ANN DEXTER-JONES ON ROCK'N'ROLL JEWELLERY, MARK RONSON, MICK JAGGER & MUSIC ROYALTY

Summary

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If Jewels Could Talk with Carol Woolton

Episode: Ann Dexter-Jones on Rock'n'Roll Jewellery, Mark Ronson, Mick Jagger & Music Royalty
Date: January 8, 2026
Guest: Ann Dexter-Jones
Host: Carol Woolton

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Episode Overview

This episode features renowned jeweller and designer Ann Dexter-Jones, whose signature rock-and-roll aesthetic, legendary music-world connections, and colorful life story intertwine to inspire her bold and expressive jewels. Host Carol Woolton dives deep into Ann’s peripatetic childhood, the family values that shaped her, her journey from New Zealand to New York, her creative processes, and her roles as a muse, mother, and entrepreneur.

The conversation sparkles with tales of music royalty, beloved family moments, and the unique power of jewellery to capture identity, memory, and artistic intent.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Formative Years: Family, Change, and Worldliness

• The Globe-Spinning Father:
  • Ann’s father, an intellectual and surgeon, taught his five children empathy and appreciation for difference by spinning a globe and deciding the family would move wherever his finger landed—ultimately Australia.
    • Ann: “He spun the globe and said, 'I'm going to head to the South Pacific because a healthy mind and a healthy body, we're going to follow the sun.'” (04:32)
• Trauma and Resilience:
  • The family’s journey included her mother’s illness and death, a traumatic plane crash, and frequent moves (Ann attended 14 schools on three continents).
    • Ann: “I chose to see the glass half full. And my father was still my hero.” (08:06)
• Early Artistic Leanings:
  • Sewing her own clothes in New Zealand, Ann sought individuality and color, inspired by vivid global locations.
    • Ann: “I remember pulling into Bermuda...the houses...are pink and lemon blue...so to me, everything was magical.” (09:04)

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2. London, Rock & Roll, and Defining an Aesthetic

• Entry into Music Circles:
  • Marriage to music manager Lawrence Ronson brought Ann into the orbit of icons like Mick Jagger, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, and more.
    • Ann: "I never had an agenda and I think that's what made it so fun." (14:00)
• Navigating Divorce and Motherhood:
  • Candid about safeguarding her children (“my most precious jewels”) during divorce, Ann shares her clear boundaries and integrity during transitions.
    • Ann to Mick Jones: “If you come back to the house at night...if you want to see me for brunch or lunch or an early dinner, that's fine… But if you’re feeling horny, you have to go somewhere else.” (16:28)
• Moving to New York with New Vision:
  • Ann relocates for her children’s freedom, separating them from family expectations and opening new creative avenues.
    • Ann: “I thought it was healthy to put an ocean between the two families.” (17:49)

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3. The Birth of the Jewellery Line: Rock, Reiki, and ‘Heft’

• Inspired by World Markets:
  • Ann’s fascination with ID bracelets began at flea markets across Asia and Europe, noticing their cultural significance and unique forms.
    • Ann: “I was in Singapore…I did Reiki on myself…And I was imagining the ID bracelet and thinking, 'How would I design it…?'” (20:53)
• Designing with Intention:
  • First signature: Lapis lazuli with gold screws and diamonds—a bespoke contrast to conventional ID bracelets.
• Rock & Roll Ethos:
  • Jewellery is heavy, bold, and handcrafted by New York artisans to merge durability with meaning:
    • Ann: “I like the heft. My thing is the heft—it's not dainty.” (22:57)
• Music as Constant Inspiration:
  • Ann designs to music—her “midnight hour” bracelet was inspired directly by Wilson Pickett’s lyrics.
    • Ann: “It’s always midnight so you never have to leave the party.” (24:44)

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4. Stories Behind the Pieces: Icons, Inspiration, and Personal Meaning

• Celebrity Clients & Iconic Moments:
  • Kate Moss, Ringo Starr, Mick Jagger, Bruno Mars and others collect and wear Ann’s jewellery.
    • Ann on Kate Moss: “Oh, Kate Moss took it off my wrist and bought it…her one had pave diamonds.” (25:46)
    • Ann on Ringo Starr: “I gave to Ringo Starr for his 60th birthday. And he wears it.” (33:01)
    • Ann on Mick Jagger: “Mick Jagger has one…with cabochon ruby inlay.” (33:09)
• Personalized Designs for Family:
  • Made with personality in mind—her children’s pieces reflect their style and achievements.
    • Ann: “When Mark wrote Uptown Funk...he engraved on it: ‘straight up gate crashing Super Bowl’ for him and Bruno [Mars].” (31:39)
• Jewellery for Cause:
  • Proceeds from Ukrainian-colored enamel guitar picks benefit Ukraine.
    • Ann: “All the money I make on those I send to Ukraine.” (35:03)

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5. Ann as Muse: Love, Memory, and Music

