Bangla Begum, technically, means "lady from Bengal" but it is also a full name. It's the name of the imaginary character my brand is based on.

I was tired of mainstream storytelling, which I think are often flat-out lies, and wanted to embrace fiction as a way to talk about my work. 

The reason I chose the name Bangla Begum is because I started my jewelry career in India, where I worked and lived for almost 10 years. Although I lived in Rajasthan, I learned jewelry with Bengalikarigars, and I wanted to honour that.

Although my products and my art direction have nothing much Indian or Bengali, I did want one aspect of my brand to reflect the beginning of my career and the people with whom I first learned about jewelry, hence this name.

It was also important for me to choose a name with a Muslim heritage as one of the reasons I ended up leaving India was my sadness and horror at the way the Muslim community, more and more, is being targeted by Hindu nationalists there, and the way Muslim culture is being erased from the official narration of India. 

It may sound very little, but to have Bangla Begum as a brand name, to me, is a small way to make this heritage visible in the global landscape. And let me tell you, it's bad in France too. In fact, a few people tried to dissuade me from choosing a Muslim name for my brand, but I was determined!

Which brings me to another point, or maybe just an answer to remarks I sometimes get about my "profiting" from Bengali culture: I don’t think my brand name is actually helping my business! If I had wanted an efficient brand name I would have chosen a single, short and simple word with maybe one French detail about it like an acute accent.

I do think that the name Bangla Begum is making my brand more obscure to my main audience. But I don’t mind. 

Also, I feel like - but I understand if some people feel otherwise - making products and images taken from Indian and/or Bengali culture, *that* would be, to me, appropriation. I instead chose the name Bangla Begum as a reminder, a little sparkling sign of remembrance, not a pool of designs and imagery I use in my work. 

To sum it up, my brand name is a little bit dissociated from my products and is meant to honour the country where my jewelry career started. I don’t think it is helping my brand at all so I don’t think there is any advantage for me there. It’s just my story, and however weird, it still is my story.

My name is Fanny Boucher and I founded Bangla Begum in 2019. I have been designing jewelry for 15 years, first in India where I used to live, then in Paris where I co-founded a fine jewelry startup. A couple of years ago I left my startup and started working full time on Bangla Begum.

I describe my work as poetico-political jewelry. If you need a more palatable word, I am also fine with literary jewelry! A friend of mine says that I make “jewelry with chutzpah" which I like too.

I do try to put thoughts and humour into my pieces and there is definitely a big narrative element in them. Literature, the written word, is very important to me and it shows - at least I hope!

What is sure is that for me, jewelry is not an accessory. It’s a medium, a shield, a talisman, sometimes a weapon and at the very least, a story.

Both! I’m in an open relationship with jewelry. I like the way costume jewelry allows us to play and experiment, as customers and as designers, but I also like gold, old cut diamonds and weird gemstones.

I have always been frustrated by the segmentation of the jewelry world: it’s either just gold, or just costume, or just bridal. Even workshops operate like this, even though it’s the same techniques.

With Bangla Begum, I didn’t want to price out anyone, but I didn’t want to limit myself either. And I think people appreciate this. They understand that some pieces are spectacular and difficult to make, hence expensive, and that some pieces are more fun and affordable. In fact, I think customers are highly sophisticated, they get it!

It all started with a joke. I wanted to poke (gentle) fun at people who wear signet rings. What better way to do this than by using a nipple instead of a coat of arms? Also, the shape lent itself to it. But when the first Boob ring arrived from the atelier, I realized it was way, way more than a joke. It was a powerful piece of jewelry about women and feminity. A talisman, a shield, a weapon even maybe. And in the end, very much a symbolic signet ring. It was as if I had got a grave echo to my first, humorous thought. I will never forget unpacking this first prototype!

We know this can be issue, so we decided to ship a ring sizer (for free!) to anyone who needs one. All you need to do is order it here.

The first resizing is free! Just email Salomé, our customer care fairy, at hello@banglabegum.com and she will let you know how to proceed. Just make sure your ring still has its wax seal on, other wise we won't be able to resize your ring for free!

There are a couple of ways to handle this. The first option is to order our free ring sizer and somehow make the person try it on. The other option is to order the Boob ring in any size, then email or DM us so that we put your order on hold and send you a calligraphed card announcing a Boob ring has been ordered for the person. Our calligraphed cards are a beautiful object to gift! Then the person can get in touch with us to confirm his/her finger size. Finally, a third option is to order a Boob ring in a size we have in stock (email us for this) and to exchange it later. In any case, we are always happy to help so do email us with any question or deadline and we will let you know what we can do!

The Boob ring is available in sterling silver or 18kt gold (yellow, rose or white). We also produce it in vermeil upon request, but do bear in mind that vermeil wears off quickly on round polished rings.

Yes, it is a theme I love exploring. I made a ring in the shape of an antique statue's b*m and another one with a phallus on a bow. And the Pompeia necklace has a tiny b00b on it.

Of course!

This is what many people say when they arrive at the atelier. When they try on the Boob ring, they forget about this. I myself had never worn a chevalière before I made the Boob ring. Now I have a hand full of them!

I designed the Boob ring for the small finger, and I still think that it is its destiny, but it can be worn on any other finger. Personally, my favorite is two Boob rings, one on the small finger and one on the ring finger.

The Boob ring weighs more or less 15g. It is not heavy but you do feel its presence on your finger. In a good way.

In France, 95% of it. Most of our jewelry is made in-house in our Parisian atelier. We also work with another atelier nearby in Paris. Our gold-plating partner is just outside Paris, and so is the factory that makes all our stampings. The Boob ring and the Marcellus ring are made in a factory near Lyon that works for the greatest houses of the Place Vendôme. Our colored resin is made in Paris. The Magic ring and the Marcellito ring are made in Italy, we source some of our chains from Germany and a few technical elements we use come from China.

We try to have the lightest environmental impact and the best social impact we can. We make jewelry that we hope you will keep forever. We produce very small series, meaning we very rarely have excess inventory, and we produce almost everything locally, either in-house or with craftsmen we know and pay fairly. European jewelry factories, including these we work with, have been following for a long time the most stringent rules in terms of waste water usage, and we do random testing for REACH norms on all our pieces. We also try to upcycle any dormant raw material through bi-annual offerings called "The Bizarre Bazaar." Finally, our packaging is made locally, using FSC certified paper, and we encourage our customers to keep our shipping boxes. Some of the packaging for our jewelry is even made using recycled paper from coffee cups.

Good question. My unpopular opinion is that any brand making a product should abstain from claiming they are ethical. Especially jewelry, that extracts metal and gemstones from the earth. But we can all try to have better standards, and we can all try to do things in a way that is the less harmful to people and to the environment. I also think that it works both ways. My jewelry is made locally, and this means it costs a certain price. When I read comments saying my prices are too high, it makes me sad. My jewelry is not too expensive, it is fast fashion jewelry that is too cheap.

Soon! For the moment, you can buy our jewelry directly at our Parisian atelier and until January 2025, at the Bon Marché.

Sometimes! We always post our job openings on Instagram, so have a look there. Or send us your CV and cover letter at hello@banglabegum.com and if you fit a position we are trying to fill, we will get back to you!

We do! Every day! We use UPS and DHL.

Yes. All our parcels are independently insured by Helvetia. If anything goes amiss, you will be refunded immediately.

Absolutely. You have 30 days to return your order, no questions asked.