Our Story

Alison met Neil in London in 2008 each with their careers in Fashion buying and the financial sector. After relocating back to Scotland in 2009 both took a leap of faith, in a completely new direction and in search of new way of life, And Mary began. 

16 years later a new way of life is certainly something they have discovered and leaned in to. 

After a return back to London for a few years then marrying in 2012, they moved back to the beautiful Scottish countryside, with daily bracing dogwalks on the beach and the arrival of their little boy Ben in 2017.

Then quite by chance and with little forethought in the summer of 2019 they made another leap of faith and moved to France. A chance at a different pace of life with a more sunshine and daily baguettes. Moving house and business, 4 dogs and a toddler to the Charente is a continuing adventure with many ups and downs. The birth of their daughter Joni in 2020, renovations, Covid, Brexit and then the loss of Neil's parents has made for a emotional and tough few years but they feel very privileged to have the chance to experience this new way of life. Six years later, enjoying warm croissants and chocolatines from their local boulangerie is still a highlight of their week.

Our Process

The first collection of vintage inspired jewellery included a small collection of adorable vintage porcelain animals. These little creatures were loved by our new stockists but became very difficult to continue to source. So in 2010 they began to design and produce And Mary’s own range of porcelain pieces to be made in to jewellery and home accessories.

Working with a talented artisans in the North of Thailand soon the collections grew and grew and And Mary became best known for colourful and joyful porcelain jewellery and door knobs.

Inspired by nature and their love of animals and insects each piece is first sketched and painted by Alison, before a sample is carved by hand. Once this is approved a mould is created and production can begin.  

Porcelain slip is poured in to each mould and left to dry, once dried the piece isn carefully removed from the mould and any visible edges smoothed out by hand.

These pieces then receive their first, bisque firing, before they are then painted with exceptional attention to detail by the talented artisans in Thailand. They are then glazed and receive a final firing in the kiln.

The beautiful and intricate hand painting that goes into all of our porcelain pieces.

The jewellery or home wear pieces are then all finished by hand by Alison in France, meaning that each piece of porcelain and all components are checked to make sure that they are perfect condition. This also enables our clients to select the type of necklace or earrings (base metal and plating and also the length of chain) for their individual order. 

Our Mission

Living close to nature and finding constant inspiration from it, it is important to Neil and Alison that everything they produce is done in a way that is as environmentally respectful as possible from production to packaging. They also hope that by carefully producing and checking each piece ensuring it is made to a high standard that these pieces will accompany you for a longtime.

Alison and Neil are so thankful to all our loyal customers and stockists, many of whom have supported us from the very beginning and are now close friends. Without you we wouldn’t be able to do what we do and live the life that we have chosen. We hope in turn the pieces that we make bring much joy and are something you can continue to treasure for many years.

Porcelain Rings before hand painting
hand painted porcelain bird