• Inspiring Foreigner’s Hit Love Songs:
  • Mick Jones wrote “I Want to Know What Love Is” and “Waiting for a Girl Like You” for Ann.
    • Ann: “He came bursting into the bedroom…‘Now you have to marry me. I’ve written the song for you.’” (27:26)
    • Ann (about “Waiting for a Girl Like You”): “He said, ‘Now I know why I wrote the song.’ I said, ‘Do you play this in every port?’” (28:48)

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6. Business Approach & Craftsmanship

• Commitment to Handwork and Authenticity:
  • Fiercely loyal to traditional goldsmiths in NYC; refuses mass production and outsourced volume.
    • Ann: “I only work with artisans because they’re a dying breed…they were supporting me too with their wonderful works.” (22:57)
    • Ann: “None of us need a piece of jewelry. We just want…I just have to say what I love.” (36:12)
• Evolution in Selling:
  • Prefers intimate trunk shows, direct sales, and maintains quality control by overseeing production herself.
    • Ann: “I’m not a wonderful businesswoman, but I’m not stupid, so I’m not a fool.” (38:10)
    • Ann: “If you’re making thousands of each piece…not with the materials I use.” (39:19)

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7. Ann’s Design Process & Future Plans

• Intuitive, Mood-Driven Design:
  • Draws sketches, lets inspiration strike anywhere (even at the zoo); does not design by season or trend.
    • Ann: “I was at the zoo when I thought of the anaconda…and what a great ring that would make.” (45:23)
• Favorite Materials:
  • Lapis lazuli, aquamarine, blues and brights; classic yet vibrant stones.
    • Ann: “I also love aquamarine…so you like the blues? Yes, I must like the blues.” (40:54)
• Upcoming Memoir:
  • Ann is personally writing her memoir, encouraged by her literary agent to forgo a ghostwriter after reading her drafts.
    • Ann: “She read some of my work and said…you don’t need a ghostwriter. So now I have to bloody write it.” (43:02)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On embracing change and difference:
  • “If ever any of my children were to point to anybody saying they’re different because of their garb or...customs, I would be mortified...I'm not just going to explain it to you. I'm going to show you they’re not different from you—you are different from them.”
    – Ann, recounting her father’s lesson (02:32)
• On being a mother during a high-profile divorce:
  • “They’re my most precious jewels.” (15:12)
• On rock-and-roll muses and romance:
  • “If you want to see me for brunch...that’s fine. But if you’re feeling horny, you have to go somewhere else.” (16:28)
  • “He came bursting into the bedroom...‘I’ve written the song for you. Now you have to marry me.’” (27:26)
• On her design mantra:
  • “I only make what I love. I don't follow a trend...None of us need a piece of jewelry, we just want...I think we just want one.” (36:12)
• On music as design fuel:
  • “I’d play rock and roll music...go into little meditative mode with my voice Reiki... singing the midnight hour...it's always on midnight so you never have to leave the party.” (24:44)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:26] – Ann’s nomadic childhood and the pivotal globe-spinning moment
• [06:46] – Early travels, family trauma, and parental influence on values
• [10:04] – Early self-expression, sewing, and style development
• [13:46] – Entrance into the London music scene, celebrity connections
• [15:12] – Protecting her children through divorce; beginnings with Mick Jones
• [18:07] – Relocating to New York; beginning freelance writing and jewelry design
• [20:53] – Discovery of ID bracelets, Reiki inspiration, and signature style
• [22:57] – Partnership with artisans, business beginnings
• [24:44] – Creating the “midnight hour” bracelet and Kate Moss story
• [27:26] – Being a muse for some of Foreigner’s greatest hits
• [31:39] – Bespoke pieces for Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars
• [33:01] – Celebrity clientele: Ringo Starr, Mick Jagger, Bruno Mars
• [35:03] – Jewellery for charitable causes (Ukraine)
• [38:10] – How selling and running the business has evolved
• [40:59] – Favorite gemstones and adaptable design
• [43:02] – Memoir-in-progress and family achievements
• [45:23] – Creative process and anecdotes behind design inspiration

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Tone & Final Impressions

Sparkling with wit, honesty, and irreverence, Ann Dexter-Jones’ conversation with Carol Woolton is as much about life philosophy—resilience, openness, authenticity—as it is about brilliant jewelry. Listeners leave with vivid stories from music and fashion history, practical insight into hand-crafted luxury design, and a sense of the enduring power of personal narrative and artistry.

For fans of bold jewellery, rock history, and true originals, Ann’s episode is a complex gem—full of color, weight, and unmistakable character.

Transcript

[Carole Wilton]

This episode is brought to you by Leibish, the coloured diamond jewelry experts. Did you know that pink diamonds are amongst the rarest diamonds and over 90% came from the Argyle Mine in Australia which closed in 2020. Hello, welcome to if Jules Could Talk. I'm Carole Wilton, the voice of jewellery and I'm very delighted to have my guest today, Anne Dexter Jones. Now, in some newspapers Anne is often described as a New York socialite, but this does her a great disservice. Anne Dexter Jones is a jewellery designer of note with the strong aesthetic rock and roll vibe. She has this sort of unique edgy rock and roll aesthetic. She's raised a brood of five high achieving, successful children who've all been inspired by her artistic style in their various fields. Which includes 10 time Grammy Award winning and Oscar winning DJ, record producer, songwriter and composer, Mark Ronson, Samantha Ronson and Alexander Dexter Jones, both acclaimed international DJs. Charlotte Ronson the fashion designer and Annabelle Dexter Jones the actress and director. You probably know her best from Succession An American Horror Story. She's a philanthropist, she practices Reiki, she's been amused for two of the greatest love songs ever written by her husband Mick Jones of the rock band Foreigner. She runs her own business in New York. She's a writer and journalist who's now embarking on her memoir which which she's writing herself of course. So I think that's more than a socialite quite frankly. And thank you for joining us today.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

My pleasure. And thank you for inviting me.

