We introduce you to five of Bath’s finest independent goldsmiths and jewellery designers and ask about their career journeys, how they got into the trade, as well as their specialist products and services.
Receiving a piece of jewellery rarely disappoints, especially when it’s a bespoke item from one of Bath’s independent goldsmiths. From diamond rings to vintage earrings, antiques to gold bracelets, the city’s experts have got plenty of unique pieces that make the perfect gift for loved ones.
During the winter months and the festive season Bath’s jewellers are preparing themselves for their busiest time of the year. You can expect plenty of locals and visitors from across the world to visit Bath’s goldsmiths in search of that special gift over the next couple of months. This is a true reflection of the fact that more and more people are searching for something unique or specially designed.
We gathered together some of the city’s most prominent goldsmiths and asked them how they got into the industry and what is the magic that keeps them at its forefront.
Mallory Jewellers
Mallory Jewellers, a cornerstone of Bath’s Bridge Street for over a century, continues to thrive as a family-owned business spanning five generations. Founded in 1898 by Edward Palmer Mallory, the jeweller is now led by Edward’s great, great, grand-daughter, Katie Vander Woerd, a qualified gemmologist who brings a deep understanding of precious stones and an eye for quality to her role as Managing Director.
Katie’s expertise allows her to personally hand-select the finest gemstones from across the globe, ensuring that Mallory’s collection is always distinguished by exceptional beauty and rarity. Her hands-on approach guarantees that every gemstone used in Mallory’s jewellery meets the highest standards of quality, a hallmark that has helped the business maintain its prestigious reputation for generations.
Mallory not only specialises in sourcing rare and fine gemstones but also in designing and creating bespoke pieces through its in-house jewellery workshop. Equipped with cutting-edge CAD technology, the workshop is home to Mallory’s exceptionally talented goldsmiths who bring clients visions to life with their meticulous craftsmanship.
Additionally, the company’s team of expert watchmakers offers top-tier in-house repairs for some of the most prestigious watch brands in the world, ensuring customers receive comprehensive service under one roof.
A central tenet of Mallory’s success is its unwavering commitment to exceptional customer service. Katie emphasises that each customer is treated with the same courteously way, whether they are purchasing a significant piece or seeking a minor repair. This dedication to creating a personalised and attentive experience, paired with Mallory’s unique ability to both create and repair fine jewellery, has cemented the jeweller’s status as a trusted destination for clients seeking both quality and expertise.
Customer satisfaction has always been central to the Mallory philosophy. Over the years, the business has evolved to meet the changing tastes and expectations of its clientele. The company has a long-standing connection to the historic city of Bath. In the early 19th century, many of Mallory’s customers were visitors to the city who came to take the spa waters and would often stay for extended periods. These visitors would make purchases that reflected their elegant, leisurely lifestyle.
As times have changed, Mallory has continued to adapt, ensuring that their offerings align with the aspirations of both long-time patrons and new visitors to the city. The company’s enduring legacy is reflected not only in its beautiful jewellery and watches but also in its unwavering dedication to quality and customer satisfaction.
Mallory
1 – 5 Bridge Street, Bath, BA2 4AP
Tel: 01225 788800
mallory-jewellers.com
Nigel Dando
With a Bath-based goldsmith for a father and having been brought up surrounded by second-hand silver, jewellery, vintage pieces and gorgeous antiques, it’s not surprising that Nigel Dando went into the jewellery business at a young age.
Upon becoming an apprentice at 16, Nigel was struck by the quality and style of jewellery dating from the early 20th century up to the 1950s. The classic shapes, cuts and quality of pieces from these decades caught Nigel’s eye, and he quickly made this his key area of interest and expertise that he has continued to this present day.
After gaining the National Goldsmiths Diploma, Nigel went on to study gemmology at the Sir John Cass College of Art in Whitechapel in his 20s. As he recalls, this gave him a significant insight into the trade of gemstones, understanding how they are created and used in handmade jewellery.
