Alex Monroe Bee Necklace Review
My friends! Today I thought I would do a full review of the iconic Alex Monroe Bee Necklace. I bought this necklace around 8 yeas ago and I thought it would be a good time to do a nice big review of it! Today we are going to chat quality, inspiration, price, design options, how to wear, packaging and so much more!!
Alex Monroe Bee Necklace – Inspiration
“The bee represents a whole array of thoughts and emotions for me; Feminine strength, beauty, vulnerability, the Renaissance idea of the inevitable pain of love, community. There is a nostalgic Britishness to the bee, Beatrix Potter and the cottage country garden. And then of course there is the environmental role of bees, pollinating the world’s food while under constant threat from pollution. There is so much symbolism in my bee… I can see most of what I was after, and I hope people who buy or wear one might see just a little bit of my inspiration in their bee, and of course, they will have their own ideas about what their bee means to them too!”
The Classic Alex Monroe Bee Necklace
The Classic Alex Monroe Bee Necklace comes in silver (£135), gold plated silver (£165) and gold plated rose gold (£165). It also comes as a solid gold option for a hefty £2,400. The classic bumble bee necklace measures 3 cm wide, 1.5 cm tall and hung on a 40.5 cm – 45.5 cm (16″ – 18″), the chain is a fine delicate size, with a 2″ leader so it’s adjustable for most neck sizes. Personally, I love and bought the classic Alex Monroe Bee necklace in the gold plated silver option and I might be biased, but I think this is the best one! Just saying!! As part of the bee family, there is the baby bee necklace, bee earrings and bee pin, signet ring and more. However, the Alex Monroe bee collection started with the classic bee necklace, so if you are wanting to keep things simple and go for the classic design, this is it!
Alex Monroe Bee Necklace Price
As mentioned, the Classic Alex Monroe Bee Necklace comes in silver (£135), gold plated silver (£165) and gold plated rose gold (£165). It also comes as a solid gold option for a hefty £2,400. Personally, I don’t think I would go for the solid gold unless I was totally loaded, but I think the silver and gold plated silver is really reasonable and actually great value! I’ve paid a lot more for a lot less!!
Alex Monroe Quality Review
The thing I LOVE about the Alex Monroe bee necklace is the fact that the bee is heavy and solid metal. Even though the big is fairly big and could be hollow inside the bee, it’s not. It’s solid 925 silver and that makes it feel so much more substantial, special and high quality. The chain on the other hand is a fairly fine gold, it’s very pretty, delicate and surprisingly strong. You might think with the heaviness and solidness of the bee, the chain might not be thick and strong enough, but I can assure you it is. As for tangling, it’s not massively prone to tangling, however, you do have to be careful with putting it in a trinket bowl with other necklaces. As for the packaging, it comes in a simple branded Alex Monroe box.
How To Store Necklaces
I used to work in jewellery, so I’m personally quite picky with how to store my jewellery. However, one of the great things about the Alex Monroe bee necklace is that it’s made of solid 925 silver so it can be cleaned up pretty well if it tarnishes, however, it will vary depending on which finish you go for. The solid gold and solid silver will clean up he best IF tarnishing happens over a long period of time, where as the gold plate might be a little harder to clean off if you get any tarnishing or discolouration. I personally never had an issue with this and because of the organic nature of the design, it doesn’t need to be kept pristine, it looks quite nice once the chain and pendant has a bit more of a ‘worn in’ look to it. So don’t worry too much about this! If you want to keep your jewellery looking nicer for longer, don’t wear it in the sea / on the beach, if you go to a hot humid climate (like Bali) maybe keep it at home and don’t spritz perfume directly on it. If you avoid the sea, humidity and perfume, your necklace will have a long and happy life with minimal polishing needed!
Also, if you are the kind of personal who has a LOT of jewellery and you only wear your bee necklace once in a while, I would advise you to keep it in a tiny self-sealed jewellery bag and put it in the box to store it. This will keep light and air away from your necklace and keep it looking lovely for longer! Also never put your necklace away dirty or wet! But that’s obvious, right?
Who Created The Bee Necklace?
There are SO many bee necklaces on the market these days and whilst I can’t promise that there was no Bee necklaces in existence before Alex Monroe‘s (I’m sure the Victorian’s created some kind of bee motif necklace!) the modern day bee necklaces as we know it are all inspired (even if they don’t admit it!) by Alex Monroe’s bee. So if you are like me and you like to buy into the original and support the designer who did it first, that’s Alex!
Who made the original bee necklace?
Alex Monroe. He created this necklace years ago and whilst it’s been copied many times, the best bee necklace is the Alex Monroe Bee necklace and also the original design too. No bees were harmed in the process and the original bee was hand carved and cast into 925 Silver.
What is the meaning of the bee necklace?
Bees can take on many different meanings. For some, the bee is a sign of handwork and teamwork, for others, it’s a connection with nature and the importance of bees. And for some, it’s a reminder to slow down and enjoy the small moments.
Is gold vermeil fake gold?
No, but it is not solid gold, it is gold plating. Never over-pay for gold vermeil, assuming it is solid gold and more valuable than it is. Alex Monroe makes most of his jewellery with 925 silver and some is gold plated. The plating is hardwearing and will not come off. He also has a small amount of jewellery, like engagement rings in solid gold which you can find on his website.
Can you still buy Links of London?
No, they are no longer trading. However, You could consider buying Monica Vinader or Alex Monroe jewellery instead.
Where is Alex Monroe from?
Alex Monroe is from Suffolk but now lives in London and has a shop in Bermondsey, right by London Bridge. His jewellery is loved by Londoners, but takes a great deal of inspiration from the countryside.
Go Shopping!
…And there we have it, my Alex Monroe Bee Necklace Review! I hope this post is of help and if you have any questions, please do let me know! Also, this post contains affiliate links. Also, if you are a jewellery lover, check out this post on Chanel jewellery.
