton Garden has been associated with the jewellery trade since medieval times. This relatively small area geographically has an extraordinary concentration of talent & specialist craftsmen in every possible aspect of jewellery making, which means that whatever you can imagine can usually be brought to life here. For a designer, it’s like being a child in a candy shop.
Can sustainability ever become the norm in fashion?
Big question! I believe most people in the jewellery industry in the UK are well meaning & are working towards this, plus it helps that consumers are a lot more knowledgeable today & interested in the provenance of their jewellery. There’s a definite shift towards quality over quantity & recycling & upcycling are much more popular. All changes in the right direction, however small, are positive & as the saying goes; little by little a little becomes a lot.
Tell us what inspires you when creating new pieces?
It’s always nature – in particular the more ephemeral aspects – a flash of lightning (new collection in-the-making), ripples of water in a stream or the dappled light which creates such great camouflage & inspired the men’s Camo Collection. The fact that you can’t harness them makes them extra special in my mind.
There’s a quote from Henry Ward Beecher which says; “Every artist dips his brush into his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures”. I think this is so true and inevitably I draw from my own experiences – the sand dunes of Africa (where I grew up) inspired the Careless Rhythm collection.
What exciting brand collaborations have you worked on?
I’m very fortunate to work with Belmond’s Venice Simplon Orient-Express designing an evolving collection of fine jewellery celebrating the history, legends, marquetry, décor & style of the famous train. It’s so full of romance & glamour, every aspect tells a story & the VSOE team is wonderful, it’s a joy to collaborate with them.
What is the most fun bespoke piece you have ever worked on?
A pair of chunky gold & silver egg cups for the Venice Simplon Orient-Express train referencing the film ‘Murder on the Orient-Express’. The (then) new movie directed by Kenneth Branagh had just come out & has a scene showing Hercule Poirot’s obsession with having a perfectly matched pair of eggs for his breakfast.
The design features a silver outer section resembling a broken eggshell which was planished by hand into a multifaceted finish so that it would sparkle brilliantly. The inner sections of the egg cups were brushed into a satin finish & overlaid with 18 carat gold. The look is deceptively simple – it was a complex process, done by hand from start to finish, using traditional silversmithing techniques. It was a departure from jewellery for me & a challenge so it was very satisfying to see them come to life just as I’d pictured them.
What is next for biiju?
It’s such an interesting time for men’s jewellery which has undergone a profound shift in the past 2 years. Men are now wearing every category & type of jewellery which is wonderful, & I’m fully embracing it with another men’s collection in progress hot on the heels of the existing Camouflage Collection.
I’m also expanding the popular woman’s Careless Rhythm collection with some new pieces & on another front, very excitingly, there’s possibly a new collaboration with an iconic hotel in the pipeline. I think it makes absolute sense for a hotel to have its own bespoke jewellery collection which is synonymous with the property & the destination.
To discover more, visit: biiju.com
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Imagery courtesy of biiju / Joanna Boyen.