[Carole Wilton]

And today we're going to have a little sneak of what's going to come out in this memoir as well as the jewellery. So I wanted to talk first of all because I've had a little read of the opening chapters and there is a sort of pivotal moment that your father introduced to the family that really had a major effect on your life. So can you describe that to us? What happened?

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Yes, when my father called us into the breakfast room one day, his five children. I'm one of five and I'm number two in the line. And he said to us, children, I have something to tell you, please sit around the breakfast table. And I was 11 years old at the time, the youngest was five, my older brother was 14 and we were curious and he said, well children, you go to very nice little schools and you have very nice little friends and what you have to look forward to are nice bigger schools and nice bigger friends. I just want you to know if ever any of my life in England is too bourgeois, we didn't know what bourgeois meant. So we're sort of scratching our heads in a cog. And he said, if ever any of my children were to point to anybody saying they're different because of their garb or how their hair was, whether it be for religious reasons or cultural reasons, or if they had a different color skin and the different customs, he said, I would be mortified. I am not just going to explain it to you. I'm going to show you that they're not different from you, you are different from them. And he said, I'm now going to spin the globe. He was often looking at atlases and he was highly intellectual, super genius mind. He was a doctor and an eye surgeon. And so he moved to Southport and that's where I was born.

[Carole Wilton]

So he's in Southport with the globe in front of him. And what does he do?

[Anne Dexter Jones]

No, by that time we're now moved back to Liverpool. Three more children have been born. There's five of them.

[Carole Wilton]

So there's five of you. He's in Liverpool in front of this globe. And what does he do?

[Anne Dexter Jones]

And he said, I'm now going to spin the globe wherever my finger lands. I'm going to head to the South Pacific because a healthy mind and a healthy body, we're going to follow the sun.

[Carole Wilton]

So where did he land on?

[Anne Dexter Jones]

So then he said, I'm going to the closest point on the British Commonwealth so I can still educate you well. And he could practice. And it landed on Australia. So a short time later we're on a boat to Australia, which took five weeks in those days. It's not a pity me story, but my mother had been diagnosed by my father with colitis before we left England. So we headed out to Australia and she became ill on the boat. And because it was a trauma of being so far away, especially in those days, I mean, people didn't phone each other, they wrote airmail letters. And so we got to Australia and my mother was very ill then and my father knew the prognosis. So that was five weeks after landing in Australia. So he put us on a boat, on a plane back to England, to Scotland, to our grandfather. And he said he was, he would follow when my mother got better. Well, he knew very sadly that my mother's prognosis was very bad. And our plane that we happened to be on, it was the last Comet 4 ever to fly Qantas Airlines. And we crash landed and many people died. And my three brothers, my sister and I, we all survived. We arrived back in Australia, we found out our mother had passed, and we took a boat. Then after the plane crash, back to England and went to Scotland, where my mother was buried. And my father kept spinning the globe because he was now looking for her mother. So I went to 14 schools, three different colleges.

[Carole Wilton]

Where were the different schools? On different continents.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Different continents. We went back to England, and then we went back out to Australia again and went to different cities there, Sydney and in Perth. And then we went back again to England. And my father was heartbroken. Mother was the love of his life, and he thought he was think he was subconsciously searching for her. And we went off to live in New Zealand. We got on a boat and we went to New Zealand. So we were in each of the place. Each of the times was two years. The two times Australia. The first time was very short. The second time was two years back to England. Australia was pretty harsh in those days. And then we went to New Zealand, which was much more British. And we were there two years and then went back to Australia on board P and O Orion Line. They called us the Bond Traps. Because there was this widowed doctor with five children sort of tootling on behind. And he was very overprotective. I wasn't allowed to date till I was 18.

[Carole Wilton]

But how do you think that affected you? Having to make. You're very gregarious. This is why they call you a socialite. Do you think you learned those skills because you had to get well, you.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Were always the new girl, and along the way we lived in different cities. So you're always the new girl, and you're going, how? Hello, my name's Anne Dexter. I was shy inside, but there wasn't that opportunity for that to come out. And I was the eldest daughter and certainly not qualified to be the little mother I became. I could make macaroni cheese and so. But I chose to see the glass half full. And my father was still my hero. I mean, my brothers and sisters, they disagreed with me. But every time we arrived somewhere, it was like leaving England for the first time. That's why I think that influenced my color, using color in my jewelry. And because I remember pulling into Bermuda and you see these houses, which you've never seen in England, and I'm 11 years old, they're pink and lemon blue. And then we went to Curacao, was one of the stops on the boat. And the streets, the shopping streets are lined in mosaic tiles and different stones. So to me, everything was magical.

