There is a great deal to be said for tradition when it comes to buying fine jewellery. The gorgeous designs of the Edwardian and Victorian eras are just as beautiful today as they were centuries ago- in fact, there are many rings, bracelets, and brooches of gold and diamond jewellery from those decades still in circulation and if properly cared for they look just as beautiful as the day they were first worn. Then there’s art deco jewellery from the 1920s and 30s- many of those pieces look perfectly at home in a modern setting.
Birmingham Jewellery Quarter has been a centre of excellence for more than 200 years. A proposal has even been put forward to make it into a World Heritage Area, so high is the cultural and historical value placed on it. A short walk through the Quarter takes the visitor past beautiful old buildings and some of the finest and longest established gem and jewellery workshops in Britain, if not all of Europe.
However, the jewellery shops of the Quarter haven’t allowed the grass to grow under their feet. The area has survived because its craftspeople embraced the best that new technologies could offer without losing the old skills that make the difference between a good piece of jewellery and an outstanding one. The Jewellery Quarter is one place where it is possible to find cutting edge techniques working in harmony with traditional methods. The best of the old and the new are combined, and used to create some of the most spectacular jewellery you’ll find anywhere in the world.