A hidden gem: Jewellery store in Chester to reopen next week

Award-winning jewellery brand Lucy Quartermaine, located at The Old Coach House, Garden Lane, will be welcoming people through its doors to enjoy a boutique experience where they can relax, unwind and enjoy trying on luxury jewellery.

The roots of the business began when Lucy was just 11 years old, watching her grandmother, a self-taught silversmith.

She said: "Like many grandmothers in the 80s, she was a collector of buttons. She would always encourage me to create fun pieces of jewellery by threading these buttons and turning them into necklaces and bracelets."

From university, Lucy obtained a full-time job with a silversmith, who unfortunately was a bit of a bully and his criticisms left Lucy demotivated and wanting to leave the jewellery industry for good.

Lucy took a job in banking, but her heart was not in it.

However, when she fell pregnant, that became the turning point in her life, as it gave her the strength and courage to move away from the bank and realise her true potential.

She set to work creating a small workshop with a jewellers’ bench in her bedroom at home, and started to make all sorts of pieces of jewellery.

Lucy Quartermaine is a hidden gem of a store in Chester.

Exhibiting at local craft fair to sell some of her pieces at first, in 2007 Lucy began exhibiting at trade events which really helped the small business to get off the ground.

The retail orders started coming in steady at this point. By 2011, Lucy was juggling motherhood and work. Three children, but still running her business from home.

Fortunately, by 2013, Lucy's jewellery began to get noticed; by exhibiting at IJL in London that year and winning her first award for ‘Design and Originality’.

The marketing for the awards were huge and Lucy's brand name was plastered all over the entrance to the venue.

Lucy Quartermaine is a hidden gem of a store in Chester.

Shop owners started to notice and the orders were coming in thick and fast.

After this, Lucy's life was a successful blur, opening multiple doors around the UK and managing to obtain over 100 retailers in the UK.

Along with this Lucy won many huge awards which have been the accolades to her career.

She added: "My husband and I have purchased a beautiful establishment in the heart of Chester where we run our headquarters and also rent out commercial rooms to other like-minded individuals in the jewellery/arts department, we have been employing people to help me run my brand since 2013 and have slowly built up an amazing team."

Lucy opened the first ‘Lucy Quartermaine only’ retail store within Chester. Here, customers can browse the full collection.

The store also offers jewellery parties and bespoke consultations for individual customers who want something unique.

Lucy Quartermaine is a hidden gem of a store in Chester.

Her brand has gone from strength to strength over the last few years and she truly believes that her children have always been at the heart of it.

• For more information, visit https://www.lucyqdesigns.co.uk/boutique/ or follow @LucyQDesigns on Twitter.