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 Birmingham’s 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 city’s continuing influence on the UK jewellery sector.
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Mar- 2019 -27 MarchDesigners
Domino signet ring sales ‘surpass expectations’
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 “conscious decision” to increase the number of signet rings available, driven by “acknowledged increased consumer demand” 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
“I think that my situation allows me to be the bridge between the two cultures”, 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 palladium decreased by 31.4% to 4,481 hallmarked items. Overall…
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Jan- 2019 -28 JanuaryAuctions
‘Historic’ Australian brooch auctioned for almost £10,000
A rare, colonial Australian brooch has been sold for just under £10,000 at Fellows Auctioneers in Birmingham last week (24 January 2019). According to the group, pieces with “aboriginal detail” are infrequently offered for sale at auction, and the item depicts an emu and kangaroo amongst native flora – a…
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14 JanuaryMetal Prices
Platinum up 9.4% in December; Overall 2018 results revealed
Platinum hallmarking increased by 9.4% in December 2018, compared with the same period the previous year, despite overall volumes decreasing by 2.1% according to figures compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office. The number of gold pieces hallmarked decreased from 322,033 in December 2017 to 312,281 in 2018. Silver and palladium…
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11 JanuaryAuctions
Fellows to auction watches from the Queen’s goldsmith
Watches belonging to Stuart Devlin, a gold and silversmiths who held a royal warrant to supply gold and jewels to the Queen, are due to go under the hammer at Fellows in Birmingham on 24 and 29 January. A diamond watch by Jaeger LeCoultre and a gentleman’s 18ct white gold…
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Dec- 2018 -18 DecemberManufacturers
Gold drops 2.8% in November hallmarking
Gold hallmarking fell by 2.8% in November 2018 compared with the same period the previous year, this is despite overall volumes increasing by 1.8% according to figures compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office. The number of gold pieces hallmarked decreased from 492,537 in November 2017 to 478, 589 in 2018.…
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Nov- 2018 -28 NovemberUncategorized
Three-Minute Interview: Paul Platnauer
Describe yourself in three words? Integrity, drive and passion. When you were at school, what did you want to be and why? I always planned on going into the family business when I left school making me the third generation of R Platnauer Ltd, over 25 years ago, and to…
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23 NovemberFeatures
A hallmark of the future
Changes in the market have driven the Birmingham Assay Office to invest heavily in the technology to apply hallmarks by laser during the past decade. Laser marking is now an established method for applying statutory hallmarks but its potential as a way to differentiate and add value to products is…
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