Deemed one of the rarest metals in the world, Welsh gold is desired by generations of jewellery lovers around the world and yet there’s only one designer jewellery brand specialising in the material, Clogau. Clogau sources Welsh gold from the heather-clad hills of Wales right on their workshop’s doorstep and handcrafts it into beautiful pieces of Clogau jewellery, From stunning Welsh gold necklaces to bracelets, earrings, charms, rings and watches, Clogau never fail to amaze us with their exceptional handcrafted jewellery designs.
The History of Clogau
The story of Clogau first began in 1989, when a Welsh man named William Roberts rediscovered the disused and unworking St. David’s gold mine near Bontddu in North Wales. He decided to test his luck and reopen the mine to see if there was any Welsh gold still lying within. It wasn’t long before his risk was rewarded and after a few years of small-scale mining, Roberts discovered a significant amount of rare Welsh gold. In doing so, he decided to launch his first collection of jewellery which he placed under the Clogau name.
The first Clogau jewellery collection was presented in 1994 and consisted of just five rare pieces sold at gift shops near the St David’s gold mine. Since that day, the Clogau jewellery collections have continued to expand, and the brand has become one of the most famous jewellery names in the country. Today, Clogau remains a family run business in its second generation and continues to handcraft stunning Welsh gold jewellery inspired by the Welsh countryside, the country’s folklore and British royalty.
Welsh Gold & Royalty
The long established relationship between Welsh Gold and the British Royal family goes back even further than that of the Clogau jewellery brand. It first began in 1911 when Prince Edwards was invested as the Prince of Wales and the coronation regulation was created from Welsh Gold. Then in 1923, for the wedding of the Queen’s mother, Elizabeth Bowes Lyon and the future King George VI in 1923, a 24 carat gold wedding ring was made for the bride. This gold came from the Clogau St David Mine in North Wales and became the very first Welsh Gold wedding ring handmade for the Royal Family.
Since 1923, the precious metal has been used within several Royal family member’s wedding rings including the bands of Queen Elizabeth II in 1947, Princess Margaret in 1960, Princess Anne in 1973 and Diana, Princess of Wales in 1981. Due to the scarcity of Welsh gold, it was believed that Diana’s ring would be the last to be handmade from the metal. That was until the Royal British Legion donated a supply of Welsh gold in 1981 and Gwynfynydd mine gifted some Welsh Gold to the Queen for her 60th birthday. Since then, many other members of the Royal Family have been entrusted with Welsh Gold wedding bands including Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall and Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge.
C W Sellors is a proud official stockist of Clogau jewellery. You can shop their stunning collections of Welsh gold jewellery on our website and in our stores.
