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- 2018 -27 MarchEconomy
Surprise 12% jump in gold hallmarking in February
The number of gold jewellery articles hallmarked in February this year was up by 12% compared with the 2017, according to figures compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office. The high-value category saw numbers increase from 280,283 to 313,532, an increase of over 33,000 articles, providing a boon for the jewellery…
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Feb- 2018 -19 FebruaryEconomy
Hallmarking figures increase by 13% for January 2018
Hallmarking rose by an average of 13% in January 2018 compared with the same period the previous year, according to figures compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office. The average volume of silver pieces hallmarked rose considerably by 29% to 425,631 compared with 330,067 the previous year. Palladium on the other…
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16 FebruaryDesigners
Goldsmiths partners with TAG Heuer for one of a kind design
Luxury high street jeweller Goldsmiths has joined forces with Swiss watch brand TAG Heuer to design a unique watch limited to only 250 units. The ‘Exclusive for Goldsmiths’ TAG Heuer Aquaracer will go on on sale at £1,900, and the design is a product of the first exclusive collaboration between…
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9 FebruaryEditor's Blog
A fond farewell to Patrick and Vivian Fuller
This month brought the news that WB The Creative Jewellery Group, which owns Domino, Gecko and Weston Beamor, has been sold to the Heimerle + Meule Group by owners Patrick and Vivian Fuller. I have met Patrick many times since becoming editor of Jewellery Focus and what always struck me…
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Jan- 2018 -26 JanuaryDesigners
Weston Beamor shortlists three students for design competition award
Weston Beamor has announced the names of three students from Birmingham City University who have been shortlisted in its annual Live Project design competition. The shortlisted students were Hayley Jones, Lorna McNaught and Kai-Blu Triass. The brief was to design a wedding and engagement ring set in fairtrade gold for…
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25 JanuaryAppointments
Anchorcert appoints new sales director
AnchorCert Group, including Assay Office Birmingham, has appointed new Steve Hamon as its new sales director. Hamon, who was officially appointed in December, has more than 17 years experience as a senior sales and business development professional, including more than four years leading the UK and Eire Product Division for…
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17 JanuaryEconomy
Hallmarking figures drop by 7.4% for December
Hallmarking fell by an average of 7.4% in December 2017 compared to the same period in the previous year, according to figures compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office. The average volume of gold hallmarked in December fell by 6.9% to 322,033 compared with 346,082 the previous year. Silver fell by…
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3 JanuaryDesigners
V by Laura Vann launches first temporary store in London
V by Laura Vann has launched its first temporary store in Shoreditch to promote its brand. The store will be used as a both a premises from which to sell and as a showroom for press and buyers during London Fashion Week, and is the result of regular exposure at…
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Dec- 2017 -22 DecemberNews
Men from Liverpool ‘most generous’ jewellery gift-givers
Men from Liverpool are spend more on jewellery gifts than men in any other part of the UK, according to a new survey. A poll of 28,000 customers of online jewellery marketplace Jewelstreet found that Liverpudlian lads spend an average of £330.20 on a jewellery gift. Men from London came…
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22 DecemberEconomy
Hallmarking figures drop by 11% in November
The volume of jewellery hallmarked by the four UK assay offices fell by an average of 11% in November compared with the same period the previous year, according to figures compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office. The average volume of gold pieces hallmarked fell by 12.1% to 492,537 compared with…
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