A Decadent Decade: MADLY Goes ‘Beyond the Bling’ for its 10th Anniversary

During a recent visit to the city-state, I stepped inside the MADLY universe on a visit to its flagship store and was reminded of its passion for brightly hued gemstones and its originality in design. All this is now immortalised in a coffee table book titled ‘Beyond the Bling’ that recounts a decade of MADLY production, including its signature jewels, rarest gemstones and the stories behind its favourite pieces. To find out more, I asked the brand’s founder, Maddy Barber, to recount her milestone moments and take us on a whistlestop retrospective of the MADLY aesthetic.

The first time I wrote about MADLY was in October 2020. This was a miserable year of COVID for most of us, so to be confronted with vivacious coloured minerals, juicy cabochons, gorgeous opals, and rare spinels was an uplifting treat. Since then, the brand has continued to evolve its signature blend of bright colours, one-of-a-kind designs and a kind of joyful optimism that’s imbued into each piece. It’s hard to articulate, but I defy anyone to look at a MADLY cocktail ring and not feel a creeping sense of euphoria!  

One of the things I love about the brand’s flagship ‘Experience Centre’ in Singapore’ is the way it showcases the origin and mine-to-market journeys of gemstones in an engaging way. On my most recent visit, I tapped into my gemmology training when handling tourmaline crystals, rough emeralds, and sensational deep red spinels still embedded in their host rock. Being able to see these natural forms alongside unique jewellery creations is all part of the experience that Maddy Barber’s customers receive, whether they’re visiting the Singapore store or the brand’s boutique in Dubai. 

Now, though, all eyes are on MADLY as it celebrates 10 wonderful years in business. Although a lot has changed over the last decade, some fundamentals have remained the same, like Maddy’s commitment to “using the world’s top 0.1% of coloured gemstones”. The celebrations have already kicked off with a BMW Eurokars Auto partnership, incorporating a video series that spotlights the dynamic, multi-faceted women who both wear and are part of the MADLY story. Then there’s the book I mentioned earlier – Beyond the Bling – that chronicles the brand’s evolution from a humble home-based business to the powerhouse it is today. I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy! But now, let’s go through the highlights of a recent conversation I had with Maddy about the journey she’s been on, what she’s most proud of, and the challenges she’s faced along the way. 

Katerina Perez: How did your company start, and what were your big goals in those early days?

Maddy Barber: MADLY was born from a personal desire for jewellery that resonates with individuality and character. In the past, I walked into jewellery retail stores and found pieces that were nice but not really ‘me’, so I left wishing I could make tweaks to really call them my own. I also attempted to customise jewellery at jewellers, but they wouldn’t go through the effort of understanding the client’s style and personality before designing a piece that truly embodied them; neither were they daring enough to try anything new. I envisioned a team of talented designers, each with their own style, with whom clients would be able to converse directly, creating bold, quirky, classic, and meaningful jewellery pieces that would make you fall madly in love.

KP: What have been the biggest changes your brand has gone through over the last 10 years?

MB: The two biggest changes in the past ten years really took place recently. During COVID, we took a bold step to move upstream and establish a presence at mines in Sri Lanka and Tanzania. By having local offices in two major gem-producing countries, we can purchase gemstones from mine owners, the miners themselves and trusted contacts with direct access to the mines, giving us visibility on the exact mining locations and production practices of the gems we use in our creations. Besides ensuring access to the finest 0.1% quality, this shows our commitment to ethical sourcing.

We’ve also expanded internationally, with a presence in Munich and, earlier this year, the opening of a store in Dubai. It’s been a significant undertaking, and while we’re incredibly proud of these steps, there’s still so much more to learn. Each market offers unique insights and an opportunity to embrace the diverse cultures and values of the people we serve. A MADLY jewel is the most meaningful one you can own, and one day, the whole world will have access to an experience that we hold so dear. It’s just a matter of when!

KP: Can you pinpoint any specific pieces you’ve created or gemstones you’ve sourced in the last 10 years that are extra special?

MB: All our pieces are one-of-a-kind and immeasurably special to each of our clients, so it’s a really hard choice! But there was this one shield-cut tanzanite that we’d had for years. It almost sold dozens of times, and understandably so, because it had the most vibrant, electric blue, but somehow it never found a home. One day, a new client came in wanting to restart her jewellery collection because everything she’d owned had been stolen. We were just casually introducing her to the range of gems that we had, and when we passed by ‘tanzanite’, she stopped in her tracks and exclaimed that that was the one– ‘her shield against the chaos’. Jewellery is just so powerful, isn’t it?

KP: Although you focus on bespoke, there are beautiful ready-to-wear pieces in your collection, too – why is it important to have these available for your customer base?

MB: Our ready-to-wear pieces give a sampling of MADLY’s signature styles and showcase the range of our craftsmen’s technical capabilities. From enamel to engine turning, titanium work and custom-cut diamonds, our craftsmen can do it all. Moreover, as a bespoke jeweller, even though our heart lies in one-off client commissions, our ready-made pieces give our designers a chance to create pieces that reflect the ‘MADLY style’ in an unadulterated form. MADLY’s heart will always lie in bespoke commissions. They’re the reason why MADLY exists, and for us, the client’s story is always going to be paramount. But that said, who knows what will happen in the future?

KP: What do you think has helped you get to this point? Is there something special you rely on?

MB: The ‘secret sauce’ to MADLY has been, and always will be ‘human connection’. A beautiful gemstone stays just that until a client comes by and falls in love with it, and a jewellery designer works with them to create a meaningful jewel that tells their personal story. No matter where you come from, everyone has a story that’s meaningful to them, and that’s why I believe that MADLY has a place anywhere in the world we go!

KP: Now that you have reached this big milestone, what are some of the lessons you’ve learned along the way? 

MB: I’ve learnt to ‘over prepare and go with the flow’ because I find that the best opportunities often appear unexpectedly. So, I focus on building a strong foundation, preparing for a range of possibilities, and staying ready and open to where the journey might lead me.

Doesn’t the passion just shine through?! It’s easy to be cynical in life, which is why we all need a brand like MADLY and a founder like Maddy Barber to bring that electric shock of optimism into the mix. I am thrilled that MADLY has reached this milestone moment in its journey, which is clearly only just beginning. Here’s to the next ten years.