Angel Biba and Me

Why AngelBiba? For many years, I have lived and worked in in a district of London known as “The Angel” and Biba? that's my nickname.

I started out in life training as a fine artist. This led me, in and around bringing up four children, to various enterprises in the creative sphere, mainly photographic, advertising and film industry. Eventually I set up and ran for many years "Surfaces" a London based prop hire company supplying original still-life backgrounds and surfaces, mostly painted or originated by myself. I take pride in the fact that Surfaces was I believe the first of it's kind. It ran successfully for many years.

Making things is something of a compulsion for me, I'm always eager to acquire new skills that help me satisfy this need – I have a rather low boredom threshold.

Angel Fashion Market – This was another of my later life ventures. Fashion has always been an interest and at times a useful outlet for my incessant creative output. At the time you would have found me trading in the London craft markets… Greenwich, Spitalfields, Camden Passage... maybe you did... if so do get in touch it would be lovely to hear from you.At that time I was into hats, I had devised a line of chic crocheted cloche hats that were were well received. Anticipating trends has always interested me and I like to feel I can be ahead of the game. Meeting other freelance designers in the markets made me aware of how difficult it is to get exposure and to compete with the ubiquitous high street chains. This led me to set up my own fashion market dedicated to original designer makers providing a shop window for their work. Angel Fashion Market had all too brief a life as sadly we lost the site, but over the two years I ran it – with no encouragement from the local authority, it was successful enough to prove that shoppers can be diverted from the same old/same old when exposed to an alternative to the high street chain's fodder.

Jewellery Making – A trip to South East Asia, visiting family, led me to stumble on a fantastic paradise of a shop, Lapisze Point. Presided over by a fearsome Afghani man, everywhere were glorious semi precious stones to be seen in all shapes and sizes, heaped in piles or dangling strings. I was totally seduced by their allure. With no idea of what I would do with them, I greedily bought as many as I could stagger out with. Once home, much as I liked gloating Fagin like over my stash, I realised I would have to acquire some new skills if I was to find purpose for them. There then followed a long journey through trial and mostly error.

My devious route into artisan jewellery design means my approach might well be considered unusual and methods unorthodox – more jewellery make-believing than jewellery making. Something once said to me by a lovely fellow Spitalfields market trader has stuck with me over the years, in her words... “You know, sugar, people will try to copy you, but they won’t be able to, they don’t have the stories you have in their heads”.

All of my collection are original designs and entirely hand made by me. I make every effort to use only responsibly sourced materials and of high quality. Semi-precious gemstones.... Lapis, Pearls, Jasper.... Garnet, Jade Moonstone, Chalcedony... indeed from Agate to Zircon, there is infinite variety and all are beautiful inspiring endless creative possibilities for jewellery. Non-ferrous metals can be exploited in so many different ways. In addition, I love to chance on unconventional and natural materials that might offer exciting untapped potential. It is the materials that inspire my ideas and approach. I do tend to become fixated on whatever is my latest obsession, beit a particular metal, stone, shell or anything really, I just want to exploit it in as many ways as I can ...until the next fancy takes over, and of course always with a view to creating something I yearn to wear.

Semi Precious Gemstone: While I do make many necklaces using conventionally polished stones – of course, they are gorgeous – more and more I'm enthused by gemstones in their raw uncut state, Quartz and Titanium Quartz can have a rugged other worldly allure that would be lost in precision cutting and polishing. As if freshly hewn from the rock face, they inspire many of my wilder creations and fit so well with my unstructured approach to design.

Brass, Copper And Aluminium Necklaces: In the main I work with fine grade alloys including Aluminium, Copper and Brass. Seeing early gold jewellery in the British Museum made a lasting impression on me. I like the artless 'scissor cut' shapes and the deep lustrous patina that has survived millennia. I have found it fascinating developing techniques burnishing brass in a way that I hope transforms the look of this base metal to something approximating those ancient artefacts with my metal leaf necklaces.

