Yes. We offer appointments for bespoke jewellery and our other specialist services. This gives us dedicated time with each customer, allowing us to understand their ideas and explain what we can achieve.
We promote appointments through our website, social media and occasional PR. Many new customers also discover us through personal recommendations. We even receive referrals from local chain jewellers that cannot offer an equivalent bespoke service.
Our website features many commissions created for previous clients, alongside a detailed explanation of my skills and how the bespoke process works. Photographs and videos help customers appreciate the craftsmanship involved and visualise what could be created for them.
Where appropriate, our product descriptions explain how an existing design can be personalised by changing its metal, gemstones or other details. A previous commission may inspire a customer to adapt one design or combine elements from several pieces.
In the shop, customers can browse lookbooks containing hundreds of pieces made in our onsite workshop over the years. These inspire and demonstrate the breadth of our experience.
I train my staff to talk confidently about the bespoke services we offer and to recognise when a customer may benefit from speaking directly with me.
As a small independent jeweller with an onsite goldsmith, this has always been one of our strongest advantages. Other jewellery shops may accept bespoke commissions, but their customers cannot necessarily speak directly to the person who will create the piece.
My staff understand that this personal connection is central to our service. It has helped distinguish us from our competitors and contributed to the continued growth of the business. When I opened, Hartlepool had nine jewellers; today, only three remain, including ourselves.
We are proud to have achieved five-star customer reviews on both Trustpilot and Google. Customers travel to our Hartlepool workshop from across the UK, and we have also worked with clients in the USA, Australia and other countries.
One American couple commissioned an engagement ring while living locally. They were so pleased with it that, after returning to the USA, they asked me to create their bespoke wedding ring as well.
Another client discovered me through Google, viewed examples of my work and arranged an appointment. Her son had died 15 years earlier, and she had kept his jewellery until she felt ready to do something meaningful with it. She needed to find someone she trusted before allowing those deeply sentimental pieces to be transformed.
I created a unique heirloom bangle using her son's gold and documented the process in a personal video diary: Watch the bespoke bee bangle story.
We are an independent family business with an onsite workshop. Customers can speak directly to the goldsmiths creating and working on their jewellery. They can also see workshop footage on large screens, including live close-up images from our video microscope.
This openness reassures customers. They know their jewellery remains on the premises, they can follow its progress, and they can speak to the people responsible for the work.
We have built our reputation through personal service, exceptional craftsmanship and trust. As a Fellow of the Institute of Professional Goldsmiths, I am recognised as a master of my craft. Customers come to us because they know their jewellery will be made with skill, individuality and care.
Our shop includes a dedicated seated consultation area overlooking the workshop. Large screens allow customers to see detailed workshop processes captured through a Leica video microscope.
We also provide:
Our professional filming equipment allows us to produce a video diary for particularly meaningful commissions.
For the bee bangle, it was important to show the client that her own gold was being melted, rolled and fabricated. Her diamonds were incorporated into the honeycomb, while her "MUM" ring and two white-gold bracelet links were carefully preserved within the design. Those links were all that remained of a bracelet her late son had given her.
These details might mean very little to an outsider, but they meant everything to our client. That is what truly personal bespoke jewellery is about.
Yes. Our workshop is onsite, so customers can visit, see work in progress and speak directly with the goldsmiths working on their jewellery.
Every bespoke commission begins by listening. We take time to understand the client, their ideas and what the jewellery means to them. We can work from sketches, photographs, existing jewellery or simply the beginnings of an idea.
Silver samples may be produced to ensure our interpretation matches the client's vision. We can also email three-dimensional images and rendered videos for approval before proceeding. Customers are welcome to visit the shop and follow the progress of their commission.
Occasionally, clients become physically involved in the making process. Even something as simple as placing a few hammer marks into their own gold can add enormous personal significance.
The bespoke journey is collaborative. Some ideas take time to develop, but regular communication helps us explore the possibilities and reach the right conclusion together.
I work with silver, platinum, palladium and gold in their various colours and carats. I specialise in precious metals rather than non-precious alternatives.
We can supply an extensive range of gemstones, including diamonds, sapphires, rubies, emeralds and tanzanites. If a customer requests a particular gemstone, colour or cut, I can source it or arrange for it to be specially cut.
Reputable British companies supply our gemstones, and the stone cutters we work with are based in the UK.
The process usually begins with a personal consultation. We discuss what the customer hopes to achieve and gather as much information as possible.
Some clients arrive with a clear idea; others know only that they want to preserve or transform something meaningful. We take time to understand their style, preferences, dislikes, budget and intended timescale.
Many clients wish to reuse their own gold or gemstones. The bee bangle is an excellent example. It took approximately a year to progress from the first consultation to the completed piece, but the timescale was less important than achieving the right result.
Once we have agreed on the direction, we prepare a plan and begin only after receiving the customer's approval. Silver samples, sketches and three-dimensional images may be provided to ensure the finished piece reflects their expectations.
Customer reviews and direct feedback help us evaluate the service we provide and identify opportunities to improve it further.
A bespoke jeweller needs substantial practical experience to understand what is technically possible and explain the available options clearly.
Staff can be trained to introduce and promote the service. Still, there will inevitably come a point when a client needs to speak directly to an experienced goldsmith who understands how jewellery is designed, constructed, altered and repaired.
In my experience, discerning bespoke clients want direct contact with the person responsible for their commission. They want to speak to the same person when making decisions, resolving challenges and receiving the finished piece.
Guiding each client personally from the initial conversation to the completed jewellery has been the single most important factor in growing my bespoke service year after year.
We use Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube to share posts, Reels, Stories and videos. We also respond promptly to enquiries received through social media, Messenger and email.
Each platform works differently. Facebook is particularly useful for reaching local customers. Instagram places our work before an international audience, although standing out can be difficult. TikTok can attract large audiences, but its users often respond most strongly to entertaining or unusual content.
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.
