01335 216 004 Phones Open: 8:30am - 6:00pm
Cart Cart

The Crown in our Workshop Jewels

Jewellery & Watch News

With the heartbeat of our company held tightly in the creation and craftsmanship of our award-winning jewellery designs, we put the spotlight on the talented individuals in our workshop. 

For anyone, stepping into a jewellery boutique will, quite rightly, often be mesmerised by a cabinet full of sparkling designs, or even prior to any visit will be inquisitively drawn in-store as a result of some wonderful jewellery product images in glossy publications. What most people don’t see in the images is the talented work that goes into each one of our handcrafted British Jewellery designs. 

Both in our Ashbourne and Whitby workshops, our team of talented silversmiths, gemstone cutters and designers are what continue to drive the company forward. It was therefore no surprise that they were the first choice when our friends at Chatsworth wanted to recreate some of their chosen jewellery collections for a very special project that would later form part a major exhibit for Chatsworth House in 2017. 

Highlighting the fashion choices and instincts of the Devonshire family over the decades, one of the main features of the exhibition is the magnificent costume created for Louisa, Duchess of Devonshire, and worn in a lavish ball held at Devonshire House in 1897 to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. Forming part of the costume was a spectacular head piece which consisted of pearls, coloured gemstones and some very intricate metalwork settings. Working from just a solitary sepia photo of the design, our workshop was set with the task of recreating the piece, from sketching out the initial designs, through to sourcing all gemstones and pearls and handcrafting every piece of the detailed silver frame. Heading up a talented workshop team in the development of the piece Paul Barker commented: “It was a fabulous project to work on. There were so many design elements to overcome, many of which were from an aesthetic point view, but we found there were also many for practical purposes - such as how the pearls hung to give balance and weight when worn.” 

Reflecting on the final design, Paul said: “Working closely with the project team at Chatsworth, we were able to provide a very accurate recreation, which includes a wonderful piece of Derbyshire Blue John as one of the key features. We hope people will enjoy our finished creation.” 

Alongside the head piece, our workshop and design team have also been busy re-creating two additional diamond crowns and a special retail jewellery collection inspired by the Devonshire family. All of the features can be viewed first hand when the exhibition takes place at Chatsworth House in March 2017. 

Although not everyone will be requiring something so elaborate, our design and workshop team are available for any customer to come and talk to about their own unique designs. We are yet to face a challenge we can’t overcome. Whether it’s a unique wedding ring design, utilising a single gemstone or redesigning an old piece of jewellery, we can help create it. Should you have something special in mind, please contact Rebecca Sellors at rebeccas@cwsellors.com.

When not re-creating regal headwear, the craftsmen and women across our stone and metal workshops, who collectively have many years of experience within the company, are busy working on the designs and collections seen throughout our boutiques. From cutting and setting stones from just a few millimetres in size, to larger unique pieces that are crafted around their organic shapes. This is no ordinary jewellery production line. No other company in the UK has a skill base that combines the expertise of creating beautifully handcrafted jewellery designs, alongside the knowledge of worldwide gemstones and in particularly the British gemstones of Derbyshire Blue John and Whitby Jet.  

In celebration of the hard work our expert craftsmen put in on a daily basis, we will soon be opening up our workshop to customers, academics and anyone interested in British jewellery manufacturing. Visitors will be able to experience the skills which are being kept alive and developed for themselves. This level of interaction with the jewellery manufacturing industry is a rare and exciting experience, and is a huge driving force behind our Jewellery Design Centre of Excellence to be based at Carsington.

Should you have followed our progress so far, or would like to know more about the plans and development for our pioneering visitor attraction, you can visit our dedicated website at www.cwsellorscarsington.co.uk for up-to-date information.

WhatsApp