Five Minutes with Angelique Andronis
Community
November 11, 2026
Bespoke by Nature
James St (JS), Angelique Andronis (AA)
By Baby is beloved for creating everyday fine jewellery and one-of-a-kind wonders, and this includes one-of-a-kind people too.
Founder Angelique Andronis chats to us about 70s Bvlgari, what the evil eye actually symbolises to her and reveals stories behind heirloom pieces that show just how deeply ingrained jewellery-making is in her family.
Read on to discover all of her gems of wisdom.
JS: Take us through a glimpse of your saved folder. Any recurring themes you are inspired by currently?
AA: Witchcraft, flowers, tiny designer bags, rare watches and cabochon gemstones.
JS: We know the design of the Nico ring derived from an emerald you were gifted on your 21st birthday. Do you have any other heirloom pieces with sentimental stories that you are able to share?
AA: Until a few months ago, my entire career was built alongside dad, Angelo. So, it feels like every piece carries that energy.
We genuinely collaborated on everything. Every design, every business decision. We sourced gemstones together overseas, and even when I would source them remotely, we would bounce around our thoughts and select them together.
That being said, our Nyx Drops have a great story. My mum Elise would come up with designs and ideas all the time. They’d often be drawn on a napkin or some random scrap of paper, and she’d give those to my dad to make. She had an idea for three claw set, pear shape diamonds that sat just below the earlobe, in her three lobe piercings, all graduating in size.
Angelo made those using the By Baby tulip setting, and they looked amazing. So recently I adopted the concept, adding a bezel instead of the claw setting.
The Nyx Drops are a full family design collaboration.
JS: One of your signature silhouettes for bespoke pieces is named after Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom. What is your favourite tale from Greek mythology, if you have one that springs to mind?
AA: I really just love how dramatic all Greek mythology is. I am a big fan of the goddess Hera though. Zeus gets a lot of PR, but the queen of the gods is a huge diva.
JS: Do you have a favourite piece you are currently wearing?
AA: Right now, I love my Goddess Chain; I seem to put it on really often. I think because it’s chunky and bold, yet also easy to wear.
JS: You have mentioned that you are influenced by the 70s within both your jewelry design and personal style. Do you have a specific icon or cultural moment from the 70s that inspires you?
AA: The music and the jewellery! 1970s Bvlgari?! Iconic.
I think there’s a lot design wise that came through the 70s that resonates with me aesthetically. The architecture, the music, the style.
It all feels very sculptural and warm and maximalist, and I like that.
JS: The evil eye collection at By Baby seems to be one of your most loved. What does the symbol mean to you?
AA: Protection, but maybe not as literal as you may think. The idea of wearing a mati for protection is not about thinking that people will intentionally set out to hurt you.
It’s that even when people admire you, they carry some envy, which is completely human. Spiritually it’s like, ‘oh your hair looks amazing today!’ And then the next day you have the worst hair day of your life. My interpretation is that wearing the eye means it kind of looks back, and it takes that energy and sends it back out into the world.
Also, the manufacturer for our evil eyes has a special place in my heart. Whenever we meet with them, Angelo and I would end up sitting with them for hours drinking Turkish coffee and talking about jewellery manufacturing.
So, there’s a lot of beautiful energy in our evil eyes.
JS: Your Greek heritage has been cited as a key source of stimulus for By Baby. What is your favourite Greek food or dining ritual?
AA: It has to be that very Greek way of sitting with food and drink for hours with only the intention of being together.
JS: Favourite song?
AA: I could write a thesis on this, but I’ll spare you. This week, it’s the new Fontaines D.C. and Orville Peck.
JS: Is there a piece from By Baby you think is a crowd-pleaser for gifting season?
AA: The Cosmo Bracelet for sure, and also the Glossy Huggies.
JS: Jewellery making runs in the family. What is your earliest recollection of the workshop, or special piece of jewellery?
AA: I can smell the workshop. I grew up there.
I have a really strong memory of sitting on a bench next to Geoff Bland who is a very talented master jeweller. I was probably about 5 years old, and I had some wax, a few wax carving tools, and a soldering iron.
I was making wax figures, which we’d then cast in silver and then put on key rings as gifts for my family for Christmas. I personalised them, some people had objects that represented them, and some I made portraits of them.
Angelo always said that he didn’t teach me, that I taught myself. Which is kind of true. He let me experiment and I would seek out the answers, not specifically from him, I’d ask whoever was around to show me what they thought I should do to make something.
I also have a really vivid memory of making a ring with Angelo once, I think I was about 6 or 7 years old. It was a twisted wire ring that was a sample for something that he was making. I have such a soft spot for twisted wire rings and maybe that’s why!
You can visit By Baby at Shop 8A, The Calile, 48, James St.
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