#Jewellers in croydon

[itsrattysworld]

Without Prejudice Mervelee Myers Decriminalisation Colonisation In Reverse Name HMCTS CPS CJS Judges Freer Hildebrand Martin Simler Kernaghan Booth Jones Doyle Shanks Dight Parfitt Bell Sterlini Zimmel Rand Hayes Naidoo Pigram County Court Clerkenwell Shoreditch Croydon Magistrates Court IOPC JCIO BSB SRA CCMCC MOPAC HMPPS CLCC DBS Party To Miscarriages Of Justice Made Me A Criminal Need ERT Cover LEYF UEL MIC Abusers At HOC Nursery After Mum's Death With Dementia Social Media Cyberbullying Criminals Harvest Intellectual Property Images Copyright CPPDP Deny Access To Accounts Violent Nuisance Brother Spent 60th Birthday Intensive Care Other Died Cancer Had High Blood Pressure Posted Online Need Support At Tessa Jewel Husband Diabetes Test He Will Be Sent Home To Die Am Due At CCCS 4/4 25/7/24 At Diane Abbott Hackney Town Centre Let Black Women Rise Up Like Nanny Of The Maroon Warrior Queens Who Refuse To Accept Men's Hate Crimes As Why Did Labour Party Expell DA For Her Truths Am No Violent Nuisance Rev Rose Hudson - Wilkin Can Organise Women's Group For Us To Be Recognised UK Government Must Compensate Me For 31 Years Discrimination Based On My Contributions To British Values As Extremist Name

Without Prejudice Mervelee Myers Shed Light On Diane Abbott’s Story Relevant To Transition of 101-Year-Old Arnold Ebenezer Tomlinson Roles Of Judiciary Of England Wales Criminal Justice System Crown Prosecution Service In The Systemic Discrimination Miscarriages Of Justice Cover Richard Harty June O’Sullivan MIC Drag Queen Storytellers Abusers At HOC Nursery 2010 Equality Act Protected…

[jeweldevelopments]

Do you need a reputable drafting service in Croydon? Whether you are remodelling, constructing a new home, adding an addition, or making other improvements to your property, Jewel Developments' expert staff can assure a smooth and stress-free process. Our staff will collaborate closely with you to accomplish your objectives within the constraints of your schedule and financial budget.

[jenni3penny]

Hey, I've just seen one of your recent posts and that's so sweet 🥺💕 I'm sure we can be pals! Why not?

Btw, how did you discover Fate? Did you watch the cartoon it's based on?

Awwww, heyooo! Welcome back! 😄

I was a little bit older than the target audience at the time but not by too much, so I was definitely familiar. Didn’t watch it consistently, though.

I did peripherally get the hots for Eve Best while living in south London ages ago. My girlfriend worked at a jeweler in Chelsea, I worked at bars in Brighton & Croydon. She made considerably more than I did and treated me (a literature scholar) with trips to the Globe. Then, admittedly, life happened (we broke up, I moved back to New York) and I spaced out on Eve until recently re-discovering her in Winx & HotD. ❤️🥰

[modernistestates]

London Open House 2021 Highlights

What with Covid, a couple of Septembers spent travelling researching books, a year giving a tour for Tokyo bike and another year opening my own house for London Open House, it's been ages since I actually visited anything myself. This year the festival is bigger than ever, and goes beyond just the weekend with a whole nine days of tours and events.

I've trawled the programme and picked out a few of my highlights

Saturday 11 September Blackheath Quaker Meeting House Architect: Trevor Dannatt A new one to me! Small 1970s concrete Grade II listed building with a raised lantern. Designed to fit in with older buildings in the conservation , and make the most of the split-level site. Book here 

Cheeky plug, if you're in Blackheath, why not do my Blackheath Walking Guide to modernist houses—available here).

