Aside from being part of today’s insatiable celebrity culture, there is something else that unites Ellie Goulding, Fearne Cotton, Calum Best and Vogue Williams.

All have been pictured wearing charm necklaces designed by Katie Mullally, whose emerging jewellery business is producing trinkets being gobbled up by fashion lovers in Japan, China and the US.

“They are British made and have a heaviness to them,” said the mother-of-two, who designs the pieces from her home in Tunbridge Wells, where she has lived for 20 years.

“There is a quality to them and that is why customers come back and buy more. Customers are buying a piece and it feels different.

"A lot of customers say they wear it all the time and because they are charms they can stack them up.”

Although she began her eponymous business four and a half years ago, her passion for jewellery began as a teenager working in her grandmother’s antiques shop in St Christopher’s Place in Mayfair and working the Old Grays antiques market in nearby South Molton Street.

It gave her an understanding of the value of hallmarks, which was crucial after the “eureka moment” for her business came on a silversmithing course at the Adult Education Centre in Tunbridge Wells.

She said: “I came at the business from a different angle to a lot of jewellery designers. The first thing I learned was the value of hallmarks.

"When my granny got some jewellery she would check the hallmark to determine the maker and the date.

“Hallmarking may not be important to a lot of people but I think it is an added bonus for the customer because in years to come, hopefully the KMM hallmark [designed specifically for her products] will have some value to it.”

Although she designs all her pieces, Mrs Mullally outsources the manufacturing to silversmiths in Birmingham, a process which she says has helped her keep a lid on costs.

“It is very hard for any business to do everything,” she said. “I outsource everything. That way, if there is work to be done, I can outsource it, but if there is no work then I am not paying someone.

“I tend to work with people who are starting out themselves because you get a lot of value out of them..." - Katie Mullally

“So I’m always working on the business rather than in the business.

“Also, precious metal isn’t cheap so I have to be careful but the great thing about it is if a design doesn’t work, it can be melted down and made into another product. It is not like clothing where you are stuck with stock if it doesn’t sell.”

The firm has begun exporting with the help of UK Trade & Investments (UKTI) and the UK Fashion and Textiles Association (UKFT), with exports making up about 15% of the business.

However, Mrs Tullally, who grew up in Bromley, puts much of her success down to a well-managed PR operation run by Take Two, based in London.

“It is down to my brilliant PR girls who I hired early on in the business,” she said. “There are a lot of jewellery brands out there so for a small business it is hard to stand out.

“A good PR agency is really important. It has been one of my largest outgoings but I would recommend a small business working with a small PR agency.

“I tend to work with people who are starting out themselves because you get a lot of value out of them. If I went to a big agency I would get lost and pay a fortune. At a small firm, they are working on their business and it is mutually beneficial.”