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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Jun- 2016 -15 JuneEconomy
Gold continues to perform well as overall hallmarking figures fall in May
Gold jewellery continued to perform well in May as overall hallmarking figures fell 7.2% when compared with the same month last year. Hallmarking figures from the four UK assay offices – and compiled by the Assay Office Birmingham – found there was a total of 713,564 items hallmarked in May,…
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May- 2016 -31 MayTrade Organisations
NAJ plans ‘Made in Britain’ mark to boost jewellery sales
The National Association of Jewellers (NAJ) is considering plans to launch a ‘Made in Britain’ mark in a bid to drive jewellery sales. Hallmarking of gold and silver is currently undertaken by British assay offices which determine the metal content of the product rather than where the product was made.…
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31 MayQ&A Sessions
Company Q&A: Betts Metals
Following the company’s acquisition of Sutton Tools, we stopped by the company’s base in Birmingham and spoke to Rosannah Fellows, operations and marketing manager, to find out more. Give us a quick summary of Betts Metals’ history. Betts Metal Sales is a member of the Stephen Betts Group. The original family…
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16 MayEconomy
9-carat gold soars 15.8% as overall hallmarking figures fall
The number of 9-carat items hallmarked in April jumped 15.8%, despite an overall decline in hallmarking figures. The latest data from the four UK assay offices – compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office – found there was a total of 790,594 items hallmarked in April, compared with 810,831 in April…
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Apr- 2016 -18 AprilEconomy
9-carat rockets 16.4% in upbeat March hallmarking figures
The total number of hallmarked items grew 5.4% in March, boosted by an 8.2% jump in the number of gold articles. That’s according to the latest data from the four UK assay offices – compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office – which found there was a total of 740,976 articles…
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7 AprilUncategorized
Phillip Beale of Charles Green
Describe yourself in three words? Passionate, determined, loyal When you were at school, what did you want to be and why? Through my early years I wanted to be a country vet and then once I did work experience I realised I wanted to work in the jewellery industry in…
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7 AprilOpinion
SOAPBOX: The wisdom that comes with age versus the enthusiasm of youth
It’s funny how grandparents often have a better relationship with their teenage grandchildren than the parents, I think it’s mutual respect of the differences between generations, whereas we expect our parents to be as cool as us. We wish dad would dance and listen to Radio 1 not 2. So…
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Mar- 2016 -15 MarchEconomy
Hallmarking edges up in February as number of gold articles jump
The total number of hallmarked items rose by 0.8% in February, an increase of 5,970 articles compared with February 2015. That’s according to the latest figures released today by the four UK assay offices, and compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office, which found there was a total of 766,310 articles…
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1 MarchTrade Organisations
London Diamond Bourse launches new IIDGR window service
The London Diamond Bourse (LDB) today launched a new window service which will enable members diamonds to be sent to the IIDGR Lab in Maidenhead for grading or screening. LDB chief operating officer Victoria McKay said: “Our partnership with IIDGR, part of the De Beers Group of Companies, continues to…
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Feb- 2016 -18 FebruaryEconomy
Hallmarking down 9.1% in January
The total number of hallmarked items fell 9.1% in January, a decrease of 67,252 articles when compared with January 2015. That is according to latest figures released today by the four UK assay offices, and compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office, which found during the month there was a total…
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