Sunday 12 September Central Hill Estate Architect: Rosemary Stjernstedt It's been at least 8 years since I visited Central Hill. There were rumours of it being demolished back then, but now it's really under threat. I've no idea (well I do) why Lambeth doesn't value its post-war housing schemes more. Central Hill was designed by Rosemary Stjernstedt for Lambeth Borough in 1963. The tree-lined housing estate on the ridge of Central Hill & Crystal Palace, incorporating open spaces, views over London, gardens and a sense of community. It's definitely worth a visit. Book tickets here for a lunchtime walk here 

Saturday 11 and 12 Sunday September Cressingham Gardens Architect: Ted Hollamby Another Lambeth scheme, and another also earmarked for redevelopment, is Ted Hollamby's wonderful Cressingham Gardens. Low-rise high-density estate located next to Brockwell Park. Innovative design with pioneering architectural elements & echoing natural topography. Under threat of demolition by Lambeth council. Tours provided of estate and rotunda.

Events, including walks of the estate and an exhibition, run Saturday and Sunday next weekend. Register here

Saturday 4 September Page High Estate Architect: Dry Halasz Dixon Partnership The what estate? I've not heard of it. It was designed by Dry Halasz Dixon Partnership in 1975. According to the website: Page High is a hidden jewel of post-war London social housing, a 92-home rooftop village in Wood Green. High above the hue and cry of the High Road, Page High (Good Design in Housing award, 1976) is a model for social housing today. The walk is today, and there's only capacity for 10 so we may be too late for this now, but I'm putting it on the list for exploring on another day. More details here Image via the Page High Estate residents association.

Saturday 4 and Saturday 11 September South Norwood Library Architect: Hugh Lea Also under threat of demolition (a bit of a theme here eh?) is the South Norwood Library. The purpose-built library is a fine example of brutalist architecture. Designed by Hugh Lea, Borough Architect for Croydon, in 1968 the main volume shows Miesian influence with an abundance of natural light, interrupted by a concrete cuboid. Open for visits this Saturday and next. Register here

Sunday 5 September Walter Segal Self-build Houses Architect: Walter Segal There's a good book out about Walter Segal which I must buy: Walter Segal Self-built Architect by Alice Grahame and John McKean published by Lund Humphries. Walters Way is a close of 13 self-built houses. Each is unique, built using a method developed by Walter Segal, who led the project in the 1980s. Houses have been extended and renovated. Sustainable features including solar electric, water & space heating. There are several events running on Sunday 5 September. More details here

Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 September Fitzroy Park Allotments If you've done my Fitzroy Park walk, you would have past the allotments, which are ordinally locked and not open to the public. Next weekend is an opportunity to the largest allotment site in the borough of Camden at approximately 3.5 acres. The lower part of the site was acquired by local government after the first world war as a result of requests by local people for the provision of secure growing space. Fitzroy Park Allotments – one of North London's best-kept bucolic secrets – is located on the south-west slopes of Highgate West Hill, alongside the much-cherished and well-known public open space of Hampstead Heath. Register here

(Image by Jim Osley)

[itsbestsiteseverlove-blog]

Buy and sell Jewellery and Watches at Albone Jewellers. We are a family run Jewellers in South London. We buy gold, diamond jewellery & top brand watches!

[onlinebusinessreviewsblog]

Support flows in for Colliers Wood crochet art group

Online Business Reviews

Hundreds of residents have encouraged a yarn group to "crack on with their colourful displays" after they received an anonymous letter asking them to be removed from the streets of Merton.

Penny Bettel, of Spin us a yarn, has been filling Colliers Wood with her bright crochet art since November 2020.

Spin us a yarn creates everything from post box toppers to crochet tree decorations - with some creations being dedicated to charities.

The yarn group, which now has over 70 Facebook members, has been praised for making people smile throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

Spin us a yarn outside Colliers Wood Underground Station

With some people branding the group and their crafts as a 'life-saver' for their mental health.

