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WOMEN OF THE WORLD - ANNOUSHKA DUCAS
WOMEN OF THE WORLD
Annoushka Ducas
I'm delighted to introduce Annoushka, a super talented businesswoman who has developed this lovely namesake jewellery brand.
We share a passion for beautiful quality that can be enjoyed every day, I personally love the chain bracelets and even my 24-year-old son is walking around New York City wearing his.
I hope you enjoy reading about Annoushka's business story, her family, her passions and what inspires her.
KIM WINSER, OBE
Annoushka Ducas MBE is the founder and creative director of fine jewellery brand Annoushka, worn by stylish women including the Princess of Wales, Rihanna, TV sports presenters Denise Lewis and Francesca Cumani and Winser London collaborator Gillian Anderson.
Her career as jewellery entrepreneur spans more than three decades, working alongside her husband and business partner John Ayton. In 2012, both were awarded an MBE for Services to British Jewellery, presented to them by the Princess Royal. The couple have four children, Marina, Oliver, Chloe and Oscar, and live between Chichester in Sussex and London.
Her career as jewellery entrepreneur spans more than three decades, working alongside her husband and business partner John Ayton. In 2012, both were awarded an MBE for Services to British Jewellery, presented to them by the Princess Royal. The couple have four children, Marina, Oliver, Chloe and Oscar, and live between Chichester in Sussex and London.
Annoushka Ducas MBE is the founder and creative director of fine jewellery brand Annoushka, worn by stylish women including the Princess of Wales, Rihanna, TV sports presenters Denise Lewis and Francesca Cumani and Winser London collaborator Gillian Anderson.
Her career as jewellery entrepreneur spans more than three decades, working alongside her husband and business partner John Ayton. In 2012, both were awarded an MBE for Services to British Jewellery, presented to them by the Princess Royal. The couple have four children, Marina, Oliver, Chloe and Oscar, and live between Chichester in Sussex and London.
Some people set out with a burning desire to create and build a business, but I gather you are more of an accidental entrepreneur?
I didn’t do very well academically and hated exams, so university really wasn’t a viable path for me and I worked in various jobs. When my mother wanted to create a themed gift for about 60 chefs she supplied seafood to at the best restaurants in London, I sketched out a leaping salmon that I envisaged as cufflinks and found a workshop in the Philippines that made silver jewellery. It was more cost effective to order double the quantity than we needed, so I took a punt and try to sell the remaining pairs.
Looking back, I rather boldly rang the jewellery buyer at Harvey Nichols and made an appointment. She loved them, but said she couldn’t stock just one design, so six weeks later I presented her with a range and she took them all. At the time – this was the late 1980s - cufflinks were either very high end and expensive, or colourful silk cord knots – nothing in between. Mine sold for about £45, so they were affordable but were solid silver and stylish. Sales were incredible. It seemed I had a business!
Some people set out with a burning desire to create and build a business, but I gather you are more of an accidental entrepreneur?
I didn’t do very well academically and hated exams, so university really wasn’t a viable path for me and I worked in various jobs. When my mother wanted to create a themed gift for about 60 chefs she supplied seafood to at the best restaurants in London, I sketched out a leaping salmon that I envisaged as cufflinks and found a workshop in the Philippines that made silver jewellery. It was more cost effective to order double the quantity than we needed, so I took a punt and try to sell the remaining pairs.
Looking back, I rather boldly rang the jewellery buyer at Harvey Nichols and made an appointment. She loved them, but said she couldn’t stock just one design, so six weeks later I presented her with a range and she took them all. At the time – this was the late 1980s - cufflinks were either very high end and expensive, or colourful silk cord knots – nothing in between. Mine sold for about £45, so they were affordable but were solid silver and stylish. Sales were incredible. It seemed I had a business!
Looking back, I rather boldly rang the jewellery buyer at Harvey Nichols and made an appointment. She loved them, but said she couldn’t stock just one design, so six weeks later I presented her with a range and she took them all. At the time – this was the late 1980s - cufflinks were either very high end and expensive, or colourful silk cord knots – nothing in between. Mine sold for about £45, so they were affordable but were solid silver and stylish. Sales were incredible. It seemed I had a business!
So, how did you take it from that first unwitting step to growing what became a very successful enterprise?
