My boyfriend and I picked up my engagement ring from Cathedral Jewellers, so it's a place that has some really nice memories for us both. But even if we weren't shopping for something so memorable, I doubt we would have forgotten our visit. It really is a wonderfully weird shop!
The window, covered with some rather unattractive bars, is stuffed with beautiful rings, weird and wonderful necklaces and, erm, war medals. All the jewellery appears to be secondhand, which is great if you want to bag a piece that's distinctive and has a bit of a story behind it. But it's not so good if you find something you love and discover it won't fit!
When we went in, the shop was almost ready to close. But the man who runs it still spoke to us for a huge amount of time, discussing the hallmark on my ring and where he thought it had come from. There's another man who works with him in there, although I think he deals mostly with the war medals. Between them, they seem to get an endless stream of entertaining visitors, from Del Boy types who want to sell some gold to collectors eager to chat about the latest medals that have come into stock. However, everyone is really friendly and interesting, which makes shopping here very entertaining!
I should also mention cost! Having spent the day in Manchester, trawling all the usual suspects (Beaverbrooks, Goldsmiths), it was really refreshing to find a place that not only had some really quirky pieces, but that also offered them at reasonable prices! As far as engagement rings go, mine didn't cost a huge amount. But I absolutely love it! read more