Karina and Colin

Just like the two sides of Blush & Bashful signets, there are two sides to every story. This is ours.

Wiltshire based Karina and Colin Fagras brought Blush & Bashful to fruition when a string of life changing events and a decade long vision collided with perfect dual timing.

Born with one kidney, Karina’s lifelong battle with chronic kidney disease was so severe that by her late 20s she was preparing to go on dialysis. In 2014, however, she received the gift of life in the form of a kidney donation from her mother, Angela. Then, against all odds, Karina became pregnant with a baby girl. Rowan Fagras was born in 2016. After spending years in and out of hospitals, Karina was inspired by these blessings to pursue the concept she developed 10 years prior.

Blush & Bashful

The brand name Blush & Bashful comes from the 1989 film, Steel Magnolias. And, if you know the film, you’ll already understand the connection it has to Karina’s journey.

In 2006, Karina took notice of a signet ring that a colleague in London was wearing. It was beautiful – simple, yet eye-catching. A lover of jewellery, design, and an artist in her own right, Karina often found herself sketching illustrations of the ring in varying forms.

The fixed signet seemed troublesome, so Karina began toying with the idea for a ring setting that would allow a signet to spin, so you can display either side of the signet, and be changed so you can create a new look quickly and easily.

While recovering from her kidney transplant, Karina reached out to Neil Rayment at Adamas Studio to help create the first ring prototype. To enable the easy placement and removal of the signet, Neil designed a precision steel spring mechanism not unlike those used in watch manufacturing. The mechanism allows the signet to fully spin but be safely secured, until you wish to replace it with another design.

In the summer of 2017, Karina was awarded funding for her idea from Virgin StartUp, enabling the production of the initial collection featuring eight inaugural signet designs.

Blush & Bashful's goal is to design classic, timeless pieces of jewellery you will cherish and pass on to future generations. Our designs are inspired by a number of sources: antique jewellery, modern art, heraldry, the Great British countryside, even our own back garden. We plan to quickly expand the range of settings to feature earrings, bracelets, necklaces and cuff-links, and release many more signet designs.

Blush & Bashful has been a long time in the making and we hope it will be around for many years to come, crafting beautiful interchangeable jewellery for every occasion.