Between families, adults isolating alone and passers-by, the joyful decorations seemed to be a hit with the "majority" of Merton.

But on Tuesday ( May 18), Penny was left "astounded" after she received a letter through her door which called for the group's work to be removed.

The person who wrote the letter acknowledged that Penny "clearly has a talent" but says that it is not fair to "force" the displays on people.

The letter read: "I write on behalf of a growing number of residents in the Colliers Wood area that have the same feeling.

"It has come to our attention that you are the person who has been decorating the trees etc with crochet blankets and animals, jewels, plastic decorations etc.

You very clearly have a super talent in your craft however many people would prefer to view the trees as well as other areas in their natural state.

"Have you considered putting your talent to really good use by making items that can be donated to charities that would welcome blankets, toys etc?

"Its with a heavy heart that we ask that you might please consider removing many of these items from the local area."

The letter has since been shared far and wide on Facebook, with hundreds of comments in support of the crochet art.

Penny is fundraising for a Cerelbral Palsy charity in name of her young neighbour who lives with the condition

One Colliers Wood resident responded: "Penny. I was very low when you & my husband decorated my tree.

"I've looked at that tree for over a year dreaming of the day I could go out without fear.

"I've had both jabs but I am still frightened to leave my house.

"My little owls brighten my day each time I look at them. You provided me with some relief."

Speaking about the letter, Penny said: "I felt deflated and even a bit dirty when I received the anonymous letter yesterday. It came through the mail and the water stamp was from Croydon.

"Of course we have our own opinions, but this person was too scared to put a name to the letter.

"They obviously don’t know me very well, as they suggested that the groups time should be spent on charity.

"We are creating items right now for Jumble trail which will occur in September, and any money raised will go to local charity.

"I can’t forgive this person, as they have hurt a group of wonderful people who helped each other throughout lockdown.

"I have got over it as much as I can, and feel so blessed by the majority of the wonderful Colliers Wood Community!"

Penny is well known in Colliers Wood for her community organisation work, Christmas decorations and chocolates for school children and more.

She originally started to plant flowers and hang baskets in the Park Road area around 10-years-ago, which led to plants being sponsored by a local business.

Together with other residents she organised the Colliers Wood street party which has been running for around five years.

Speaking about her latest venture, she said: "I was chatting to a couple of friends who were depressed and bored and they said that they would like to join in.

"We gained a lot of interest and decided that it was time to start creating our toppers.

"I have had lovely feedback from our members who say that the group saved their mental health and boredom during lockdown.

"Also we have made some lovely new friends with similar interests.

"I can’t thank the community and of course the members of the incredibly talented members of Spin us a yarn (Colliers Wood) for their support on what has been a bit of an unpleasant experience [ with the letter].

"We are currently working on another topper for near the bus garage and have been commissioned for creations on the new wine bar based at Merton Abbey Mills and St Helier Hospital Maternity wing."

We at Online Business Reviews provide useful tips and resources on online marketing processes, strategies, tools and much more that would be helpful to any online marketer.

https://onlinebusinessreviewsblog.blogspot.com/2021/05/support-flows-in-for-colliers-wood.html

[rockthecotswolds]

Please help to #RaiseTheBar

Kevan Blackadder, Cheltenham BID Director, urges us to sign a petition to help save businesses we love that are at risk of closing due to COVID-19

UK High Streets are on the brink of collapse as the eight-week countdown to the next quarterly rent instalment begins today, according to the #RaiseTheBar campaign.

#RaiseTheBar (https://raisethebarcampaign.com/) is a national lobbying campaign led by Croydon BID with supportive partners including: Cheltenham BID, BID Foundation, British BIDs, Association of Town and City Management, UK Hospitality, Beer and Pub Association and Night Time Industries Association.  

For those who may not know, a BID is a business-led and business-funded body set up to improve a defined area, with the money raised being spent on a range of projects. Cheltenham BID has pledged to deliver improvements in five key areas: marketing and promotion, town centre events, parking and accessibility, business support and public realm improvements. 