Leaves and Shapes: I hand cut and form my shapes from sheet metal. they are then typically forged using various techniques. Copper and brass is hammered and annealed several times to coax into the desired organic form. Untreated brass and copper has little appeal, it is in the patination process that it acquires a beauty and lustre. It takes time, but beautiful finishes can be achieved from the most unpromising beginnings. I finishes are sealed with a crystalline wax to preserve the colour. Aluminium has different qualities and presents a different challenge. Being softer it can be cold worked without annealing. It is not a metal that lends itself to patination, but with sufficient hammer work, it’s appearance acquires a pretty shimmering depth.

Organic Necklaces: Pearl, Shell, Coral, Driftwood, Bone, Seeds etc, our impulse to forage from nature for personal adornment is timeless. So long as we are mindful of sustainability, we can exploit this same rich source. Natural materials offer me opportunities for a wide variety of designs that range from the simply pretty and understated, to artless Fairy Queen and Queen of the May look or wild exotic tribal necklaces.

Garlands: As the name implies these are extravagant festoons of ornamental jewels. I have devised an open style of construction which means I can be lavish in my choice of materials, charms, gems etc, without ending up with anything too heavy.

Shopping With Angel Biba: Details for each item will be found on their display page – just click on the their thumbnail image on my 'Collection's page. For further information, please feel free to contact me, I will be happy to answer any queries.

Payment online: To make a purchase, simply use the Add to cart button link that appears under the description. You will then be taken to Angel Biba's my secure Paypal trading account. You can make payments with all major credit/debit cards and other Paypal methods. You will then receive an email notification confirming your order, if not received within 24 hours do please let me know. Payment will be taken in Pounds Sterling. I will also accept by post personal *cheques from UK bank accounts. If that's your preference, you would need to contact me by email or phone with your order. *I regret I can only despatch items once the cheque has cleared into my bank account, this can take up to 5 working days on receipt of cheque.

Overseas Sales: Prices charged to overseas customers will be subject to the exchange rate applied by the customer’s credit/debit card company. Please be aware that you will be liable for any duty and taxes incurred in the country of destination.

Packaging and Presentation: I try to avoid wasteful, unsustainable packaging. Your purchase will be shipped, well protected, but in simple generic recycled material boxes and wrappers – size permitting, letter box friendly .

Gifts: If you are making a purchase as a gift, I can arrange gift wrapping on request at no extra charge.

Deliveries to the UK: Please note, all listed prices include post and packing to UK destinations only. Orders are shipped by Royal Mail 1st class or Special Delivery on higher value items. Orders are normally despatched within 48hrs. in the event of any delay, I will notify you. Should you require guaranteed next day delivery (UK only) I can arrange it.

Deliveries to Europe (EU and non-EU): A delivery charge of £10 will apply for all deliveries to Europe outside UK. Orders are shipped by Royal Mail International service. Delivery times should be expected to be between 3-5 working days but will vary according to region and prevailing circumstances. It is important to be aware that you would be liable for any local taxes, customs duties and any other local charges which may apply. Feel free to contact me if you have any specific concerns or queries, I will be happy to try and address them.

Deliveries to the Rest of the World (including USA, Canada & Australia): A delivery charge of £15 will apply for all deliveries outside Europe. The same conditions as for European except that you should allow 5-7 working days.

For orders of up to £150 customers are likely to be charged import tax and a handling fee. Orders of over £150 will be liable for import tax, handling fee and a customs charge.

Customs: How long any order will take to arrive once it reaches customs in your specific country will vary and is not within my control.

Late and Lost Deliveries: I regret we cannot be held responsible for goods that are lost or delayed in transit.

Refunds and Exchanges: I will offer full refunds or exchange on any item if not as described or as shown, or for genuine faults or damage. Exchanges for reasons other than stated will be at my discretion and may incur additional P&P

Repairs: I make every effort to ensure my Jewellery construction is robust and durable enough to endure every day wear and tear. I will however be happy, wherever feasible, to undertake repairs at no charge other than any post and packaging costs incurred.
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Photography: As the materials I use are natural, there will be minor variations eg colouration and bead shape conformity etc, however I do make every effort to ensure that the photographs shown offer a fair and faithful representation of the items on display. All photography appearing on this site is copyright of AngelBiba and can not be published, used or reproduced in any form without prior consent

Customer Service: If you need more detailed information on any item I will be happy to respond. I always welcome any feedback.

Lending Policy: I am happy to lend items to approved fashion stylists and magazines for photography for a credit.