Bijoux de Chagall: Handcrafted Jewellery Gifts to Treasure

Female Founder Spotlight

Moss agate that looks like a forest floor caught under glass. Alexandrite that shifts from deep purple to ocean teal as the light changes. Meet Julia Shagal, the artist turning nature, poetry and old-world romance into solid gold jewellery made to be kept for a lifetime.

Some jewellery is bought for a season. Bijoux de Chagall is made for generations. Every piece from Julia's independent studio is handcrafted in the UK to order, in recycled 9ct, 14ct or 18ct solid gold, set with ethically sourced diamonds and gemstones, and hallmarked in Britain. Nothing is plated, nothing is mass-produced, and nothing sits on a shelf waiting for a buyer.

The result is a collection of engagement rings, wedding bands, earrings and pendants that feel less like accessories and more like small works of art. Which, as it turns out, is exactly the point.

An artist first

"Since I was little, I've always been drawn to art, nature and the stories that beautiful handcrafted pieces can hold," says Julia. She trained in Art and Design, spent years in creative industries, and worked her way through painting, dressmaking, photography and graphic design before jewellery became her business.

None of it was wasted. Each of those disciplines found its way into Bijoux de Chagall, from the eye for colour to the way a design is drawn, photographed and presented. What began as a creative hobby grew, piece by piece, into an independent jewellery studio.

Julia is also partly deaf, and prefers to work with her clients in writing. Far from being a barrier, she says it means every customer's ideas and design details get her full attention, and her reviews suggest people notice. One customer says working with her feels like having your best friend make your ring.

A name with a story

The name is personal, too. Chagall is Julia's surname, translated into French, a language and culture she adores. She and her husband, who is her partner in both life and business, travel to France often, coming home with fresh inspiration and, as she puts it, the free spirit of art.

You can see it in the collections. The Toi et Moi ring pairs an oval diamond with a luminous Keshi pearl. French Garden is set with a bi-colour teal sapphire, and Versailles is a floral wishbone wedding band with baroque curves. Even the gift pieces carry a little romance: the Mon Chou ruby heart pendant borrows a French term of endearment, "my little sweetheart".

Rethinking what makes a diamond precious

Sustainability sits at the heart of the business. Julia works mainly with lab-grown diamonds and gemstones, alongside recycled gold, and she's keen to bust a myth along the way.

"We want to share with our customers that lab-grown stones are real and identical to mined ones," she explains. "The real beauty and value of jewellery, like in art, is not just in the cost of materials but in the value of craftsmanship, imagination and the love and passion used in creating it."

Lab-grown diamonds share the same chemical and physical make-up as mined stones, with the same brilliance and durability. For Julia, choosing them is a conscious eco decision. The studio also loves characterful natural stones: smoky salt-and-pepper diamonds, raw rock diamonds with their organic texture, and moss agate, where no two stones are ever alike. Profits from each sale help plant trees through Ecologi.

The pinch-me moment

Every founder has one. For Julia, it was seeing Sophie Ellis-Bextor share the Flora mint sapphire ring she had designed for her.

"It was wonderful to know that one of my designs had become something she genuinely loved wearing," Julia says. "Moments like that bring attention to the business, but they also remind me how personal jewellery can be. A piece begins as an idea, then becomes part of someone else's life and story."

She's not the only famous fan. Gemma Collins ordered a pink opal and pearl ring from the studio for her mum. Bijoux de Chagall is listed in the Love My Dress wedding directory, and Julia is a Gold Member of the Guild of Jewellery Designers and a member of the Society of British Jewellers.

But the moments Julia treasures most happen far from the spotlight. "The most meaningful thing is when someone connects with a design and trusts me to create something for an important moment in their life, such as a proposal, wedding or anniversary."

For the bride who dares to be different

Rings that reflect identity, not status, are what Bijoux de Chagall does best. Planning a Christmas proposal? These are the designs to start with. Many come as two-ring sets with a matching curved band, ready for the wedding day, while others are built around a single extraordinary stone: a natural black diamond crowned with medieval scrollwork, a grey rock diamond in molten gold, or a kite-cut diamond beneath hand-engraved stars.

Because each ring is made to order, you choose the gold colour and carat, and Julia is happy to talk through stone options before you commit.

Gifts that outlast the season

Engagement rings are the studio's signature, but the Romantic Celebration Gifts collection is where you'll find pieces made for anniversaries, birthdays and milestones. With Christmas on the horizon, it's also a beautiful antidote to throwaway gifting.

The Amour Chéri puffy heart pendant, inspired by antique love tokens, is scattered with raspberry-red rubies (from £800). The Art Deco Sunburst pendant frames a sugarloaf-cut emerald in sculptural gold (from £790), with matching earrings (from £930), while the Sunburst half-moon diamond studs (from £735) are made for lovers of celestial jewellery. Pearl lovers will fall for the Keshi pearl leaves earrings (from £790) and the ruby heart and pearl drops (from £1,090). The most personal of all is The Art of You (from £680), a reversible pendant with a cameo hand-sculpted from your own profile.

Every piece is made in the solid gold of your choice, so a gift can be matched to the way someone already wears their jewellery. And if you have something more personal in mind, Julia welcomes bespoke commissions, from a particular gemstone to a design with a story only you two know.

What she's learned along the way

Ask Julia what she'd do differently, and her answer will be familiar to any woman running a small business: ask for help sooner.

"When you're running a small creative business, it's easy to try to do every part yourself, but learning about the business side, especially how to reach the right customers, takes time," she says. "I'd be more patient with myself, focus on a few priorities at a time and remember that building something distinctive is a gradual process."

Her advice for anyone starting out is just as grounded. Know why you're doing it and stay close to that. Learn from others, but remember that not every piece of advice will fit you or your business. Be patient, because meaningful work and trust take time to build. And don't feel you have to copy a bigger brand's pace to succeed.

What's next

For 2027, Julia is focused on developing new designs that feel true to her artistic vision, building on her press and editorial work, and introducing Bijoux de Chagall to more people who value independent design and craftsmanship. Above all, she wants to grow in a way that protects the personal, creative spirit of the business.

Prices are correct at the time of publishing and may change. All jewellery images courtesy of Bijoux de Chagall.

Do you have a piece of jewellery with a story behind it? Share it on Instagram and tag us #annelouisemag.