Figures just released show 54,638 businesses from pubs to shops, restaurants, cafes, bars, hotels, galleries and gyms are currently unable to access the £25,000 Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant (RHLG) due to their business rates valuation falling between £51,000 - £150,000.

In the Cheltenham BID zone alone, there are 149 businesses missing out on the grants because of their rateable value being above £51,000. 

Plans for a £617m discretionary fund announced by Government on May 2 do not go far enough according to industry bodies, associations and business owners across the UK, with no guarantees local authorities will issue relief.

The Government has made clear that this fund is for specific purposes, none of which support businesses with a rateable value between £51,000 to £150,000. The #RaiseTheBar campaign estimates

The #RaiseTheBar campaign believes access to the £25,000 is the difference between survival and bankruptcy for some businesses on High Streets across England and Wales, which have welcomed an outpouring of support from the public during lockdown choosing to support their local communities.

The grant will enable businesses to mitigate significant stock losses and cashflow challenges, including rent, that wage subsidies do not address. Many businesses are not in a position to take on further debt or have serious misgivings about being able to survive the recovery and service loans. Other cash pressures include suppliers, service charges and the cost of re-opening to repurchase stock and ongoing running costs.

Cheltenham has businesses as diverse as independent jewellers, theatres, cafes, pubs and restaurants and fashion retailers in Cheltenham in desperate need of this money. Action is needed from the Government now.

Claire Alexander, owner of award-winning The Ebrington Arms in Chipping Campden (photo above) and The Killingworth Castle in Woodstock, said to us: “We were utterly floored when the announcement to save hospitality turned out to mean next to nothing for us because we pay too much in business rates. 9,000 pubs like ours are currently left out and the face of the British pub will change forever if it not extended.   

We are the main employer in our villages, responsible for the wages of 47 families but we stand to lose everything as we have been abandoned by the grant scheme and its arbitrary cut off point as our business rates are £75,000 and £72,000. The Government has effectively said my business, my staff and the best pubs in the UK aren’t worth saving.”

Matthew Sims, CEO, Croydon BID and co-founder of #RaiseTheBar campaign said: “Access to the RHLG grant is a ticking time bomb for tens of thousands of businesses on our High Streets and in our local communities. There are just eight weeks until rent is due and the prospect of going under is an uncomfortable truth the Government needs to hear and act upon now. The consequences of failing to increase the business rates threshold are to grim to bear.”

So please help save our local high streets and its thousands of businesses that we want to visit once lockdown is over by signing here

Kevan Blackadder – Cheltenham BID Director

Kevan heads the Cheltenham BID team and was previously Cheltenham’s Town Centre Manager.

He was editor of the Gloucestershire Echo from 2008 until 2014, after being assistant editor of the Bristol Post. He started his career as a reporter on his home-town newspaper, the Whitehaven News in Cumbria.

He is a trustee of Gloucestershire Crimestoppers and sits on the board of the Cheltenham West End Partnership.

email: kevan@cheltenhambid.co.uk

web: www.cheltenhambid.co.uk

soc-media: www.facebook.com/CheltenhamBID

soc-media: www.twitter.com/KevanBlackadder @kevanblackadder

[suevincent]

A few days after the Jewel in the Claw, a Silent Eye workshop back in 2018, I was lucky enough to have a visit from the queen. Not, I hasten to add, the one who currently wears the crown, but from my friend who had played Elizabeth I at the workshop, along with the gentlemen who had embodied the characters of ‘Sir Walter Raleigh’ and ‘ Dr Dee’.

As we are all stuck inside at the moment, and as I took them to visit the big house in the village, I thought it would be a good moment to re-share our visit to Waddesdon Manor, the improbable  French chateau that graces my little village.