At that point, I just had a small collection of products and I had to come up with a company name very quickly. I wanted it to sound like it was a very established business, so we called it Links of London. My father had lived in New York since I was small, and I’d always admired the very chic packaging in upmarket Manhattan boutiques, so I designed what became a signature part of our branding, an oval cardboard box in cream and black. It rapidly became clear that there was a demand for elegant gifts for men at a reasonable price point – accessible luxury, and we began wholesaling to independent jewellers and doing corporate gifts.
John was working in the City as a lawyer and on his way to work one day, he saw a tiny retail space in Broadgate Circle which very quickly became our first store. He helped with the business strategy alongside his day job, until we were able to afford to employ an MD with a strong operations and financial background which allowed me to concentrate on the creative side of things.
Subconsciously, I’ve created pieces over the years that have reflected my different life phases: when we had young children I designed the silver sweetie charm bracelet, which was fun and tactile, inspired by those candy bracelets they wore. I’ve always had a fascination with charms and made them modern with enamel and diamonds and moving components, all to capture memorable moments in life. It hadn’t really occurred to me but with hindsight, they were a great way to get lots of repeat business. We made fine jewellery democratic, and something that people began to buy for themselves, which no-one else had really done. The business grew to the point where we had 50 boutiques in 25 countries, plus wholesale, duty free and corporate gifting arms.
John was working in the City as a lawyer and on his way to work one day, he saw a tiny retail space in Broadgate Circle which very quickly became our first store. He helped with the business strategy alongside his day job, until we were able to afford to employ an MD with a strong operations and financial background which allowed me to concentrate on the creative side of things.
Subconsciously, I’ve created pieces over the years that have reflected my different life phases: when we had young children I designed the silver sweetie charm bracelet, which was fun and tactile, inspired by those candy bracelets they wore. I’ve always had a fascination with charms and made them modern with enamel and diamonds and moving components, all to capture memorable moments in life. It hadn’t really occurred to me but with hindsight, they were a great way to get lots of repeat business. We made fine jewellery democratic, and something that people began to buy for themselves, which no-one else had really done. The business grew to the point where we had 50 boutiques in 25 countries, plus wholesale, duty free and corporate gifting arms.
You sold Links of London in 2006, then launched Annoushka three years later. Did you plan to start another business?
I was in my fortieth year when we sold Links: I had been travelling constantly and had four young children, and wanted to be more present for them. I also wanted financial security for our family. But I realised very quickly that I missed the business: it was like I had sold my fifth child. My entire identity was so wrapped up in it, and I found it really hard to walk past the shops without crying. I questioned who I was and who I wanted to be, and knew I needed something more than parenting. I began to create some more grown up fine jewellery for myself, at that life stage, in yellow gold and realised that perhaps that might be a path I could pursue. So I did.
You’ve now built two very successful businesses from scratch in the same sector, albeit very different ones. What have you learned along the way?
I have always tried to follow my intuition. When I look back at mistakes, it’s when I’ve been persuaded to do something I didn’t feel was right. Instinct is a powerful trait, and we should have the confidence to run with it.
I also believe that it’s important to employ people who are better than you at the things you don’t enjoy, so it liberates you to do the stuff you’re good at. And you have to love that stuff, because starting a business and keeping it going is harder work than you can ever imagine. You have to live it, 24/7.
Although it might not be your ambition to sell your business, you should run it as if that’s part of your plan, so you keep it in a healthy shape. That makes you disciplined.
I also believe that it’s important to employ people who are better than you at the things you don’t enjoy, so it liberates you to do the stuff you’re good at. And you have to love that stuff, because starting a business and keeping it going is harder work than you can ever imagine. You have to live it, 24/7.
Although it might not be your ambition to sell your business, you should run it as if that’s part of your plan, so you keep it in a healthy shape. That makes you disciplined.
Do you have future plans for the evolution of the business?
I’m not planning international expansion: I like the idea that people come to London and they can find our boutique here and nowhere else. I like to feel Annoushka is more of a destination. As long as I love what I do, I will continue. Things will evolve naturally, I think.