[Carole Wilton]

This had a great cultural influence on you for the rest of your life.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Well, I think a Lot of my father's values I imposed upon my children and my mother was a great philanthropist too. But I think the values and the travel and opening your eyes and I immersed them and opened them up to different religions, even if it wasn't the religion we practice. So it was all about tolerance and understanding and empathy.

[Carole Wilton]

And did you notice on your travels, were you looking at what women wore and how they wore it?

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Yes. I mean, I think subconsciously I wasn't sophisticated enough to think why I was thinking, but. And then when we lived in New Zealand at 17. No, I was about 16 then, I think by then. And in New Zealand it was very conservative. And I remember I always was aware of fashion and I wasn't interested in the norm. And I remember the first piece of clothing I made and miniskirts were in and everything I pressed. And also it's my father, so he wasn't really aware of girls daughters needs. And I remember steaming open and unpicking a kilt I had that we'd bought in Edinburgh, a red tartan kilt. And I bought a pattern, a simple pattern, just a very simple pattern at a haberdashery store. Placed it on the fabric, cut it out. The insides were terrible, they're all frayed and everything. And I made this little mini dress with a tie in a. Probably it was synthetic nylon and a navy tie that went right down to the floor. And I started making my own clothes. And the girlfriend of my father's, who we never approved of anybody except one of my father's, gave me a sewing machine to kind of kiss up to my father. It was one of those with the metal thing on the leg. And I started making my own clothes and things that were different.

[Carole Wilton]

Because you were aware you wanted to look different.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Yeah, I was just aware that I didn't. We had uniforms at school. Clothing wasn't a uniform. And I made for my little sister as well, who was about 6 or 7 at the time. And I was obviously, I was drawn to style and I liked to paint and I liked to write poetry. And so it was an influence.

[Carole Wilton]

This artistic life was growing.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Yes.

[Carole Wilton]

And then you went back to London and the rock and roll started to kick in. With your first marriage, Lawrence Ronson was a music producer and band manager.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Well, he was a band manager, but he did that on the quiet because he was within his family corporation and he wanted to do music. And every time he got a drum kit or a guitar, the mother gave it away to the bin men. The following week he said he wishes he had £100 for every piece of instrument that was given away because they kind of pooh poohed the music thing and they didn't take it seriously. So on the quiet, working within the family corporation and he was in charge of sort of big construction, building sites, home up in Wiltshire. And no, he had this whole thing going on on the side and he. Even without his parents knowing, he had signed a band, Bucks Fizz, who won the Eurovision Song Contest.

[Carole Wilton]

I think they were probably the last British winner probably.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

But then. But we had a lot of friends who were musicians.

[Carole Wilton]

Like, who were your friends at that point?

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Sort of mixed Rolling Stones and David Bowie. The who and Keith Moon and David Bowie and these people coming round as well as shop assistants who I like, I'd invite them over to or everybody, not in a bountiful way, don't get me wrong, but just people I liked. I never had an agenda and I think that's what made it so fun. My family didn't. My in laws weren't that approving of our lifestyle, probably with good reason and I was very close to them. And then the situation came up and it was time for me to get a divorce and to put it, because I don't want to say anything bad because it's the father of my three children, Mark and my twins, Charlotte and Samantha. And a while afterwards, during my divorce, I met Mick Jones, but I sent him on his way.

[Carole Wilton]

Oh, Mick Jones, a foreigner.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

A foreigner. I sent him on his way because when he asked me out and I said, I have to get custody of my three children. They're my jewels and my most precious jewels. And I said, I don't know if I'm allowed to say it in the podcast. And I said to him, if you want to see me, because I liked him a lot. And I said, you want to be my friend, that's fine. If anybody comes back in the evening, I'm in the middle of a divorce. And it was an intense divorce, which I suppose all divorces are because nobody was. My in laws were not happy, you know, whether it's the press and approving and they. Obviously, no family wants a divorce in their family. So I said, if you come back to the house at night, it was a Georgian house. I said, all the windows, all the drapes were opened and everything like that. I was so paranoid about being. Because I was in the middle of a divorce from a powerful family. And I said, if you want to see me for brunch or lunch or an early dinner, that's Fine.

[Carole Wilton]

And that's probably.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

But if you're feeling horny, you have to go somewhere else.

[Carole Wilton]

So a rock star doesn't often hear.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

That kind of thing? No.

[Carole Wilton]

So rock star coming around for a polite brunch probably drove him crazy.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Yeah. But he waited. He sent orchids every day and this went on for months and months.

[Carole Wilton]

Orchids every day for how long?

[Anne Dexter Jones]

I sent it. He was in not a good marriage and I sent him back and I said I wouldn't want somebody messing with my husband, so the karma is I wouldn't mess with somebody else's.