The Manor was built in the last half of the nineteenth century by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild, as a place to entertain his guests and to house his art collection. On his death in 1957, James de Rothschild bequeathed the house and its contents to the National Trust, but it remains managed by the charitable Rothschild Foundation.

The house is set in a beautiful garden that combines the natural with the sculpted, but within the fairytale walls, there is art beyond imagining, from the innumerable clocks of every style and material, from inlaid ebony to the fantastical elephant automaton, to the porcelain, sculpture and art. There is not one thing within the house that is not, in its own way, both exquisite in its artistry or workmanship, and redolent with history.

There are carpets from Versailles, pearl handled rifles, Meissen, and whole rooms devoted to Sèvres porcelain, each piece hand painted with different flowers and birds.

There are more paintings by Reynolds than you are ever likely to see in one place, as well as pieces so famous that your jaw drops to find they live in your village and are your neighbours… like Boucher’s Madame de Pompadour, hung, with either romance or humour, above a bust of her lover, Louis XV of France.

There are staterooms, dining rooms, billiard rooms and every other conceivable type of room, all open to the public and fairly oozing opulence. It is not a home, it is a gallery and yet, there is something about the place that speaks of love and care.

After the death of its builder, Baron Ferdinand, the Manor passed to his sister, Alice, who added to the art collection and cherished the house as a memorial to her brother. When Alice died in 1922, the Manor passed to her nephew, James, who further added to the collection and later bequeathed it to the National Trust.

It was never a place designed to hold a family and only ever housed children during the war years, when pre-school children from Croydon, south of London, were evacuated to the Manor to escape the Blitz. James and his wife, Dorothy, also offered the sanctuary of the Manor to a group of Jewish boys from Germany.

The Rothschild family continue to play a philanthropic part in the life of the village and the Manor is the largest local employer. The Home Farm is still worked, the land managed and a new facility to house, educate and showcase modern art was built on the estate a few years ago.

The house has seen many illustrious visitors over the years. Some, like Queen Victoria, were guests. She was fascinated by the newly installed electric lighting and commemorated her visit with the gift of a portrait bust of herself that still sits on a side table.

Others have included members of high society, politics and royalty and, more recently, stars of music, stage and screen. The Manor has been used as a filming location for everything from the  O’Connell’s home in The Mummy III to Downton Abbey, Howard’s Way and even one of the Carry On films, to mention but a few.

Today it is still a place where art and culture flourish, with regular exhibitions, theatrical productions and modern art installations in the grounds, where, as a villager, I get to wander for free to my heart’s content.

With all the splendour and fantastic, priceless art that make this such a rich resource on my doorstep, I would never have been able to choose one favourite thing…until this visit, and that was a very human moment.

Our ‘Dr Dee’ had once been known, at the Renaissance Faire, for his embodiment of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, and a lifelong love of Queen Elizabeth I. To our surprise and delight, the most iconic portrait of the sixteenth century knight hung on the wall beside that of his queen. To see my friend stand gazing face to face across the centuries, was a beautiful thing and a moment I shall not soon forget.

And that, I think, was the lesson I took from the day… that amid all the magnificence, it is only the human stories that matter. It is the smile of the Pompadour who captivated a king, the hand of the potter who shaped a curious bear jug, the attention of the porcelain painter whose birds are themselves flights of imagination, the love of a sister who preserved the house for her brother’s memory and the quiet, untold stories of the men, women and children who have walked these gracious halls throughout the years.

From the villagers who volunteer as guides, to the housekeepers and gardeners who maintain the Manor… from the visitors who have gasped in awe or decried the obscenity of ostentation, to the stage fright of actors and the satisfaction of artists creating art from light and flowers… every object, every painting, every breath and footstep tells a human story, if we look beyond its surface. And there, I believe, lies the true beauty of this place.

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A right royal visit… A few days after the Jewel in the Claw, a Silent Eye workshop back in 2018, I was lucky enough to have a visit from the queen.