While his father was incredibly happy that his son had decided to go into the goldsmiths’ business, Nigel’s goldsmith training was rather different to what it was in his father’s day, where official qualifications weren’t as in demand. Instead, his father’s contemporaries relied heavily on their own knowledge and personal research into individual pieces. This is in stark contrast to the present day, as Nigel stresses, as if you want to get to the top of the goldsmiths’ ladder now, you need a whole host of qualifications under your belt.
After working in the family business for a number of years, Nigel established his shop on Pulteney Bridge in 2002. He sells an eclectic mix of new, pre-owned and vintage jewellery, much of which dates from 1920–1960, along with ranges of contemporary silver jewellery. Many are high-quality, one-off pieces that you won’t find anywhere else – he doesn’t stock any brands you would usually find on the high street. The shop’s stock changes almost weekly, with new and unusual items appearing all the time.
Nigel says: “I never know what is going to come through the door.” You get the sense that it is this not-knowing what rare pieces that might come into his shop that keeps Nigel on his toes. Sometimes he can have 10–20 customers a day asking for their pieces to be valued and purchased over the counter, demonstrating just how quickly his stock can change.
While he does buy and sell items from his shop, Nigel visits up to 10 antique fairs a year, both to scout out any rare products or to sell some of his items to the market.
Nigel also buys and sells gold and silver in any form or condition, and sells precious metals at competitive prices. Additionally, he is happy to offer free advice on selling items, insurance and valuations.
Nigel Dando
11 Pulteney Bridge, Bath, BA2 4AY
Tel: 01225 464013
nigeldando.co.uk
Nicholas Wylde
Nicholas Wylde celebrated 37 years in business this year, having started out in Bath in 1987 as a young man. Now the award-winning designer jeweller has branches in both Bath and Bristol and is one of the few jewellers in the world with their own registered and patented diamond cut – the exquisite Wylde Flower Diamond®.
After leaving school at 16, Nicholas worked in his father’s stationery shop in Birmingham, which was coincidentally placed in the jewellery quarter of the city. It was here he got to meet the local jewellers, who advised and influenced him to train as a jeweller. Nicholas went on to train as a jewellery designer and goldsmith at the prestigious Birmingham School of Jewellery.
He then moved to Bath and worked in a jewellers, where he developed his skills further, before opening his own shop, aged 24 which was managed by his sister Corrinda. They soon became so busy with orders that they had to move premises to Northumberland Place, where they have been based ever since. In 2010 Nicholas expanded the brand and opened another store and workshop in Clifton, Bristol, selling exclusive pieces.
Describing his business as a traditional family jewellers with a modern twist, Nicholas has always aimed to design and create jewellery that is not easily available on the market. This is why customers have continued to come back year after year from all over the country.
Nicholas has seen many changes in the industry over the years, with fashions coming and going. But some things never change, as he comments: “Diamonds have always been a girl’s best friend, especially our Wylde Flower Diamond®. It has more cut facets than any other brilliant cut diamond for a special sparkle you won’t find anywhere else in the world. It combines the beauty of both diamonds and flowers: how romantic is that?”
Nicholas’ true passion is colour and high-quality gemstones, cut in such a way to allow him to design unique and highly distinctive items of jewellery – keeping to his style of mixing classic lines with striking designs. This style is known worldwide as ‘the Wylde Effect’. This is well represented in Nicholas’ latest collections as well as the Wylde Flower Diamond pieces he is commended for.
In recent years Nicholas Wylde has continued to win several awards including Best Boutique Jeweller UK, Best Business Award and Best Marketing Campaign UK at the most prestigious award show in the industry.
Nicholas Wylde, 12 Northumberland Place, Bath, BA1 5AR
Tel: 01225 462826
nicholaswylde.com
Jody Cory
Jody Cory was born and raised in Bath and established her business here in the very heart of the city in 2001. Having spent her childhood rummaging through her mother’s jewellery box, Jody was always interested in jewellery and in the making process from the young age of 14; as Jody always says, “it’s fair to say that goldsmithing has been a life-long passion”.
