Brooklinde: treasure trove of gold, silver and platinum in the High Street Arcade

Happy New Year!

Alright, we’re quite a way into the new year, but this is the first post on the blog of 2013 so I thought I’d get that out of the way. When I started this project almost two years ago, I didn’t think I’d still be going all this time later. I’ve got some great new posts coming up soon, so watch this space!

Now back to the business of this post. A couple of weeks before Christmas I was invited to photograph the great Brooklinde Jewellery shop in the High Street Arcade. I’m a bit of a shiny things magpie so I was keen to get down there and have a look. I’d also been told there was a workshop downstairs, and I’m always intrigued by what happens away from the shopfront.

Brooklinde was established in 2000 by Rob and Irene Linder, but it was Clare, one of the designers who works at the shop that I met when I photographed the store. It specialises in engagement and wedding rings, and in the shop you’ll find lots of unique designs as well as the work of others from outside the store.

On site there are three goldsmiths, Clare, Rob and Emma. You can see their own designs upstairs in the shop, but they’re also happy to sit down with you and design something bespoke, or remodeling existing jewellery.

Once I’d got past the desire to photograph every single piece of jewellery on display upstairs, I got my peek at the goings on in the workshop. I probably could have stayed there all day photographing – it’s a veritable cave of wonders for photographers like me who love all the tiny details. It’s a fully equipped workshop and allows the goldsmiths to do same-day repairs. There are lots of curios to look at, machines, pieces of gold, designs, things which I’ve no idea what they do.

Both Clare and Emma, one of the other designers who was in the shop when I visited, regularly sketch in front of customers to guide them through the design process with a specific budget in mind. They both specialise in bespoke shaped wedding rings to fit in with engagement rings.

I don’t think there’s much else to say, apart from take a look at the pictures – check out the huge selection of wedding rings, and, if you’re anything like me you’ll find the images from the downstairs workshop the most fascinating.

As always, any comments, thoughts, suggestions or questions are welcome in the box below.

P.S. Am I the only one that thinks that ring-stands look like tiny wizard hats?