Est. 1990
It all started in early 1990, when Jeremy France Jewellers relocated to the historical city of Winchester after a number of successful years in Kent.
Since then, what began as a small family-run shop, with Jeremy working at the bench as a goldsmith, has grown into a thriving independent business in the heart of the city.
Meet
Our luxury showroom in Winchester employs a team of talented individuals whose skills range from jewellery design to diamond grading, whilst our on-site, state-of-the-art workshop offers in-house jewellery repairs and handmade commissions, as well as an exclusive bespoke design service.
Jeremy France Jewellers has evolved into a widely respected, award-winning jewellery retailer with an international following.
These are the people at the heart of our family. You can meet our wider team here.
Jeremy took his retirement in 2018, confidently handing over the reins to his two children.
Harriet and Chris, who had each been working in the business for many years, graduated to managing the day-to-day running of the store and the workshop, and moving the company forward through new challenges while honouring their father’s legacy.
“From the very beginning, the business philosophy at Jeremy France Jewellers was to have superb customer service as its foundation. Jeremy France Jewellers will always offer a diverse selection of the finest jewellery, and will always strive to not only meet our customers’ expectations, but exceed them.”
Jeremy’s first-born child, Harriet, has fond memories of sitting with her father in his workshop, watching him transform rough pieces of metal into sparkling jewellery.
Realising as a teenager that her passion lay in understanding people and business management rather than practical bench work, she completed her BA (Hons) in Business and Management at Exeter University. Harriet began working at Jeremy France Jewellers as a Saturday girl at 15, and joined the company full time after a gap year ski season in Canada.
Harriet played a key role in the company’s move to new premises in 2013, helping to recruit additional staff as well as personally selecting the jewellery collections to showcase in their new store.
Harriet’s increasing role in managing the everyday workings of the company allowed Jeremy to reduce his hours, spending more time on his beloved skis, and eventually retiring.
Although a lot of Harriet’s time is spent in the office she enjoys being on the shop floor at the weekends, serving customers and gaining satisfaction from finding the perfect jewellery for each client.
Jeremy’s younger child Christopher has inherited his father’s passion for being at the bench. Fascinated with watching his father work, Chris began his time in the workshop at 16 years old before studying Jewellery and Goldsmithing at the University for the Creative Arts (UCA).
After university, Chris completed his apprenticeship at Jeremy France Jewellers and has been working in the company since 2010.
Like Jeremy before him, Chris prefers repairing and restoring jewellery to creating new manufactures. He finds great satisfaction in amazing customers with the transformation of something worn and un-wearable back into a stunning piece that looks as good as new.
Truly passionate about his work, Chris is always happy to explain the repair process to customers and showcase his skills.
On a frantic Thursday in December, we relocated our store from the iconic position ‘opposite the statue of the man on the horse’ to 32 High Street. Previously occupied by Blacks outdoor clothing, the building was in a state of disrepair. The store was transformed to a luxury space we enjoy today. Most original features inside the store were lost to time, but one that needed to be on show was the medieval staircase. Shown here are the stairs to the basement which are believed to date back to medieval times. They have now been showcased behind Perspex with lighting and can be seen any time in store.
We felt we needed to make our own stamp on the building, and set in place a stunning stained-glass window, commissioned by local artist Sophie Hacker, which shines down to the ground floor from the top floor of the building. The stained-glass plays homage to Vanessa Hanks, a dear colleague to whom we lost to mouth cancer in September 2013, just before the relocation. Knowing she sadly would never see the new premises, having worked for Jeremy for 12 years, the design reflects her love for St Catherines Hill, snowdrop flowers and her favourite colour purple.
Throughout our time in Winchester, we have been fortunate to have been recognised in so many ways. One of our proudest moments was being asked to create the millennium egg which is given out annually at the Winchester BID awards to an individual who stands out for their business excellence in Winchester. When it was made in 1999 it took 100 hours to engrave, and over 1,000 hours to make the piece which was valued at £20,000 at the time (although it’s current value is far higher).
We have also been privileged to make many gifts, commemorations and surprises for charities, celebrities and even notable royals over the decades. One we can show you is of a brooch commissioned by the local Gurkha’s for Joanna Lumley, to recognise the work she has done for Gurkha charities.
We are delighted that our efforts and passion for crafting fine jewellery has been rewarded over the years, as we have been recognised in more local and national awards than we can count. Jeremy’s proudest achievement was winning Winchester’s service excellence award in 2018 just before his retirement.
Visit us today!
You can visit the store during our opening hours either by walking, or by appointment.
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