Mugabe has announced this week that the sale of Zimbabwe diamonds will continue despite lacking KP certification.

Global mining giants Rio Tinto had announced in June that they would invest $300 million into expanding Zimbabwe’s diamond production , estimated to bring capacity to produce one quarter of the worlds diamonds.

It is hoped they will suspend the plans to expand until KC certification is reinstated and human rights atriocities have ceased.

Please click the link below to connect to the Professional Jeweller Article.

http://www.professionaljeweller.com/article-8090-zimbabwe-to-ignore-diamond-trade-ban/

Click on the link below  to be taken to Humans Rights Watch letter to jewellery retailers and see their campaign to stop Zimbabwe Blood Diamonds:

http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/12/17/letter-select-major-diamond-retailers

Fifi Bijoux opposes the trade of diamonds to fund military activity or diamonds which are mined in a manner which we deem detrimental to the miners, the environment, immediate community or which  appears to jeopordize a countries stability and ability to trade transparently and peacefully. We have not and will not purchase diamonds from Zimbabwe until it is clear that human rights are being upheld and the conditions for diamond mining are in full compliance, not only with Kimberley Certification, but also with our strict code of practice for social responsibilty and environmental stewardship.

Fifi Bijoux currently sources diamonds from Lesotho, Canada, Australia and Sierra Leone. Each of the projects we work with have demonstrated exceptional levels of commitment to ethical practise and can be tracked from mine through to cutting and polishing, to ensure human rights are upheld throughout our supply chain.

We are currently working with 2 other diamond producers for future projects and it is our strict belief that the best method to prevent continued abuse of human rights in diamond mining is to boycott sources which do not comply and to promote transparency in the jewellery supply chain in order to make all relevant imformation available to consumers. Fifi Bijoux promotes positive ethics throughout our supply chain and favours Fair Trade standards and mining practices which actively benefit the local communities through equitable trade and respect for social and environmental best practice.

As a result, I have been asked by several excited dads-to-be  to design pushing presents and have been dreaming about baby jewellery.

The traditional christening bangle for baby is one option but to be honest, when I see a chubby little wrist poking out from its blanket, I can’t see how any decoration could possibly make it any more adorable than it already is.

(However, fast forward a few years and trying to prise mummy’s favourite necklace from the fingers of most little girls is a fairly pointless exercise. At least, almost every little girl I know; they seem to have an inbuilt magpie settting which means that anything from silver teaspoons to platinum diamond rings are subjected to up-close examination which would put any Sotheby’s graduate to shame).

The question is, what’s appropriate to give as a ’pushing present’ ? In my experience, mums don’t really want to fear their new-born choking on a birthstone encrusted pendant whilst they feed them; or indeed to be subjected to strangulation when baby takes a fistful of hair, clothing and necklace to pull itself upright (one nephew is only 6 weeks and I swear he’s already trying to stand). To this end, I’d suggest a necklace which will either be worn for occasions or go for something which sits at the sternum rather than cleavage, such as our Petales Pendant in 18ct gold with fair trade diamond, or Belle in Ethical Silver- standard length.

At a time of life when you may find that you barely have time to shower, far less have a manicure/facial/apply make up, a little bit of sparkle can be just the ticket to make a new mum feel beautiful, feminine and pampered in an instant.

Jewellery is most usually a sentimental gift and there are few things that express the most significant events of life, such as marriage and having a family, as a well chosen gift which will last a lifetime (and go on to be an heirloom).

Fifi Bijoux offers bespoke services, but we can also customise existing designs. One of the popular gifts is a simple ring, set with the birthstone of your child (for girls, this may be a brilliant investment piece if mum hands it down when your daughter reaches 18, for example) . July’s birthstone is Ruby; contact us to ask for other options. This can be made in 9ct or 18ct yellow or white gold, or in Platinum.

Another popular choice so far has been stud earrings, like these Hummingbirds in 9ct gold, or for a classic option, we suggest our Heart Stud Earrings, just added.

I’d love to hear any suggestions from those of you who have looked for a suitable gift for either a new mum or a new born. If there’s soemthing you think we should include in our range, please do click here to contact us!

Triple It

This summer make sure you don’t miss out on the latest hot jewellery look.

Michelle Obama, Hilary Duff and Daisy Lowe have all been spotted as the first to follow the power of three! (That’s 3 gold necklaces).

Wear them all at once, at 2 or 3 different lengths and each sporting a cute pendant.

As we specialise in cute pendants and can provide chains in 16″, 18″ and 22″ lengths after all, we thought it only fair to tip you off as to how to get it right!

Nautical

Group our ‘Starfish’ Pendant on 16″, with ‘Seahorse’ on 18″ and add a little blue Aqauamarine ‘Angel’ pendant on 22″ (just email us for details of how to order longer length chains).

Nature

Go wild about ‘Butterfly’  on 22″ and ‘Scottie Dog’ on 18″ which looks adorable with ‘Ladybird’ on 16″ chain.

Sunset Beach

Unlock some paradise with our ‘Key Pendant’  paired with ‘Little Bird’ on 16″ chains and add ‘Drift’ on 18″.

Browse our store for more inspiration or to mix-and-match your own selection.

Don’t forget we can supply alternative length chains for a small additional charge; click here to contact us  for more info!

Fifi B xxx

Check out the latest additions of these ethically mined rubies from Tanzania (mined with miner’s welfare, ecology and environmental stewardship standards in place, of course!) What we love too about these rubies is that the mine also sponsors the  Ukwama Childrens’ Home & Orphanage and that the rubies are completely untreated and natural.

