In 2023, Mark Lloyd Master Goldsmith entered the prestigious UK Jewellery Awards for the first time—and won Bespoke Jewellery Retailer of the Year.
It was a fiercely contested category, with 12 jewellery businesses from across the UK selected as finalists. For our independent jewellery shop in Hartlepool to receive this national recognition was an incredibly proud moment for the entire team and me.
Organised by Retail Jeweller, the UK Jewellery Awards are the country’s longest-running and most prestigious awards event for the jewellery and watch industry.
Now in its 31st year, the awards recognise excellence across the trade, including jewellery design, customer service, retail and supply. Each category is independently judged by a carefully selected panel of industry experts.
Winning means being recognised by people who understand the jewellery industry and the standards required to succeed within it. It allows a business to tell its customers and fellow professionals that it has been judged among the very best at what it does.
So, how did a jewellery shop in Hartlepool become a national award winner?
The story really began when a client booked an appointment and explained that she wanted us to create an exceptional and deeply personal piece of jewellery.
She entrusted us with a collection of extremely sentimental jewellery and allowed us to transform it into something completely new: the Bee Bangle.
We have previously shared the complete story of this remarkable commission, together with a video showing how it was designed and made.
The Bee Bangle was the kind of bespoke commission that does not come along very often. It required trust from the client, thoughtful design and a combination of traditional goldsmithing and modern technology.
The commission began with an in-depth conversation with the client. It was important to understand not only what she wanted us to make, but also the history and emotional significance of the jewellery she had entrusted to us.
I used that conversation to develop the design brief before working with the rest of the team to bring the idea to life.
Nick Crozier made a significant contribution to the design and production process using our CAD software and CNC engraving equipment. This modern technology worked alongside the traditional handmaking and goldsmithing techniques used at the bench.
The completed Bee Bangle was a perfect example of what bespoke jewellery can be. It was personal, technically challenging, visually striking and filled with meaning that could never be reproduced in a mass-manufactured piece.
My PR adviser, Carina Gama, encouraged me to enter it into the UK Jewellery Awards. I had never entered the awards before, but the Bee Bangle represented our bespoke service so completely that we decided to give it a try.
We successfully passed the first stage of the application, but the judging process involved much more than simply submitting photographs of a beautiful piece of jewellery.
A mystery shopper visited our Hartlepool shop to experience and assess our bespoke service from the perspective of a genuine customer. The process was examined from the initial enquiry and consultation through to the advice, design approach and overall standard of service provided.
This meant that the entire shop team became part of our awards entry—although none of us knew when the mystery shopper would visit or who they might be.
We have been creating bespoke jewellery and caring for our customers for many years, so we had confidence in our established process. We continued with our daily work, treated every customer as we normally would and eventually forgot that the mystery visit was even taking place.
The information from our application and the mystery-shopping assessment was reviewed by a knowledgeable panel of judges with extensive experience in the jewellery trade.
The judging process took several months. Eventually, we received the news that Mark Lloyd Master Goldsmith had been chosen as one of 12 national finalists in the Bespoke Jewellery Retailer category.
Simply reaching the final was a significant achievement. We were a small independent jewellery business from Hartlepool competing alongside respected retailers from across the country.
The next stop was London.
My wife, Michelle, and I travelled to the London Hilton Metropole for the UK Jewellery Awards ceremony.
For the occasion, I wore a blue tuxedo and had my hair styled by the wonderfully talented Eric Way. Whether I won or not, I was determined to stand out and appear in at least a few photographs from the evening.
My wife, Michelle, and I travelled to the London Hilton Metropole for the UK Jewellery Awards ceremony.
For the occasion, I wore a blue tuxedo and had my hair styled by the wonderfully talented Eric Way. Whether I won or not, I was determined to stand out and appear in at least a few photographs from the evening.
{Insert photograph of Mark and Michelle beside the neon sign}
When the Bespoke Jewellery Retailer category was announced, I began filming on my phone. I wanted to capture the moment for posterity- and perhaps create some useful content while I was there.
The names of the 12 finalists appeared. Then came the announcement we had hardly dared to expect:
Mark Lloyd Master Goldsmith had won Bespoke Jewellery Retailer of the Year 2023.
Standing on that stage and accepting a national award was an extraordinary moment. However, the award did not belong to me alone.
It recognised the skill, creativity and commitment of our entire team. It acknowledged the care we put into understanding our customers, the knowledge behind our advice and the craftsmanship involved in turning their ideas and sentimental jewellery into something new.
It also recognised the trust placed in us by the client who commissioned the Bee Bangle. Without her story, her jewellery and her willingness to let us create something truly distinctive, this journey may never have begun.
How did a small independent shop in Hartlepool win one of the jewellery industry’s most prestigious national awards?
We remained true to what we have always done: listening carefully, solving problems and using our experience to create meaningful jewellery that is individual to each customer.
The Bee Bangle demonstrated what can happen when a client’s story, traditional craftsmanship, modern technology and a talented team come together.
In 2023, that combination made Mark Lloyd Master Goldsmith the UK’s Bespoke Jewellery Retailer of the Year- and it remains one of the proudest achievements in our history.
If you have a collection of sentimental jewellery, inherited gold, or a special idea you would like to bring to life, I would love to help you create something truly unique. Every bespoke jewellery commission begins with a conversation, where we explore your ideas, the stories behind your existing pieces, and how they can be transformed into a handmade design that reflects your personal journey.
Based in Hartlepool and working with clients across the UK and internationally, I offer personal consultations to guide you through every stage of the process. Email me sales@marklloydjewellery.co.uk to discuss your ideas or book an appointment to begin creating your own one-of-a-kind piece of bespoke jewellery.
