Erickson Beamon sample sale

Next Sunday make sure you get up bright and early and head to Elizabeth Street in Pimlico, for a very special sample sale at the Erickson Beamon store. With a star-studded line up of jewellery designers including Holly Fulton, Fiona Paxton, Laura Lee and Lucy Hutchings there's going to be plenty of gorgeous goodies on offer. And with all proceeds going to Made Africa (as written about last week), it's going to feel even better splashing out on that little something special.

Find it on a map here

Alex Monroe's Charity Bicycle Necklaces

We all love Alex Monroe, whether its his classic Bumblebee necklace, his recent Watering Can, his Love Birds ring or his new 18ct gold collection... His designs keep getting cuter, more detailed and more meaningful.

18ct gold Raleigh Jeep Necklace, by Alex Monroe

So I was very excited this week to find out about a special auction and bike ride which Alex is taking part in for the charity Fight for Sight, which researches the causes and prevention of blindness.

For the auction Alex has hand-made two one-of-a-kind 18ct gold bicycle necklaces, one based on a classic 1980s Bianchi men's racing bike and the other a ladies' 1975 Raleigh Jeep. Not only are they both diamond and ruby-set but the little wheels go around! Lovely.

18ct gold 1980s men's Bianchi bike, with diamond and ruby 'lights'

The necklaces in question will be auctioned off between now and July 19th, with the highest bidders receiving one of these gorgeous designs. In the meantime, Alex and two friends are cycling from Lands End to John O'Groats - very impressive! For the rest of us, for whom cycling gets us to work and back (or in my case, just to work, where my bicycle has lain dormant since February!) we can still donate from behind our computer screens. Read more about the charity, the bike ride and the necklaces here.

Raleigh Jeep bike in 18ct gold, with diamond and ruby 'lights'