BRILLIANTEER
TALES FROM A JEWELLER
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14th September 2018
Welcome
I am not trendy. Never have been. I admire men who are. It's just not me though.
I picked a style many years ago that I felt comfortable with. White shirt. Blue jacket. Blue jeans or chinos. Brown shoes. I don't have to think about what to wear every day for work. My only interest when it comes to fashion is shoes. I like shoes. I wear red laces in my all shoes. If I had a 'thing', red laces would be my 'thing'.
This week I met Simon Bourne. Simon owns a company called the Hand Dyed Shoe Company. Simon creates super stylish bespoke shoes. You can personalise them with your preferred colour and style.
Speaking with Simon highlighted to me how important bespoke and unique products are. I think every girl deserves to know how special it feels to have a piece of jewellery made just for her. Every man should know how extraordinary it feels to present a unique piece of jewellery.
The bespoke route is not for everybody. But, those who venture down the path very rarely go back to accepting ordinary.
Enjoy,
Chris
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My All Time Favourites
I was looking for inspiration for a new design I am working on. I came across the Peacock Brooch made by Graff in 2013. Graff is my jewellery hero. He creates the best. He is so much better than anybody else it is embarrassing. He is like Federer, Messi, Schumacher and Ali rolled into one. In diamond heaven, Graff is God.
The centre of this piece is a 20.02ct fancy vivid blue diamond. This is madness. The diamond alone would be worth £50m. Graff then decides to create a brooch with it. A piece of jewellery virtually nobody wears anymore. He surrounds the blue with another 1304 diamonds, totalling over 100cts.
The guy is mad, deranged. He is also a genius. It is exceptional. Beyond any words I know. Or certainly feel comfortable writing.
The total value of the Peacock Brooch when it sold - $100m. I'd like to think the owner does her weekly shop at Waitrose wearing it.
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How My Inner Steven Seagal Saved The Day
People often ask me if I have had robberies or armed raids. Thankfully these things are very rare. Years ago, however I did have an incident where there was a snatch in my store.
It was a slow Thursday. It was hot. The door was pinned open. We didn't have aircon back then. I was upstairs doing paperwork. I heard the customer talking and glanced at the CCTV. He was a tall guy speaking to a female staff member. He pointed at something. She disappeared. He obviously wanted to view a piece of stock.
I went back to the admin.
The next thing I heard was screaming. 'He's snatched it, he's snatched it.'
I ran down stairs. I could see she wasn't hurt so I ran outside. I caught sight of him. 'Call the police' I shouted as, without really thinking, I pegged it out the door after him. I was 28 and fit. I was three years into pretty serious Muay Thai Boxing training. I felt confident and invincible. Like a superhero in my own action movie!
I chased him through the town. He had a decent head start on me. He took a risk crossing a busy road and nearly paid for it. I was catching him. He turned off the road on to a path that ran next to the canal. Nowhere to go now I thought. Idiot! I hoofed it down the steps to follow him.
I could sense he was starting to tire. We'd be going over 5 minutes at full pelt. I was perhaps only 50 yards behind him. I was shouting to him to stop. And he did. He stopped running. He turned around and faced me. He then started to run toward to me. That is also when I realised how big he was.
"Shit!"
It dawned on me that one of us was going to end up in the canal.
I channelled my inner Steven Seagal and tried to look as angry, moody and quietly aggressive as I could. It must have worked! He got around around 5 yards away and threw something at me. It was a couple of gold chains. The stuff he had snatched. He took off again along the canal.
Did I turn around with my loot and head back to the safety of my store?
No.
I picked up the chains and hoofed it after him.
It was then I heard the siren. A little further along the tow path was an exit and car park. I saw the police car, flashing lights, two coppers jumping out. The guy was between me and the coppers and must have thought I was the easier option, as he started back towards me. I was just wondering whether to try and hit him, tackle him or push him in the canal, when he tripped over his own feet and landed in a heap in front of me.
The police arrived and jumped on his back.
It worked out for me in all my youthful bravery. Looking back, it could have been a very different story. But, like the best stories, there was danger, suspense and a hero. An unlikely one, who for a few moments felt invincible and luckily got away with acting on impulse.
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DIAMOND & WATCH NEWS
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WATCH REVIEW - ROLEX GMT MASTER II
It is like the BBC showing re-runs of Dad's Army. You see it on the TV listings and think 'really, again?'. Then you stumble across it and think 'Jesus, this is good.'
Rolex discontinued the 'Pepsi' GMT in 2007. At the time it wasn't a particularly in-demand model. 10 years on and with a few tweaks, improvements to the Jubilee bracelet, and most importantly a ceramic bezel and Rolex re-launch the GMT II.
An immediate hit at the Basel launch event, pre-orders and sales have been spectacular. Well, as spectacular as Rolex will allow, given how few have actually been allocated to the dealers. Rolex again play a blinder by creating huge demand for a watch then telling everyone 'you can't have one'.
I've seen grey market versions of this watch for sale at £20k. Crazy for a watch that supposedly retails at £6800. Not that 99.9% of potential buyers will ever be able to buy one at the correct retail price. I keep telling everyone, there is only watch brand right now, and it is called Rolex.
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My Life and Jewellery
By Sarah
My kids are a source of constant amusement and exhaustion. Life is certainly never dull with three of them to ferry here there and everywhere, feed, clothe and entertain. I always imagined what it would be like to have kids. I pictured myself in floaty dresses with my hair tumbling gently in the breeze, three cherubic kids playing beautifully at my well-manicured feet.
It is nothing like that. I am less a Timotei advert and more of a referee.
Despite my kids being the constant irritant and stress in my life, they are of course, also my biggest achievement. They are the love of my life. They are my world.
Chris always laughs, as I am perhaps the worst advert for our business. I don't wear a lot of jewellery, I never have. I haven't worn earrings for over 20 years - I feel like a decorated Christmas tree in them - and I don't own a watch.
I love jewellery though. I love seeing the finished creations and seeing the different design features in each one and how Hubby has put so much thought into each client's piece. I love seeing our clients' faces when they see their finished piece of jewellery and how much it means to them.
I also love the few pieces of jewellery that I do wear. My engagement ring and wedding ring are precious to me. But, my favourite ring is my three-stone diamond ring. Presented to me by Hubby after the birth of our third and feistiest child, Mabel, in 2013. Beneath each diamond are set three small diamonds on each side. The middle diamond has blue diamonds set beneath it, the two outer diamonds have tiny pink diamonds set beneath. Each diamond represents each one of our children.
Mabel likes to guess which one of the outer diamonds is her. It is one of her favourite games. That and drawing the letter M under her bed. "It wasn't me!" she declared almost indignantly when I discovered the slightly wobbly M last week. She then started crying. I suppose I could have continued to scold, but I glanced at the ring on my right hand and instead told her that her M was very beautiful and wasn't she a clever girl writing so well. Just next time, darling, treasure of my loins, please practice your letters on paper.
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