Jody started taking evening classes in goldsmithing at Bath College when she was just 15 years old and was immediately enthralled, leading her to move to Manchester two years later to start training as a goldsmith professionally. It was here that Jody learnt a lot of what she now knows about the process of jewellery making and gemmology, using all of these skills to create the handmade and expertly crafted jewellery that is now sold at Jody Cory Goldsmiths in Abbey Churchyard.
“At Jody Cory Goldsmiths we work with precious and semi-precious gemstones and take all our inspiration from the organic features of life and nature around us. We offer a bespoke service to each of our customers, allowing them to take part in the whole process from beginning to end; designing, making and finalising each repair, remodel or new piece of jewellery. Each item of jewellery is personal and the journey is unique to each individual, this is why customers come back to us and choose us as their family jeweller.”
Jody highlights the oval pink sapphire and diamond cluster ring set in white gold as well as the rose cut and briolette diamond collections, which are very popular. They are each individually handmade and designed entirely by Jody and the team, so you won’t find anything similar anywhere else. Over the years, Jody has received commissions from a number of different actors and film stars, and has even made a handcrafted 18ct gold earpiece for a very well-known musician. “Despite the stories of famous people coming through the door, what we do here is always about the customer as an individual and this is extremely personal and confidential.” A story that has always stood out for Jody was when a father commissioned an eternal flame pendant for his daughter who was sadly suffering with a terminal illness. The pendant represented how his daughter would forever be with their family and that the memories they had made would always burn bright.
Jody Cory Goldsmiths offers a range of services including commissions, remodelling, repairs and valuations and Jody can give individual professional advice on quality, cut and clarity to those looking to purchase that special diamond piece.
Jody Cory Goldsmiths
9 Abbey Churchyard, Bath, BA1 1LY.
Tel: 01225 460072
jodycory.co.uk
The Gold & Platinum Studio
The Gold & Platinum Studio began life as ‘The Gold & Silver Studio’ in 1970 in Queen Street. Goldsmith Michael Parsons has owned the business since 1997, and he moved to Northumberland Place, re-naming the business in 2006. Michael trained at art college in jewellery design in the early 1980s. After graduating he started his first business.
Michael explains, “I got to know the owners of a local custom motorcycle publication, and they had a space in their premises in which I set up my first workshop. I was making contemporary pieces to sell in galleries, and biker jewellery for the magazine, which was run by Hells Angels at that time. It was an interesting contrast, and they were great to work with – rarely a dull moment, but grim reaper jewellery wasn’t really my thing.
“After a few years of travelling and working abroad, I came to visit Bath as my grandfather had moved here. I fell in love with the city after returning to the UK, particularly the surrounding countryside. I’m a keen walker and there is an abundance of beautiful footpaths nearby.
“When I first took over the business, it was a steep learning curve. Dealing with clients and handmaking to order was new to me. I immediately took to it after experiencing people’s reaction when I’d transformed someone’s old unwanted jewellery into something that they loved.
“I still do quite a bit of re-modelling work, but we are concentrating on making more one-off pieces to sell nowadays. It can be challenging timewise as they tend to sell rather quickly! The inspiration often comes from a particular gemstone. When I was studying gemmology, I went to Sri Lanka as it is well known for sapphires as well as being a fascinating country with the best people. It has become a regular trip to source gems. I’m a big fan of pastel colours and the variety of sapphires I find always make it an inspirational trip and gives me a perfect excuse to go back.
“At the moment we are creating more pieces using multi-coloured sapphires in contemporary designs.”
Gold and Platinum Studio, 19 Northumberland Place, Bath, BA1 5AR
Tel: 01225 462300
goldandplatinumstudio.co.uk