Where the idea for Mon Bijoux was born.
Mon Bijoux didn’t begin at a workbench or even in the UK — it began while we were travelling the world together in 2009. Somewhere between the adventures and inspiration we picked up on our journey, we dreamed up the idea of starting our own jewellery brand. We even eloped in Thailand before returning home, determined to turn that dream into something real.
Our first ever retail event was the Winter Wonderland Christmas Fair in Hyde Park in 2010. We’ll never forget setting up our tiny stand in the middle of one of London’s busiest festive events — nervous, excited, and with no idea where this little idea might take us.
From there, like many small businesses, we grew slowly through local markets and fairs, learning what customers loved and refining our designs. It was exciting, but also unpredictable — the British weather, slow footfall, and carrying boxes of jewellery around London made it tough to build consistency.
In those early years, we even set up our first website on WordPress. But if we’re honest, we didn’t know how to make it work. Without traffic, it just sat there. The real turning point came at an event, when another maker told us how well they were doing on Etsy. That was the lightbulb moment.
We opened our Etsy shop, and for the first time, we had a platform that consistently brought us customers. Etsy gave us visibility, an immediate audience, and the confidence that Mon Bijoux could work online. So when the pandemic hit in 2020, we already had a foundation in place. Instead of scrambling, we leaned into Etsy and fully pivoted online. Not long after, we rebuilt our own website — this time on Shopify — and it’s now a central hub for our brand alongside Etsy and Not On The High Street.
Today, Mon Bijoux is a family-run jewellery brand that reaches customers worldwide, and we’re now preparing to expand into wholesale through Faire. Along the way, we’ve learned some important lessons about taking a small business online — lessons we hope can help others on the same journey.
1. Start Small, But Think Big
Etsy gave us the easiest way to test the waters. It’s a ready-made marketplace where buyers are actively looking for handcrafted pieces. Once we understood how to make Etsy work, we layered in Shopify and Not On The High Street — and now we’re working on growing our wholesale business through Faire.
👉 Tip: Start with one platform where your ideal customers already shop, then expand when you’re ready.
2. Photography and Storytelling Sell Products
Personalised silver bangles — one of our bestsellers.
Online customers can’t hold your product in their hands. That means your photography and product descriptions do the selling for you. We invested time in learning how to take bright, detailed photos and wrote product descriptions that explained not just what our jewellery is, but the story behind it.
👉 Tip: Don’t just describe the product — tell people why it matters.
3. SEO is Your Best Friend (Even if You Don’t Love Tech!)
When we first heard “SEO,” it sounded intimidating. But really, it’s about making sure the words on your website match what people are searching for. For example, instead of just writing “bracelet,” we used personalised sterling silver bangle — a phrase people were already typing into Google. Over time, this helped us show up in search results without spending a fortune on ads.
👉 Tip: Use long-tail keywords (specific, descriptive phrases) in your product titles and blog posts.
4. Customers Remember the Experience, Not Just the Product
Eco-friendly packaging with a personal touch.
Moving online didn’t mean losing our personal touch. We still include handwritten notes, use eco-friendly packaging, and offer personalised engraving. Customers love knowing that there’s a real family behind the brand. You can also read our jewellery care guide to see how we help customers keep their pieces shining.
👉 Tip: Think about how you can make an online order feel just as special as a face-to-face purchase.
5. Keep Learning and Testing
The online world changes quickly. Etsy updates its algorithms, Shopify adds new features, and marketing trends shift every season. The biggest thing we’ve learned is that you don’t need to get everything perfect on day one — you just need to keep testing, improving, and listening to your customers.
👉 Tip: Treat your online shop as a living project, not a finished product.
Final Thoughts
From travelling the world and eloping in Thailand, to our first stall at Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, to pivoting fully online during the pandemic — Mon Bijoux has been on quite a journey. What started as a dream on our travels is now a thriving online jewellery brand reaching customers across the globe.
If you’re a small business owner trying to grow online, we hope our story and lessons give you some encouragement. Start with one platform, focus on photography and storytelling, pay attention to SEO, and always keep the personal touches that make your brand unique.
This blog will be where we share more of our journey — from marketing strategies that worked (and some that didn’t!) to step-by-step guides on building your own digital presence. If we can do it, so can you.
About Mon Bijoux
Mon Bijoux is a London-based, family-run jewellery brand founded by husband-and-wife team Jamie and Jason Myers in 2010. Inspired by our travels, we specialise in handmade sterling silver and gold vermeil lockets, bangles, and personalised jewellery. Every piece is hallmarked in London, carefully packaged in eco-friendly materials, and finished with personal touches that celebrate life’s most meaningful moments.