I’m constantly inspired by my mother’s Russian heritage, and aesthetic influences from fables and fairytales continue to shape much of my work. I also like to invite guest designers to showcase their pieces in our boutique, giving them a platform as they launch their careers, and I’ve collaborated with Central St Martin’s to run a successful annual jewellery design project for students.
I’ve just done a wonderful collaboration with David Harber, whose work I’ve long admired, where we translated my iconic 18carat gold sycamore charm into a beautiful, limited edition garden sculpture that we launched at Chelsea Flower Show. It’s a seat that rotates to take in different vistas, like a sycamore helicopter-spins when it falls from the tree. I had in mind that I could look out over the South Downs from my garden in the morning, then spin to take in the sunset in the evening. That playful element reflects the way I approach jewellery design, but it was wonderful to do a large-scale piece in stainless steel: it’s about six feet high and weighs about 225kilos when I’m used to working with 15grammes of precious metal.
I’m constantly inspired by my mother’s Russian heritage, and aesthetic influences from fables and fairytales continue to shape much of my work. I also like to invite guest designers to showcase their pieces in our boutique, giving them a platform as they launch their careers, and I’ve collaborated with Central St Martin’s to run a successful annual jewellery design project for students.
I’ve just done a wonderful collaboration with David Harber, whose work I’ve long admired, where we translated my iconic 18carat gold sycamore charm into a beautiful, limited edition garden sculpture that we launched at Chelsea Flower Show. It’s a seat that rotates to take in different vistas, like a sycamore helicopter-spins when it falls from the tree. I had in mind that I could look out over the South Downs from my garden in the morning, then spin to take in the sunset in the evening. That playful element reflects the way I approach jewellery design, but it was wonderful to do a large-scale piece in stainless steel: it’s about six feet high and weighs about 225kilos when I’m used to working with 15grammes of precious metal.
You founded The Brilliant Breakfast in 2020: can you tell me about that?
I’ve always enjoyed mentoring my employees, and especially young women. I wanted to do more than that, so the idea behind the Brilliant Breakfast is that it’s a grassroots initiative that raises funds for girls and young women helped by Women Supporting Women programmes at The Prince’s Trust. It’s about building confidence and empowering women to go out and do things: bringing out their brilliance. I’ve grown in confidence over the years, and I want to help others do that and achieve their dreams.
There are lots of gala dinners and fancy fundraisers out there, which have their place, but I envisaged more peer-to-peer networking, which was accessible and non-threatening, where women could chat over a simple meal. We’ve just done our third year and I’m really proud that we’ve raised £2.2million and helped over 1700 women.
There are lots of gala dinners and fancy fundraisers out there, which have their place, but I envisaged more peer-to-peer networking, which was accessible and non-threatening, where women could chat over a simple meal. We’ve just done our third year and I’m really proud that we’ve raised £2.2million and helped over 1700 women.
You sound pretty busy: how do you spend any spare time and how do you relax?
I love skiing. It’s one of the very few things that allows me to totally switch off. I find it extremely relaxing and restorative. We are fortunate to have a place in the Alps where we have spent a lot of happy time together as a family.
When we’re in Sussex, I try to walk on the beach regularly, and we have a pub, the Horse & Groom in East Ashling, with ten bedrooms. John is Chair of the Pallant House Art Gallery in Chichester and has supported and mentored numerous start-ups over the years. I love reading novels – I devour them on holiday but there are too many distractions! I love my garden, and have strong opinions on what it should look like, but I don’t have the time to devote fully to it. The cutting garden is very special: if I hadn’t become a jeweller, I think perhaps I might have become a florist.
When we’re in Sussex, I try to walk on the beach regularly, and we have a pub, the Horse & Groom in East Ashling, with ten bedrooms. John is Chair of the Pallant House Art Gallery in Chichester and has supported and mentored numerous start-ups over the years. I love reading novels – I devour them on holiday but there are too many distractions! I love my garden, and have strong opinions on what it should look like, but I don’t have the time to devote fully to it. The cutting garden is very special: if I hadn’t become a jeweller, I think perhaps I might have become a florist.
Finally, do you feel like sharing any favourite from the Winser London collection?
The knitwear from Winser London is my favourite, particularly as the colours are just so fab. Orange is one of my favourite colours and it is rare to find a really gorgeous orange colour in a good quality knit. I also love the Miracle trouser; they do what they say on the tin.
