Founder & Curator
Reuben Jay.
A lifelong collector of antique jewellery, and the person who hand-picks every piece in the collection.
A collector of shiny things.
Reuben has been a collector for as long as he can remember. It started with a childhood fascination with shiny things, and he never grew out of it.
To this day he collects antique watch-fob cogs and silver spoons, drawn to the same things he looks for in every piece he sells: good workmanship and plenty of character.
From the auction room to a collection of his own.
He spent over a decade working in antique jewellery, managing an antique & jewellery shop in North Devon, where he helped open a new premises and grow the business, and selling at auction through Christie’s and other leading houses.
He eventually left to start The Jaybird Collection, built from nothing but his own knowledge, and grew it quickly with an audience who share his eye for a special find.
It’s a collection, not a shop full of jewellery.
Reuben’s standard for every piece
Beyond the bench.
Reuben is an animal lover of every kind, especially parrots and budgies, and shares his days with a whippet named Wisdom.
He also trekked across the Sahara Desert to raise money for North Devon’s hospitals, completing a fire walk along the way.
See what he’s found.
Based in North Devon, UK.