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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Sep- 2014 -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 theย Financial Times than a jewellery trade magazine, but there is just so much positiveย 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.ย 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 ยฃ70,900 grant
The Birmingham Assay Office (BAO) has received a grant of ยฃ70,900 from the Heritage Lottery Fund.ย 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 ยฃ100m barrier for the first time
The Company of Master Jewellers (CMJ) has reported sales of just under ยฃ113m, breaking through the ยฃ100m mark for the first time in its history.ย Unveiling the results at the groupโs annual general meeting in Birmingham, director Andrew Hirshman said group sales rose from ยฃ88.1m in 2012/13 to just shy…
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Jul- 2014 -25 JulyNews
Fairtrade silver launch for Weston Beamor at IJL
Birmingham casting house Weston Beamor has announced it will use International Jewellery London (IJL) as a launch pad for a new range of services using Fairtrade silver.ย The company was an early adopter of Fairtrade gold and is one of just five businesses in the UK to have โmaster licenseeโ…
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17 JulyEconomy
14ct gold surges 60% in June hallmarking figures
Rising hallmarking figures showed no signs of slowing in June with the four UK assay offices reporting a 60.1% rise in the number of 14ct articles hallmarked, and a 17.1% rise for gold overall, compared with June 2013. But whilst the total number of articles hallmarked across all categories rose…
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11 JulyNews
Deakin & Francis launches โ1786โ collection
Birmingham-based manufacturer Deakin & Francis is set to launch a new collection of cufflinks, signet rings and ID tags in celebration of its 228-year heritage.ย The new 1786 Collection features signet rings stamped with the classic Deakin & Francis skull & crossbones design and the significant date, โ1786โ. The skull…
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Jun- 2014 -27 JuneAppointments
Domino announces operations director to drive manufacturing
Precious jewellery manufacturer Domino has announced the appointment of Mark Thomas as its new operations director. Prior to joining Domino, Thomas worked at Emma Bridgewater, the Stoke-on-Trent ceramics company where he was head of manufacturing, a post which was the culmination of a 28-year career in and around the Potteries,…
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