[Carole Wilton]

So he kept on sending back.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

So I sent him back and maybe quite a few months later, it was months later he sorted out his home situation and we started dating. And the plan was for me to live in New York. I thought it was healthy to put an ocean between the two families. And also I wanted my children I knew would be implements just to go into the family business. Mark and I just thought they should have their own choices.

[Carole Wilton]

So you thought going to New York would open up their lives and it.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Was close enough for their father to.

[Carole Wilton]

Visit them and it would open up.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Their lives and it would open up their life in a different life, different culture, different colours, different jewels.

[Carole Wilton]

Yes. And then that's when you started creating jewellery.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Yes, Because I was writing then. I was writing actually then I had like 4 page Collumwood Tatler and I pretended I was Patsy from Amp Fab and so some of it was irreverent, but it was all very proper and no gossip. No gossip. I don't do gossip. And the only person I laughed at was myself. And so I started writing, freelance writing and now and again write something for the Times, for the Sunday sections and different magazines and I loved writing. And then one day I was on tour with Mick in Singapore and I would go every place we stopped at on the tour would take the children too, if we could, when they were out of school. And I'd go to the flea market because you get a feeling of the culture of the locals, what they're selling and everything. And from Paris to Singapore to India, wherever you went, I always spotted these ID bracelets. I would see the plain ID bracelets and I had no interest in ID bracelets, but I think it's a cultural thing. And I noticed in America people would say, my grandmother gave me this when I was born and we just added more links to it. And oh, my boyfriend, my first boyfriend, gave me an ID bracelet and I thought, well, nobody ever gave me one. And it was no loss to me, but I noticed all these different styles in Asia and Europe and I became fascinated looking at them. Then one day I was standing in Singapore, didn't know anybody there at the flea market, and I saw these ID bracelets and I did Reiki on myself because I happened to be a Reiki master, which is not a diploma from Harvard or Yale. So I don't have any delusions. We can all do Reiki, we can all bring it out on ourselves. It's a form of meditation and healing. So I closed my eyes in the middle of all these strangers, a Reiki trance. And I was imagining the ID bracelet and I'm thinking, how would I design it? What would I love? And I came up with the idea of my dream bracelet would be lapis lazuli. And in the silver one there'd be gold screws at the top with yellow diamonds. And in the gold one, the gold bracelet, the lapis would have silver screws with white diamonds. And I went, because I wanted to think of something different. I got back to New York and I made some for myself and everybody kept. And everybody, no, few people stopped me and said, where did you get it? Whose is that? Whose is that? And I would go, mine. They go, yes, but whose is it? And I go, but it's mine. And they thought I wasn't sharing the designer. And then I was in Barney's one day and stores like that where I'd be in Harrods looking at things, pointing them out, not necessarily buying, and people would say, whose is that? And in the end Barney's called me in and now I'm in the stores and then I was in.

[Carole Wilton]

So they asked you to make more or a whole line?

[Anne Dexter Jones]

They asked me, they asked to do a line with me and they said to me and I'd come up with some other variations and a few other pieces, jewelry. And then they said to me, would I do a selection? And they do consignment. And I said, well, I'm awfully sorry, I'm a one woman show and I couldn't possibly afford to do consignment and fill a showcase in and put all the silver and gold and everything. So they changed the rule for me and they let me and they bought my jewelry.

[Carole Wilton]

And so the idea going on from the ID bracelet was this kind of rock and roll edgy. Well, I mean, heavy links, pave set, name tags, buckles. I mean, this is, this is edgy. It's heavy, Let me tell you that.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

See, I like the heft. My Thing is the heft. It's not. You put it on. But I only work with artisans because they're a dying breed and I have so much to learn from them. And. And I thought it's nice to support them. And they were supporting me too, with their wonderful works.

[Carole Wilton]

So you found workshops downtown New York?

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Yes, Midtown New York, in the 40s, with all these wonderful artisans. And then I was recommended to some. Some of them were very snooty at first they go because basically some of them were frustrated jewelry designers. And who the hell was I? This woman who was in her early, late 30s, early 40s, coming in suddenly as a designer. But then what I. Most important relating to you, Carol, you're quite right. And I slipped over this fact. When I was designing my jewelry, I would play rock and roll music. I'd go into little meditative mode with my voice Reiki, and I would play the radio on whatever FM rock and roll station it was. And then on came Wilson Pickett. I love lyrics. Singing the midnight hour Wait till the midnight hour. And I went, how amazing. This was the first one I made. And I said, how wonderful. Wilson Pickett is a legend and he's larger than life and out of the box. So I made the bracelet. Here it is here.

[Carole Wilton]

And it's always midnight.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

And my thing was that it's an homage to Wilson Pick at the midnight hour. It's always on midnight so that you never have to leave the party. You know that horrible feeling. And you look at your watch and it's 12:30, it's 1 o'. Clock. It might be a bit later, it might be the club.

[Carole Wilton]

So it never quite reaches a point where you have to be Cinderella and go home.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

No, no, no Cinderellas. And what I do as well is it has a nice. Dear, as I'm struggling here. It has. It's all handmade and it has a wonderful. This one is silver, but the top.

[Carole Wilton]

So it's kind of brushed silver, isn't it?

