We’re two brothers who want to make it really easy for people to find independent jewellers
We’re Billy and Ethan Ward, based down in East Sussex. We grew up surrounded by the jewellery industry, but as we grew up, we realised how little people knew about it.
A huge number of people (about 86%) would rather buy from an independent jeweller than a big brand, but the most common reason they don't is because they can’t find one.
There are so many amazing designers all across the UK, but because they’re competing in a market with the likes of Pandora and Tiffany, it’s really hard for them to get seen by the people who want to see them!
We started chatting about the idea of a website like Boutee during the final lockdown. We built it in our evenings and weekends - Billy was working in technology and Ethan was studying for his A-levels. We launched at the end of 2022.
Fast forward two years and Boutee has been embraced by dozens of jewellers and lots of customers, at a scale we never dreamt possible. At the start of 2024, we quit our jobs and started doing Boutee full time.
We’re really proud of the jewellers we’re partnered with, and we feel very lucky to be able to share them with the world.