UK jewellers look with envy upon Birmingham’s centre for precious stones. 40% of the UK’s jewellery trade passes through the area of Hockley making it a great place to seek out quality jewels at the best prices in the country. It is not only a place to buy however, it is also a place to visit, particularly because of its historical importance. The Quarter was home to 30,000 workers at the peak of the industry in the early 1900s and while things have changed since then, there is still an unquenchable demand around the UK and the world for peerless diamonds as well as goldsmiths who can make the rings to match. This means that Birmingham is still the place to come for the best deals on diamonds and quality rings, particularly on the main thoroughfare of the Jewellery Quarter which is Vyse Street. Jewellers line this street with windows that glitter with diamonds beyond, while the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter seeks to add to the history and heritage of the entire area. There are modern as well as Victorian shops which give you an impression of the sediments of history being laid down as technological and fabrication processes improved alongside our ability to seek out the most flawless diamonds and metals. If you are looking for some history with your jewellery shops Birmingham can certainly provide.
Jewellery has many different aspects with metals ranging from bronze to platinum along with gemstones and golds. At the head of it all, however, is the diamond. A product of the Earth’s natural formation, diamond truly are something to behold. It gives our planet its uniqueness and is in many ways a symbolic testament to our home. While diamond can be formed anywhere in the universe through the same processes, on our planet it is comparatively rare. This really adds to why we behold this stone ahead of all others. It is the hardest natural substance, it was formed in the passionate inferno of the early Earth and it will last far longer than us. The aspect of continuity really adds to the family aspect, particularly since diamonds can be passed down and kept as family treasures. The diamond is the perfect companion and symbol for relationships, reliability and steadfastness.
Diamonds themselves are graded according to how perfect they are. Some have colourations which can add or subtract value, while some have flaws and others have relatively few. The unique measurable aspect of diamonds is their ability to use light, splitting it, reflecting it and twinkling it. Magnification is used by experts to peer into the diamond to see how many inclusions it has. An internally flawless diamond is incredibly rare and by extension, incredibly expensive, and as more and more inclusions crop up the price drops and the supply becomes more plentiful. This is why the more perfect diamonds should be kept hold of and cared for, particularly if they are sizable. If you have an interest in diamonds, then the Jewellery Quarter Birmingham is the place to come.