[Anne Dexter Jones]

And I brush the silver so it's not. I like sparkly and shiny. But this, I just thought it's more subtle and more sophisticated. And then the buckle's solid gold. The top is solid gold.

[Carole Wilton]

And didn't Kate Moss take that off your wrist?

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Oh, Kate Moss took it off my wrist and bought it at where I was at a wedding. At a wedding. And Kate was going, oh, I love that, love that, love that.

[Carole Wilton]

She doesn't ever want to wear it.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

And Philip Green was. Philip Green Green from Topshop was at the party when he Was escorting Kate with Kate's group. And he said, I'll buy it for you. I'll buy it for you. He knocked me down a bit in price.

[Carole Wilton]

He's a shopkeeper.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Because he's a shop. You know, he's a shopkeeper. And that's the one that Kate has. But her one had diamonds. Had pave diamonds on the hand and white diamonds here. Okay, there was another one. There's a song came on. Starry, Starry Night. I'm trying to remember.

[Carole Wilton]

Starry, starry night. Don McLean.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

And I thought, it's a wonderful song. And all my class are hidden and made part of the piece of jewelry. So there's no. You don't see any awkward clasp. They're all sort of thought out and part of the jewelry, and they just slip in. And so starry, Starry night was born.

[Carole Wilton]

And so now your husband.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

You were.

[Carole Wilton]

The music inspires you, but vice versa. You've been the muse of music. Because didn't he write, I want to know what love is for you?

[Anne Dexter Jones]

He did. That's a funny one. He came in. I was still living in England. I had to get up early to take Mark and the twins, who were like five and four, to school. And he came. He came bursting into the bedroom because I set up a studio next door for him, which was a real cheapo production. I just had Styrofoam nailed to the ceiling and the walls so we didn't get complaints from the neighbors. And he came. Four in the morning. He said, now you have to marry me. Now you have to marry me. And I said, I'm sleeping. I'm sleeping. And he said, I've written the song for you. Now you have to marry me. So I said, please. I was a bit grumpy. Have to be up in a few hours. And I closed the door. And then he went into the studio and opened it again. And I said, what's it called? And he said, I want to know what love is. And I said, you've been asking me for a year to marry you. I'm very sleepy. And you want to know what love is? Get lost. And I slammed the door. Six months later, I said, yes. And I was only putting it off because he was a little possessive.

[Carole Wilton]

So I mean that. And then. Waiting for a girl like you.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

No, waiting for a girl like you. He played to me. He came over. A friend of mine, Sandy Norman, was staying with me in London because she was able to. Because her parents were away. And she was my dearest friend. And she was having dinner with some friends one night and one of them was Mick. And I was in the middle of my divorce and the last thing I needed, my life had been high profile with Lawrence and a lot of music and theatre people as well as civilians. And so I was kind of very offhand with him. And he went into the music room and he saw my. That Lawrence actually had a copy. Lawrence very interested in music, obviously. And he had perfect pitch, a copy of the Foreigner album. And Mick said to me, now I Know why I wrote the song. And he put on Waiting For A Girl like youe. Well. And I just looked at him, he said, now I know why I wrote the song. And I said, do you play this in every port? The last thing I need is a rock and roll boyfriend while I am fighting for custody of my three children. So I shut that down.

[Carole Wilton]

And so does music still inspire your design?

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Yes, always. I love music. It inspires me when the days. When things are low, My husband.

[Carole Wilton]

So what do you listen to?

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Well, at the moment and when I'm. No, I just put on a record player. I love vinyl records. I mean, I put on a record.

[Carole Wilton]

Player and what are you listening to at the moment?

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Chuck Berry. Well, I have to play a lot of Mark Ronson and a lot of Foreigner. And Mick's just written a beautiful song that came out called Shelter from the Storm that he wrote during COVID And my younger son Alexander, just finished his album and he's Alexander Dexter Jones, he just finished it in Paris. And he's my youngest. And Samantha, my daughter, writes.

[Carole Wilton]

Does she.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

She had a band and was on the road, but she didn't want to be on the road.

[Carole Wilton]

Do you ever play as a family? Do they ever get together and jam?

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Yeah, they do.

[Carole Wilton]

Yeah, we'd like to release that. We'd like that one.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Yeah, that would be nice. But I also pay. I play a lot of. I love the Eagles. I mean, I love the 80s rock, but I'll play new stuff as well. So does Mark. I quite like some of the hip hop just to move to.

[Carole Wilton]

Does Mark wear any of the jewellery?

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Yes, Mark, when he did, Mark bought for himself and Bruno Mars that you make him pay, they get cost. And when he. Mark wrote Uptown Funk and he had Bruno sing it on his Mark's album. And they were the secret. They were the secret surprise musicians at the super bowl. And Mark couldn't believe it. I came here, an English schoolboy, and here I am at the Super Bowl. So they were asked. They were not going to. They Advertised the other artists. It was Beyonce and Chris Martin. And so Mark had engraved on its straight up gate crashing super bowl for him and him and Bruno. But I'd made for my daughters, for my twins, for Charlotte, I made pink opal inlay and with rubies on them. And I do different things that pertains to their personality. Some, like simple.

