I've Been Shortlisted for a National Small Business Award — and I'm Still Pinching Myself

I'll be honest, when the email landed in my inbox telling me that Rebekah Ann Jewellery (me!!!) has been shortlisted for the Sole to Sole Award at The Small Awards 2026, I had to read it twice. And then sat with it for the entire weekend!

The Sole to Sole Award celebrates the best self-employed small business owner in the UK recognising the resilience, drive and tenacity it takes to go it alone. And honestly? That description means everything to me.

How it all started

Rebekah Ann Jewellery began as a side hustle. I was working for a local jeweller who encouraged me to create more of my own work, and as my confidence and my customer base grew, I realised I wanted to build something rooted in my own values: transparency, care, and deep personal connection with every single customer.

Making the decision to go all in was daunting. This is a true bootstrap business. I had no partner at the time (and now in a divorce) nor family support, built entirely from my own employed earnings (and working as a jobbing jeweller, it isn't a great wage!) reinvesting every spare pound back into tools, materials and skills. Resilience and a clear vision drove me forward.

What Rebekah Ann Jewellery is today

Today I create bespoke engagement rings, wedding bands, remodels, capsule pieces as well as some memorial pieces, each one shaped by the story, heritage and vision of the person who will wear it. Every piece is made consciously and purposefully in recycled or single-mine-origin gold, influenced by the Wabi Sabi philosophy and made to be worn, loved and marked by life. This isn't jewellery that sits in a cabinet. It's jewellery that means something.

Community at the heart

One of the things I'm most proud of is founding the Brighton Jewellery Collective, a shared workshop that is now home to six independent jewellers and a stained glass artist. It's a space where we share skills, tools, conversations and opportunities, supporting one another as sole traders rather than competitors.

What this shortlisting means

Being shortlisted for the Sole to Sole Award feels like recognition not just for me, but for every values-led, purpose-driven small business doing things their way. The Small Awards is now in its tenth year and is run by Small Business Britain, the organisation behind Small Business Saturday, so to be named among the UK's finest sole traders is genuinely humbling.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on 21st May 2026, I'll be there with a heart full of gratitude.

If you'd like to follow the journey, come and find me on Instagram, and if you've ever thought about a bespoke piece, a remodel of something treasured, or just want to know more about how I work, I'd love to hear from you.

Thank you for being part of this story. 🖤