Birmingham
Birmingham has a rich heritage as a centre for jewellery manufacturing and trade, with its historic Jewellery Quarter still home to hundreds of workshops and businesses. For UK jewellers, wholesalers, and suppliers, the city remains a vital hub for production, design, and distribution. Jewellery Focus covers Birminghamโs role in the industry, from updates on local businesses and manufacturing trends to insights into policy developments and events shaping the trade. Our reporting helps professionals understand the cityโs continuing influence on the UK jewellery sector.
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Jun- 2019 -7 JuneAnalysis
The changing face of jewellery retail
The world as we know it for jewellery is one of luxury, enticement and wonder – but the UK customer tends to prefer a very middle ground. With diamonds it’s nice and white, clean to the eye – G/H VS/SI – and for coloured gemstones it’s traditional, not too garish…
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May- 2019 -16 MayMetal Prices
Gold, silver and platinum up in April hallmarking
Both the number of gold and silver pieces hallmarked in April 2019 increased by 6.6% and 3.3% respectively, according to figures compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office. Gold hallmarked pieces increased from 299,542 to 319,410 and silver items increased from 335,827 to 346,798 during the month. Additionally, the average volume…
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8 MayManufacturer Files
Manufacturer files: W J Sutton
โW J Sutton was founded by William Josiah (W J) Sutton, who was the son of a jewellerโ, says Kenneth Sutton, W J Suttonโs great-grandson and director of the Birmingham-based jewellery manufacturer and wholesaler. โHe realised his passion for jewellery whilst studying for his metallurgy degree and so he followed…
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Apr- 2019 -26 AprilRetailers
Debenhams to close 22 stores with 1,200 jobs at risk
Department store chain, Debenhams has announced it is to close 22 stores putting 1,200 jobs at risk. The closures come as part of a revival plan for the department store laid out by lenders including Barclays and Bank of Ireland. Terry Duddy, Debenhams executive chairman, said: โDebenhams has a clear…
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16 AprilEconomy
Gold and platinum up in March hallmarking
Both the number of gold and platinum pieces hallmarked in March 2019 increased significantly by 4.5% and 19.1% respectively, according to figures compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office. The average volume of silver also grew by 1% from 321,910 to 325,093 however palladium decreased by 36.8%% to 3,458 hallmarked items.…
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15 AprilRetailers
Diamond Heaven opens fifth store
Bespoke Jewellers Diamond Heaven has opened its fifth store located at Cardiffโs St. Davidโs shopping centre. The jewellery brand already has existing showrooms in both Manchester and Londonโs Hatton Garden, as well as Birminghamโs Jewellery Quarter and Glasgow. Established in 2004, Diamond Heaven provides high end bespoke diamond jewellery including…
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Mar- 2019 -27 MarchDesigners
Domino signet ring sales โsurpass expectationsโ
Domino Jewellery has seen an increase in demand for its extended signet ring range, released as part of the Wedding Ring collection in January. The Birmingham manufacturer said it made a โconscious decisionโ to increase the number of signet rings available, driven by โacknowledged increased consumer demandโ from both men…
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14 MarchMetal Prices
Gold hallmarking drops 10.1% in February
Gold hallmarking fell by 10.1% in February 2019 compared with the same period the previous year, with overall volumes decreasing by 5.4% according to figures compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office. The number of gold pieces hallmarked decreased from 313,532 in February 2018 to 281,938 in 2019. Additionally, silver and…
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Feb- 2019 -19 FebruaryFeatures
Isabella Liu – Cracking the Chinese market
โI think that my situation allows me to be the bridge between the two culturesโ, explains Isabella Liu as she prepares to launch her latest collection in China having secured listings with retailers in Xian and Shanghai. Liu was born in Wuhan, China, but is currently based in London having…
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13 FebruaryEconomy
Gold and platinum up double-digits in January hallmarking
The number of gold and platinum pieces hallmarked in January 2019 increased significantly by 17.9% and 19.1% respectively, according to figures compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office. The average volume of silver also grew by 2.1% from 425,631 to 437,344, however ย palladium decreased by 31.4% to 4,481 hallmarked items. Overall…
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