[Carole Wilton]

I mean, given it's got this rock and roll aesthetic, it must appeal to other rock and rollers. Who else wears necklace?

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Well, I have a wonderful. Oh, sorry. Well, this. Now this necklace without the pearls, which makes it more girly, I gave to Ringo Starr for his 60th birthday. And he wears it. And sometimes I open a magazine and there he is wearing my stars, wearing his stars. And Mick Jagger has one of these with cabochon ruby inlay. And Bruno Mars, as I mentioned, has this in gold. And then some of my friends. One friend, Sandy Norman, has an armful of these bracelets. But when they're actually on. But when they're actually on, you feel it more when you're greedy and wear four like me. But when they're actually on, like an individual single one, you wouldn't feel. And I'm about to do a VIP bracelet because this little raggedy piece of fabric was. My husband was diagnosed with early Parkinson's, the beginning of COVID So he didn't. And he was inducted into the Rock and Roll hall of Fame last October. And so I went on his behalf, as did some of my children, and I've never taken it because he couldn't be there. I never took this off. And I decided people keep asking me, make this into a bracelet.

[Carole Wilton]

Good idea. So the Rock and Roll hall, the first fade bracelet. Yeah, good idea.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

And then there are many other people that wear my jewelry, but they like to be private about it.

[Carole Wilton]

And for Mick, you have copied his guitar pick, haven't you?

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Yes.

[Carole Wilton]

Yeah, Here we go. In enamel. Colored enamel.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Yeah, the hand enameled. And this one I actually made up for during the beginning of the Ukraine. What's going. Well, I continue to do it. The war in Ukraine. So I do it in the Ukrainian colors with the evil eye. And I give all the money I make on those I send to Ukraine. And this one is just rubies. Pave rubies. This one's a peace sign. This one is jade.

[Carole Wilton]

And what does he have?

[Anne Dexter Jones]

And this is the key to the soul that I add to them.

[Carole Wilton]

And what does Mick wear?

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Mick wears. I've got one that has crosses on it and music symbols and everything. It's A very rock and roll.

[Carole Wilton]

Does he wear it every day?

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Wears it every day. And he wears this that I made him with white diamonds. He likes silver and white diamonds on the corners.

[Carole Wilton]

So you must clank about the house.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

A bit or clicking. Yeah.

[Carole Wilton]

Face with sort of armfuls of ID bracelets.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

And what I do is. Well, what I do is I only make what I love. I don't follow a trend. I stop myself looking to think, what is the new stone this summer or autumn or whatever. Because none of us need a piece of jewelry. We don't need another piece of jewelry. We just want. I think we just want one. So I just. So I just. I have to say what I love.

[Carole Wilton]

I was a bit like Kate Moss and one time I saw Anne in New York and she had this on and I made her take it off and I bought it and I love it because it's hand enameled. It's a flower, but it's on this very clever sliding mechanism so I can wear choker down, which I love it. So I was a bit Kate Moss like and grabbed it off her.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

And this is another one of these. Olivia Harrison bought this off me. It was Jerry hall, had a big birthday party up in Windsor last year. Now I've got to try and.

[Carole Wilton]

So you're the best of. That is meant for your jewelry. It's the way you wear.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

I'm a people woman, show business. So I can't really. The way I make the jewelry, it's all custom. I can't really afford one of those PR companies that want a lot of money every week and they'll probably put them on a fashion show. And I mean, I have friends who are great PR people, but if they go into fashion show, everybody's looking at the dress or the suit.

[Carole Wilton]

Well, this is why they call you a socialite, because you have to go to social events to sell your jewellery and people buy it off you. But what's it like trying to run a global business? What's it like for you now? Has it changed?

[Anne Dexter Jones]

I'm not a wonderful businesswoman, but I'm not stupid, so I'm not a fool. But I. During COVID things were slow and now a lot of people. I have a lot of private clients that come and somebody just asked me, I'm staying at that Hotel 22 and somebody just said to me, she's putting on a very exclusive trunk show in Palm beach in Texas towards the end of the year, would I bring. Yes. So I'll do that.

[Carole Wilton]

That's probably the Best way to sell, isn't it?

[Anne Dexter Jones]

I got tired. I'm also. I'm in just one eye in California, in la, which is an amazing, amazing destination. And yes, it's amazing.

[Carole Wilton]

Yes, because the. The way to sell has changed over the years, hasn't it? Some of that wholesale business has gone, really, hasn't it? Some of the natural places you would have sold.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Well, if you're going to do also wholesale, people are making in China, India, different countries think Portugal's meant to be good, Greece. But what happens is. What happens is you don't have quality control. I mean, if you're making thousands of each piece, which I don't want to, of course it'd be wonderful to sell them, but not with the materials I use. I mean, I sent some things to Brazil, ones to be made, because my jeweler, where I bought the gemstones, sent them. And even the silver were all different weights. So what I found out they were doing, they were putting different metals in it, so they had the heft and not the silver or the gold. It was probably lead. So not everybody's like that, of course, but I didn't want to take the chance because my credibility, because somebody said to me, this bracelet's so much lighter than the first one I had. And I was so embarrassed because it looked like I was trying to cheat her. So that's really embarrassing. So that's why I say, I live in America, so I'll make in America if I'm selling in England, if I have a destination in England to sell. I was in matches, I was in Harrod. Then I'll make them here, you know, I think it's only fair.

