Welcome to Tigerlily Jewellery
Hi, my name is Janna – the face behind TigerLily Jewellery and this is my story.
My background is marketing, but an entrepreneurial streak was always waiting in the wings. Looking back to my university years, I think I always knew I wanted to work for myself. Along the way I was inspired by some strong and brilliant women who showed me what was possible.
TigerLily Jewellery began life as TigerLily Trading, born from a desire to do
something of my own, a love of unusual finds, and – if I’m honest – a fair amount of naivety!
Just before turning 30, I took a sabbatical from work and travelled around Southeast Asia. While there, I met a lovely lady with a mango wood stall at a local market. I loved her pieces so much that I decided to import them back to the UK. Alongside my 9-to-5 job, I had a weekend stall at markets including Merton Abbey Mills & Greenwich.
A couple of years later, I made the leap. I left my marketing career and incorporated TigerLily Trading. At this point, I must give a shoutout to my amazing friend Beccie – without her, I genuinely wouldn’t be where I am today in work or in life. (We also now share a surname, but that’s a story for another day!)
Over the next decade, TigerLily quietly ticked along in the background. Life moved forward – I met my husband-to-be, began freelancing in marketing in London and eventually became a wife and mum. During that time, TigerLily evolved into TigerLily Jewellery but it was still very much a side project.
Then the pandemic changed everything.
In a twist of timing, I had just launched a shiny new website built by the brilliant Martyn at Photography MK which very much likely saved my business. For the first time, I had the space to properly focus on TigerLily Jewellery and, funnily enough, the business started to grow!
Today the boutique continues to evolve, with new materials such as gold-plated stainless steel sitting alongside long-standing favourites in pearls, silver and birthstones. There is more to choose from than ever before and every piece is carefully selected to feel special, wearable and a little bit different.
This year, I’ve invested further in the website and expanded the collections, and I feel incredibly lucky to have built such a wonderful community of customers, suppliers, mentors and small-business friends.
Running a small business feels more challenging than ever but also more rewarding!
I’m excited to see what the future brings…
