Regimental jeweller salutes 50 years of trading

Jeweller Steve Bickerton with Keith Stanley, operations director for the JQDT and JQ BID.

A jeweller who has made pieces for the Queen and Princess Diana is celebrating 50 years of trading.

Bickerton Jewellery, based in Vyse Street, is a family-run business that specialises in handmade jewellery, bespoke items made to customer’s own specification and, more recently, regimental and family crest jewellery.

While there are many jewellers in the Quarter, owner Steve Bickerton says the key to their success is making quality products, providing a personal customer service and adapting to changes in the market.

He said: “We have hundreds of loyal customers who enjoy the experience of coming in to the shop, browsing through the items on sale and then coming up with a design of their own based on what we have to offer. Customers can talk face to face with the craftsman who will be making their jewellery and even watch him in the workshop.”

It’s this quality level of service that secured Bickerton the honourable job of making pieces that were presented to the Queen and the late Princess of Wales.

The company has since built a thriving business with regimental jewellery, making pieces for more than 80 regiments, including ladies brooches, seal style signet rings, cufflinks and tie stickpins.

Steve added: “We realised many years ago that the regimental jewellery that was available to our forces was of a very poor quality and expensive. As manufacturing jewellers, we are able to offer high quality pieces at a competitive price. Also, as with all of our jewellery, we can adapt a design to accommodate precious stones to personalise individual pieces, a service which members of the Armed Forces value.”

Keith Stanley, operations director for the Jewellery Quarter Development Trust (JQDT) and Jewellery Quarter BID (JQ BID), said: “In the current economic climate, businesses need to constantly adapt their products and services to ensure they are giving customers what they want. Bickerton Jewellery is a perfect example of how a business spotted a gap in the market that allows them to use traditional craftsmanship skills in a modern world. I hope their business continues to thrive for many years to come.”

The company has recently started to expand its regimental seal style signet rings to include family crest rings. To view Bickerton Jewellery’s wide range of regimental pieces, please visit www.bickertonjewellery.com.