Jewellery UK online shops and jewellery made in UK including England, Scotland and Wales

The rise of the virtual High Street

Over the last 20 years we have witnessed our high streets and out of town shopping complexes being taken over and totally dominated by the large retail chains, whilst small independents have been crushed and driven out, unable to afford shop space, business rates or be able to compete with the price fixing of the retail giants.

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More valuable than 18ct gold jewellery? - and the struggle for our designers to survive the UK's economic climate.

Love2Have Ltd Responds to the State of Home-Grown Designers Struggling to Survive the U.K.s Economic Climate.

Never before has the UK jewellery industry faced such challenging times having faced a glut of cheap imported jewellery for decades and now with the onset of a predicted recession for 2008 and the rise in gold prices it really is time to start promoting the UK home grown industries more heavily. We are constantly reminded of these facts from the BBC and ITV news on an almost daily basis reporting on the struggling economy and the collapse of the housing markets.

Why is it that most of of our talented home grown jewellery designers are finding themselves struggling to make a success of their businesses and is it right that we just stand by and do nothing to support these wonderful creative people?

Britains’ got talent? Well of course Britains’ got talent and I’m not just talking about our popstars, actors and entertainers but also those from our design lead industries and in particular the jewellery trade. But what is it really like these days to be a young fresh jewellery designer just having left jewellery school or a reasonably established one for that matter?

Should the UK consumer be concerned about these issues? Why should we care in this day of imported mass produced goods that is virtually available in an instant? Its not yet a crime to be English, Scottish, Welsh or Irish but to buy British is becoming increasingly more and more difficult as a our home grown goods are squeezed from the shelves in our high streets. As a nation we are not readily offered the choice to buy British goods and therefore we are manipulated by the large retail companies to blindly support the system of mass foreign imports. This obviously affects all our designers very hard and many simply give up trading due to the lack of support and help from companies that in all reality could change this very unfair consumer driven retail industry.

There are however small glimmers of hope if you were to look a little harder. Websites supporting local talent do exist but again are not always easy to find due to the struggle between our retail giants and the limitless number cheap websites selling low cost imported goods.

“We are increasingly receiving more and more compliments from our customers buying from us who are concerned over the fact that the UK shopper is limited to the same high street designs with with no individual choice whatsoever.” say Love2Have Ltd., a UK based website who solely and passionately believe in selling jewellery made here in the UK by UK based designers. “Our customers understand that they may have to pay a little extra for something unique or individually handcrafted but it is the high quality that counts.”

“We simply need to support these designers before the industry disappears altogether. It would be a tragedy to lose such an important part of the British identity that is so much part of the UKs heritage that dates back to the time of the Celts. We have experienced ourselves a demise in the number of jewellers that can readily promote themselves successfully due to the cost of trade show exhibitions that once again do too little to really help our talent by charging exorbitant prices for exhibition space and jousting them against large multinational companies in the same arenas. This obviously affects all our designers very hard and many simply give up.

Love2Have Ltd truly believe in supporting our home grown creative talent so to find out more why not give their website a visit at www.love2have.co.uk and help keep our jewellery industry thriving by buying your jewellery from UK based designers. You will find a range of UK made jewellery for both men and women including wedding rings, engagement rings, diamond rings as well as huge range of necklaces, bracelets, cufflinks and earrings.

Why should we support our jewellers and small independent designers here in the UK?

Recent statistics released suggest we are far more likely to buy on the internet than our European or even American cousins. The irony though is that although the UK is benefiting from an internet sales boom our UK manufacturers continue to struggle. Many industries in the UK have suffered as a result of cheap imported foreign goods and as a result of the strength of the pound against other currencies.

On this page we will be featuring ideas and projects that we are directly involved in to help support our designers. Every year we attend the specialist jewellery shows around the country looking for new and innovative designers. The biggest of these is the IJL (International Jewellery Show) in London but there are many others too including the Spring Fair at the NEC and the Harrogate Craft Fair.

Why not support some of our local home grown talent? Here in the UK we have many talented, skilled independent jewellery designers who struggle to make a living. These people handcraft all types of jewellery from all types of materials including precious metals and gemstones and many pieces will be unique. Most designers are happy to produce one off commissions at very reasonable prices enabling you to own a beautiful piece of UK made designer jewellery.