Prices from £550.

We loved the simple lines of our Angel ring and have also made this available with a diamond as an alternative (but these are very limited so don’t delay!).

The Fifi Flower ring is just darling; a daisy made of 7 gems. Choose from ruby or diamond (or contact us to discuss other gemstones available).

Heady, fragrant summer afternoons also brought pretty butterflies fluttering into our design office these past few weeks and the balmy breeze carried us away on thoughts of picnics, chilled champagne and these delicate creatures epitomising freedom. It just wouldnt be Fiif Bijoux not to share, so here it is (exclusively available online!), the Fiif B Butterfly! (£170)

Surrounded by mountains and copses of pinewood, we have the perfect backdrop to zone out and hone in to design the next collection.

So far, we have reports of peregrines, a few badger sets (the word is the baby badger cubs enjoy nothing more than having a good roll down the mountain and eating peanuts- my kind of badgers), buzzards and black grouse. Not to mention hundreds of sheep in the hills and soon, some cows to graze the hay meadows..possibly ponies too!

Plans to restore the forests and native wildlife and well under way and we are very privileged to be on site to witness this first-hand.

So, how will we cope with all this fresh air and open space? Well, Fifi Bijoux has thus far mostly existed in a cosmopolitan environment, enjoying the fun at fashion weeks and city hopping around the world.

We also managed to have a public transport only policy for the past 4 years and trek our little baggages around these great cities without making too much of a carbon imprint at all.

That said, there’s been the annual trips to far-flung corners of the world for mining meetings where we’ve landed back off a plane in the UK, scrubbed up in the airport loo’s and changed from dust covered kit to trot off straight to celeb-tastic do’s’. So, Fifi Bijoux has always been something of a hybrid which operates like an adventure novel; whilst keeping our nail polish firmly intact and heels firmly planted in fashion and new luxury, naturally.

Being rurally based does mean that a 4×4 is required to get up and down our track, so the current task is to find one as eco as possible (suggestions welcomed).  We’re also looking into a direct carbon-offset idea where we plant a tree for every 500 miles clocked up.

 (Check out this link to see Fifi B director Vivien  having off-road lessons recently- tee hee hee!)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAk1kAeAVz4

However, far from moving to an insular community or being the only eco-chic residents, we’ve already tracked down the local car sharing scheme , food-swapping project and found that our neighbours consist of  an eco-building architect team, travel and ethical-interest journalists and some very rock’n'roll types-  who shall as yet remain nameless

We’ve nicknamed the site ‘Jollity Farm’ and we hope you’ll follow the adventures as we settle in and get to know the neighbours – both human and wild!

Today’s blog is written by a customer of Fifi Bijoux, who commissioned an Arc ring set with Scottish Sapphires and Scottish Smokey Quartz.

It’s difficult to balance the romance and ‘big moment’ nerves with making a personal and creative proposal and this particular Flawless Proposal made me giggle and yet captured the special moment perfectly.

Thanks to Philip for allowing me to publish his email of today, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did!

“Well, I promised you an update on the proposal situation and I’m delighted to say all went well last night. My girlfriend (I mean fiancée!) and I went to Gleneagles, and in that suitably lavish setting, after dinner (and a bottle of wine) we braved the snowy gardens and 2 feet of snow to find the pergola at the centre point of their garden maze.

Once there, I turned on the romance with candles, a bottle of champagne and her favourite music on my iPod.

I proposed via the unusual means of a limerick, although Sheryl misinterpreted the lines “let this metal band, win a place on your hand…” to be about Iron Maiden, rather than marriage.

However, by showing the ring a few seconds later, all was revealed and I’m delighted to say that not only was there a tearful “yes”, but she’s described the ring as exactly to her tastes – good work! It was a big, happy surprise, and a big success”.

Huge congratulations to Philip and Sheryl on their engagement from Fifi Bijoux!

Awesome!!

Don’t forget we are kitted out for Valentine’s day with a host of gift choices.

Here’s our top 5:

1. Ardent pendant, 9ct gold with white topaz

2. Adore pendant (contact us for your nearest stockist).

3. Mile High collection in Ethical Silver 

4. Sex on the Beach in Ethical Silver

5. Angel pendant in Ethical gold with Aquamarine

Or – if you’re ready to make it the best Valentine’s day ever, contact us to discuss Ethical Engagement rings, such as our ‘Arc’ ring from £1000, as featured in Marie Claire Feb 2010 issue.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER SHOP

Our Online Gift Voucher delivery cuts through all the angst of snowy roads and treacherous driving.

Stay at home, safe and warm.

click here to shop for vouchers

Fifi Bijoux Wishes You A Stress-Free Christmas

Relax. We’ve made it easy.

• Free Next Day UK delivery on all orders*

• Luxury Gift Boxed jewellery delivered to your home or office, with trackable on-line delivery code.

• Secure on-line payment (Protx Sagepay)

• Gift Vouchers available from £10- £100.

• Got a query? Leave your name & number, we’ll call back to help: 0208 133 2531, or email admin@fifibijoux.com

 *orders placed by 1pm will be delivered next day; after 1pm will be delivered within 2 working days by Special Delivery.

Orders placed up to 1pm, 22nd December will be delivered by 24th December, subject to Royal Mail Special Delivery services.

Non-UK deliveries: We’re sorry, we can’t guarantee your delivery by Christmas, please contact us for country specific postal deadlines. You can still buy a Gift Voucher,  however!

Merry Christmas from Fifi Bijoux!