About Us Page

Where to start.

Well I suppose at the beginning would be Ok.

I (Barrie) was born in West London in Aug 1962. I had a pretty standard upbringing, both parents working, school career average, exams average except for Art and Metalwork which I loved.

I then started my working life in 1978 as a trainee in a pretty normal, manufacturing workshop in London's Hatton Garden, noisy, dusty but great fun. Being an apprentice was not all I expected, although I quickly learnt how to make a good cup of tea (no tea bags here), sweep floors & get the sandwiches. Oh HAPPY DAYS !

My working life started in the polishing shop and over the next year or so, I must have polished thousands of items of Jewellery. Then one day I was allowed to sit at the bench. My first job, making jump rings. Sounds silly but it teaches you how to cut properly.

I then learnt how to solder, cast, turn, basic setting, metal carving, model making and of course I still polished occasionally. I set up my own little bench at home in 1981 and in 1982 I started working for a couple of the local retailers in Greenford. Within a couple of years I had regular work from all of the main retail Jewellers and about 200 regular customers.

In 1985 I moved on to the retail side of the trade with the Jewellers Guild, working in Sutton as the in-house repairer. I learnt about retail life here, as well as having a great laugh with some wonderful people. In 1988 the Jewellers Guild closed and I went off in a different direction.

Jackie started out working for a local Jeweller in Hounslow, then progressed to working for Ratners. She worked her way up to Manager and then left to work for the Jewellers Guild. After being made redundant from there, she worked at Heathrow in retail for the next couple of years.

Jackie and I got married in 1990 and with two kids and a mortgage to pay, I left the Jewellery trade behind.

I did the odd repair job. After moving to Luton I decided to get back into the one job that always makes me happy. So I made some pieces, put them on eBay with some packaging and sold them. I then started a simple web site and things went from there.

Well now as to the Future.

We decided to move house again, to fulfil a dream that we both had of running our own shop. During the planning of this I made a couple of pendants and some fan stuff connected with the Discworld. I had been a fan for ages but had never thought about Jewellery.

Well to say I have had a roller coaster ride over the last year would be putting it mildly. We now have our shop, Which Jackie runs of course. I still work full time as well as doing the web site, making Jewellery, paperwork and of course getting in the way sometimes in the shop.

I am now the Licensed Discworld Jeweller, we spend happy times with our new friends at gatherings in Wincanton.

Not only that but we are now living in Northampton as well