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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Oct- 2014 -31 OctoberTrade Organisations
GALLERY: Photos released of Birmingham Assay Office under construction
The Birmingham Assay Office has released images of its new premises under the latest phase of construction. Almost two months have passed since the last batch of images revealed details of how the construction of the new building was progressing. The new site of Assay Office Birmingham is located within the St George’s development,…
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27 OctoberManufacturers
New trade-friendly website for Deakin & Francis
Birmingham jewellery manufacturer Deakin & Francis has launched a new website designed to be more accessibly to its wholesale customer base. The new site allows customers to log in to their trade accounts to place stock orders, and also orders for marketing supplies such as catalogues, promotional strut cards and product guarantee cards.…
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13 OctoberTrade Organisations
September hallmarking figures up 18%, 9ct gold continues to shine
Rising hallmarking figures showed no sign of abating in September, as the latest results compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office showed an overall rise of 18.2% across all precious metals, compared with September last year.The standout performer was, as has become the norm this year, gold, with 9ct rising 100,644 items to…
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Sep- 2014 -12 SeptemberTrade Organisations
New Birmingham Assay Office building starting to take shape
The construction of the new assay office building in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter is starting to take shape. The new site, located within the St George’s development in Icknield Street, now has its steel skeleton structure in place. Founded in 1773 by Matthew Boulton, a leading industrialist, the current Grade II…
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9 SeptemberEditor's Blog
Don’t argue with the data…just wait for your slice
It is beginning to feel more like a job as a leader-writer for the Financial Times than a jewellery trade magazine, but there is just so much positive news out there it cannot go without comment. Yesterday the Birmingham Assay Office release the all-office hallmarking figures, showing a year-on-year rise yet again,…
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8 SeptemberManufacturers
Upward hallmarking trajectory continues in August
The positive trend for UK hallmarking figures continued in August, according to the latest figures compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office. The total number of articles marked rose by 12.5% compared with August last year. Particularly strong performers were 9ct gold (which rose 10.2%) and silver (which rose 18.2%), which…
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Aug- 2014 -28 AugustNews
Retailers excluding 12 million disabled customers, says government
Thousands of high street businesses could be turning away the custom of one in five people, owing to the lack of accessibility for the disabled, according to new government figures. Latest figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show that households with a disabled person have a combined…
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20 AugustTrade Organisations
Birmingham Assay Office receives £70,900 grant
The Birmingham Assay Office (BAO) has received a grant of £70,900 from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The grant aims to help the Assay Office bring collections dating back to the 18th Century into the digital age. Collection articles include private silver, coin and metal collections that chronicle the changes in…
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13 AugustEconomy
July hallmarking rises 9.4%, gold carries poor performers
July 2014 showed a continued growth trajectory in gold hallmarking figures, with 9ct gold rising 28.1%, and 14ct and 18ct gold increasing 30% and 22.3%, compared with July 2013. But the figures, collated from the UK’s four major assay offices by the Birmingham Assay Office, showed a mixed picture for…
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4 AugustUncategorized
CMJ sales break £100m barrier for the first time
The Company of Master Jewellers (CMJ) has reported sales of just under £113m, breaking through the £100m mark for the first time in its history. Unveiling the results at the group’s annual general meeting in Birmingham, director Andrew Hirshman said group sales rose from £88.1m in 2012/13 to just shy…
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