[Carole Wilton]

And what do you like working with best? What's your favourite gemstone? Is it lapis?

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Well, I love. As a stone inlay, I love lappis and I also love quite. I also love aquamarine.

[Carole Wilton]

Yeah. So you like the blues?

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Yes, I must like the blues. But I do like emeralds and I rather like rubies too.

[Carole Wilton]

Is that an engagement ring?

[Anne Dexter Jones]

No, that's a signet ring I made from my collection. Yes. And then that just got a wedding band. A wedding band that was an early Van Cleef, so not mine. But it's exciting. And then some things have. I have a long version of this with the buckle and it can be a double choker, it can be a hip belt. So I think in this economy you need a three for one.

[Carole Wilton]

Very good idea. And.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Say, this is my thumb ring. You could also wear it this way. And then you can Bend your finger. You can wear it that way. Just. I mean, there are things you can play with.

[Carole Wilton]

Yeah. So it's value for money.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Value for money. And this is my anaconda ring. You have.

[Carole Wilton]

I've got the silver version.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Yes. They're fabulous because they've got a spiritual history to them. The Anaconda.

[Carole Wilton]

What's that?

[Anne Dexter Jones]

So you don't want to be well within the customs, within the tribes. They have a special spiritual. It's a goodness and it's the future. But you also don't want them to bite you.

[Carole Wilton]

And when do you think your memoir will be published?

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Well, I started six chapters and I'm writing it myself. I have a wonderful agent at UTA in America. Well, they're all global now. And she decided. She read some of my work and said. Because at first they suggest a ghostwriter. I've never written a book before. And she read some of my work and said, you don't need a ghostwriter. So now I have to bloody write it. Yes.

[Carole Wilton]

So you've got to sit down and write it down. And Mark's just brought out a book.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Yes, Mark's brought out a book which is on the Times best seller.

[Carole Wilton]

So you've got to do better than Mark.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Well, I don't know. They're making.

[Carole Wilton]

There's the incentive and they've been.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

They've been. The film companies have been sort of. It's been a bidding war to make a feature movie of his book, but I don't put myself in that category.

[Carole Wilton]

Well, let's wait and see. Let's wait and see. So how do you like to design? Do you design at home? Do you design on the move?

[Anne Dexter Jones]

I don't. That's an interesting question because I don't actually create a collection each season because I like them to be. You can wear them forever. And sometimes I might change the stones in them. These started off in lapis and black, and then I went on to mother of pearl.

[Carole Wilton]

Do you write? Do you draw?

[Anne Dexter Jones]

I draw them, yes.

[Carole Wilton]

I draw them and then go with the artisans with the drawing.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

With the drawing.

[Carole Wilton]

And so do you have to be in a particular frame of mind or place to design?

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Well, no. I'm a little bit of a control freak on the designs and a little bit and picky that this star has to be. Exactly. I do smaller ones. I also do more dainty versions of these because not everybody. They may like the style, but they'd like to. Let's. Like, I'll do my double pearl earrings, but I'll also do A single that can balance it.

[Carole Wilton]

But are you at home?

[Anne Dexter Jones]

It could be anywhere. Could be at home, could be listening to music. I was at the zoo when I thought of the anaconda and I went, what a beautiful shaped head and what a great ring that would make.

[Carole Wilton]

Do you ever run them by Mick? Do you ever say, do you like this? And no. No, just do it.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

They might not. So I don't want to hear that. No. I just get ideas and it's just a continuing flow. I mean, some people can give me colours and stones. They can. I'd made this, I remember somebody wanted it. I hadn't made a smiley face and she wanted this with rose quartz and a smiley face or different things. And that's. I'm fine with that as long as they're happy.

[Carole Wilton]

But thank you so much for giving us a little sneak preview of it today.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Thank you.

[Carole Wilton]

And bringing your jewellery to show us.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

Thank you.

[Carole Wilton]

Thank you very much.

[Anne Dexter Jones]

That was wonderful. And you wasn't. It's such a pleasure. Good. Well, it's lovely to have you here. Thank you.

[Carole Wilton]

Thank you for listening. For this and other episodes of if Jules Could Talk, please go to our website, carolwalton.com I want to take this opportunity to wish you a very happy 2026 with lots more sparkling stories. So keep listening to the podcast. For more about our sponsors, that's leibish.com if you've enjoyed it, please share it any way you can. We love to have a rating and a comment. Join me again for the next jewelled nugget where we'll be visiting the Far east and one of the great designers of our time. So join me then and thanks for listening. Bye. Bye. If Jules Could Talk with Carol Woolton is produced by Natasha Cowan, Music and editing by Tim Thornton, Graphics by Scott Bentley, Illustration by Jordi Labander.