The Blush Pink Ball

Surrey Events ltd will be hosting a none profit making, formal event entitled The Blush Pink Ball, which will be held on November 18th 2006. They will be hosting this event in order to raise money for Breast Cancer Research charity. They will be raising money by holding an auction of prizes and all proceeds raised from this auction will be  donated to Breast Cancer Research.

We have been asked to donate a piece of one off jewellery to the event so asked one of our designers Lora Leedham to come up with something special. Lora agreed and has come up with a beautiful individual design for a necklace and earring set that reflects the style and class of the evening. Below is an image of the jewellery.

This necklace and earrings set is handcrafted from solid sterling silver with the addition of handmade Venetian glass to add a dash of pink and cultured salt water pearls which are quite rare.

Lora was recently invited to Buckingham Palace to deliver a necklace which she created for Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. This was to commemorate the 30th Birthday of the Prince’s Trust, and she wore it at The Tower of London Concert. It was fantastic to see The Duchess wearing something she had created and she has also made a piece of jewellery for the News Presenter, Suzanne Virdee.

Lora finds the fashion side of jewellery more interesting and the style of jewellery is much more fun. She tries to add colour and textures by using unusual gemstones and fabrics such as Organza ribbons. These give a very feminine feel to the jewellery. Lora is now selling in Mayfair, but would love to get into catwalk jewellery, which would allow her to create bigger, bolder pieces of jewellery, more like Haute Couture.

You can see more of Lora's jewellery on this website by clicking here.

Children's Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS)

CHAS is one of Scotland’s favourite charities and provides miracles on a daily basis. It helps children and their families face the challenges that having a life-limiting illness brings. In order to raise some much needed funds for CHAS, Gail McGrane (BBC Scotland’s Weather presenter) approached us as she is organising a glittering charity evening.

The CHAS Rocking Horse Fundraising Ball & Auction will be there first official charity ball to be held in the West of Scotland, celebrating Robin House Children’s Hospice reaching it’s first birthday. It will take place on 30 September 2006 at The Thistle Hotel Glasgow, with 500 of Scotland’s leading business people attending and GMTV's Lorraine Kelly acting as hostess.

Once again we will providing a unique peice of jewellery design by Lora Leedham. Lora will be creating an ornate matching necklace and earrings set combining silks, gemstones, glass and silver - in her own words:-

"The silk is very rich and I think the colours will be really striking. I will use a really good selection of gemstones and glass with it too. The colours have been inspired by peacock feather colours, so the base is aubergine and the gemstones will be rich blues with greens and browns."

After the event we recieved this lovely email from Gail:-

Dear Jayne,

I would like to take this opportunity to formaly thank you for your wonderful generosity and contribution to the auction at the Rocking Horse Ball on 30 September 2006 at the Thistle Hotel, Glasgow.   It is very much appreciated and aided greatly in raising lots of money for CHAS.  I hope you are as thrilled as I am that the jewellery set raised a fantastic 250.

The night was a great success, and although a final figure has yet to be reached, the evening raised in excess of 30,000.  This far exceeds all expectations and as such I am over the moon.

Many thanks for supporting CHAS and the Rocking Horse Ball.

Yours sincerely
Mrs Gail McGrane

The Diamond Yacht Club Jewellery Forum and Supporting the UK Jewellery Industry

The Diamond Yacht Club Jewellery Forum explores different ways of how the UK jewellery industry can be re-vitalised. We have some of the best designers in the world in this country and quality products and services to boot. All of them provide an excellent service for our customers and it is due to this excellent service that customers repeat order with us. Please click on the banner below.

Email from the The Melissa Cosgrove Children's Foundation which we supported

I love your work and thought i would just drop you a line, my name is tracy cosgrove, scotswoman of the year 2003-4, entrepreneur of the year 2005.

I gave up my job as an international hotel interior designer in 2003-4 to push the charity I started further, I work with trafficked children, HIV AIDS, street kids and orphans in Thailand and Burma - due to the fact for 20 years I have designed in Asia, At 33 I was left with 2 small children when my husband was killed in an RTA my kids are now 15 & 17 and wonderful.

I am looking for your help, I am having our 1st Charity Ball in Edinburgh on November 2nd, Heather Small from M People and Iestyne Edwards comedian are performing FOC, I am looking for an Auction Prize from you I know you must get lots of request but I am hoping you can help.

We are a very small charity yet manage to build 2 homes or schools a year and look after 3,500 children with no paid employees.

best regards

Tracy
www.mccf.uk.com