We were very pround and excited this week to announce that we are part of the official 'Made in Great Britain' campaign. This not-for-profit organisation has designed a marque that lets consumers know that the item they are buying is manufactured in the UK.
All of us at Parisi Jewellery are passionate about the long jewellery heritage of Great Britain. We want to celebrate the years of design and craftsmanship that have delighted and enchanted jewellery lovers the world over.
We are committed to always design and manufacture our pieces on these shores.
Did you know that Parisi Jewellery is named after the tribe of people that inhabited the area directly north of the river Humber before the Roman invasion? You don't get much more British than that.
I think it's safe to say that all bench jewellers are fanatical about their tools. Usually collected over a lifetime they are liked trusted friends, reliable and familiar.
I recently bought a book on The Cheapside Hoard exhibition at the Museum of London, an unbelievable collection of precious jewels from the 17th century found under some floorboards!
What stunned me most, apart from the dazzling array of jewels, was an engraving by Étienne Delaune, showing the interior of a jeweller's workshop. The image is dated 1576.
So many of the tools that were in use then are still used today. On the left is an apprentice drawing wire through a draw plate to reduce the gauge, this is still done in the same manner today. All the files, the tongs, the triangular pegs attached to the benches, the skins to catch filings and errant metal clippings are all very familiar to the modern jeweller.
I love the fact that handcrafted jewellery is produced in the same way today as it was all those centuries ago. Men in tights not withstanding.
