Buff Jewellery
Buff Jewellery - Studio Tour
Words: Jo Dowsett
Photography: Carolyn Carter
“‘a sense of romance and sentimentality ... it is jewellery with a meaning; a totally unique way to express yourself through delicate, refined and timeless jewellery’”
Mei-Li and Ellie are the creative duo behind the timeless jewellery brand, Buff. Their successful collaboration and shared creative skills have produced refined and subtle jewellery. Buff deliver their stylish sensibility in an elegant collection that is practical, personal and perfect for everyday wear. Jewellery that is designed to be collected, loved and worn for many years to come.
The Paperdolls visited the duo in their fabulous studio nestled in the heart of Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter; a designated conservation area of the city which has been a mecca of jewellery production since the 1800s. The Buff studio offers high ceilings and incredible natural light, thanks to the huge windows painted a bright yellow by Ellie not long after she acquired the space back in 2013. In ‘normal times’, Ellie offers her ‘No Peg’ studio space to other jewellers and creatives so the space is often a hive of a creativity.
We wanted to learn more about the duo and understand how their honed sense of style and affinity to all things chic in the realm of jewellery came about.
How did you start your creative partnership?
‘We’ve known each other since 2006 when we were both students at Birmingham’s School of Jewellery. After gaining a wealth of experience working independently on our own brands and within different jewellery environments, we caught up three years ago and wondered what we could create together, joking we would make a great team. After a few glasses of wine, Buff was born….’
Where does the name ‘Buff’ come from?
‘The ‘buff sticks’ are used in the pre-polishing process to remove surface marks. Basically ‘buffing’ is rather like filing your nails and it is jeweller lingo to make your pieces look really shiny. We thought it was a great name and we even based our confetti used in our logo on the different shapes the buff sticks come in.’
As a team of two, how does your working relationship play out?
‘It’s easy to lack confidence when you are working alone, so having someone else involved as a collaborator makes you feel better and makes the work better too. It can be lonely, quiet and stressful working alone and in that environment, you are allowed to be selfish and stubborn. Stubborn because you can make what you want and how you want to. But all those difficult experiences, mistakes made and lessons learned have helped us come together as a team. We needed to experience our individual journeys to get to where we are today with Buff.’
Tell us about your collections
‘We have had 4 collections so far; ‘Throwing Shapes’. ‘The Wanderer’, ‘Starlight’ and ‘Lovestruck’. We have two new ones we are very excited about; ‘Confetti’ and ‘Gold Dust’. Each collection comprises necklaces, bracelets, rings and earrings. We also offer a lifetime guarantee on all our pieces so you can treasure your jewellery from one era to the next.’
With ‘Confetti’, Buff have created a jewellery collection that has a sense of romance and sentimentality to it. It is jewellery with a meaning; a totally unique way to express yourself through delicate, refined and timeless jewellery. First you choose from a number of gorgeous shaped charms and then add birthstones of your choice. These birthstones can celebrate someone’s birthday or a special anniversary. Mei-Li and Ellie have had customers who choose their own birthstones or their children’s and are Mothers, teenagers and Grandmothers! As the Buff team say ‘your Confetti, your way.’
How do you come up with a new design?
Fast fashion is not Buff’s thing. They build jewellery to last and they have become very attuned to what works design-wise and what the customer would love the most. ‘We have our customers in mind at the outset of the design process. We also think about what we would like to wear ourselves.’ For Buff, it is all about ‘luxury basics; things you can’t live without.’
What piece of jewellery can’t you live without?
Ellie: ‘My Grandmother’s wedding ring.’
Mei-Li: ‘A couple of solid gold, stackable and everyday rings. To me, they are timeless.’
What are your plans for the future?
‘We are looking to offer a bespoke service as well as solid gold jewellery. We are launching three solid gold pieces; rings, earrings and necklaces with birthstones in time for Christmas. We are also going to be sharing our customers’ stories as to why they have bought particular pieces.’
Ellie is looking forward to reopening her ‘No Peg’ studio space for workshops run by experienced jewellers. The workshops will last a whole day and customers can go along, have fun and make a simple piece of jewellery, such as a pair of stacked earrings. Buff are also looking to have wax carving workshops and want to meet their customers in person.
‘There so much satisfaction in making something with your hands. We have a fear that hand craft skills and using hands to make something will begin to disappear and so we want to do all we can to pass on our skills and love of creating to others.’
How has lockdown affected you and your business?
‘We have been busier than ever during lockdown. We think it is a combination of the shops being closed and people wanting to send thoughtful and sentimental gifts as we haven’t been able to see eachother. Lockdown has also proven even more that the Jewellery Quarter is a great community where everyone is willing to help others out.’
We look forward to seeing Buff continue to shine brightly.
Find out more about their collections at www.buffjewellery.com
Follow them on Instagram: @buffjewellery