[foreverbeautycollection-blog]

UK Online Cosmetics, Beauty, Beauty Products, Pet, Pet Shop Near Me, Cosmetics Uk, Skincare Uk, Haircare Uk, Treatment oils, Men's Care Uk, Kids Care Uk, Forever Aloe Vera Products Uk, London, Makeup products like Face, Eyes, Lips, Nails, Makeup sets, Fragrance, Victoria's Accessories, Shimmer Mists, Hollister Bags Uk online, Bags & Handbags, Ladies Handbags, Bucket Bags, American Jewel, Victoria's Secret, Zara, Puppies, Kittens, Clipper / Trimmer, Hair Clipper, Hair Trimmer, Beard Trimmer, forever beauty collection.

[getnowz]

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A budding fashionista even at four I would capture the little lizards and latch them still living onto my earlobes as earrings. Most girls wouldn't touch them I thought they completed the outfit. . . . . . . #beautyfashion #fashionforever #jewelrywholesaler #necklaces #jewel #earrings #bangles #accessoriesoftheday #body_jewelry #earringslovers #vintagewatches #fashionista #pendantsets #jewelrydesigner #onlineshopping #earringsonline #cavalosbrasil #fimoart #polymerclayearrings #ireland #البدرون_العاصمي #czwaistbelt #pasofino #croydon #mattefinish #kundannecklace #earringdesign #jewellerydesign #newjewelry #instoreapp (at Nigeria) https://www.instagram.com/p/CTypE11jM7E/?utm_medium=tumblr

[fashiontrendin-blog]

Why Every Stylish Wrist Deserves A Swiss Watch

http://fashion-trendin.com/why-every-stylish-wrist-deserves-a-swiss-watch/

Why Every Stylish Wrist Deserves A Swiss Watch

You’ve noticed the cheesy Patek Philippe ads, gazed at your boss’ Rolex during meetings, maybe even threatened to get your grandfather’s pocket watch repaired one day… and now you’ve saved a bit of cash, it’s time to bite the bullet and invest in your very own Swiss timepiece.

That last particular word is probably one of many reasons why it’s taken this long – do you really want to be the sort of man who calls his watch a ‘timepiece’? Or, even worse, a ‘chronometer’? It’s true, the watch world can be a rather snobby, anorak-clad institution, whose idiosyncrasies you might forgive if it wasn’t for the astronomical cost of joining this particular club. Even supercars manage to retain an everyman appeal (although, to be fair, there aren’t many teenagers’ bedroom walls pinned with Breitling posters).

The good news, if you’re seriously thinking about doing it, is that a decent Swiss watch is generally worth its price tag – crafted just as exactingly as a Ferrari, by artisans whose skills are generally limited to the valleys of the Swiss Jura mountains. But still, why wear one at all, when the precise time is displayed everywhere in our ‘always on’ digital age?

“There’s an element of status and style symbolism, for sure,” says ex-watchmaker and store manager Sandy Madhvani of David M Robinson jewellers, “much like that Porsche that rarely creeps over 20mph in town. But wearing any sort of watch, Swiss or not, is rarely about telling the time these days – instead, it is an investment into something sentimental and eternal…

“It’s no wonder more and more women are buying engagement watches for their new fiancés, in return for their ring.”

Greg E. Mathieson Sr./REX/Shutterstock

Madhvani’s notion of eternity isn’t so far-fetched. Just a little TLC will mean your mechanical wristwatch can tick forever – its timeworn technology is totally safe from obsolescence, unlike that shiny new smartwatch.

“With brands like Patek Philippe and Rolex,” he continues, “your watch could potentially accrue in value, even. In terms of mechanical objects, only a fully restored vintage Ferrari is capable of that. In terms of cost per wear, there’s simply no comparison – unless you can honestly name an item of clothing or pair of shoes that you’ve worn every day for years, which still looks and functions just as well?”

So Why Switzerland?

A mechanical movement is a beguiling thing to behold as well as listen to, ticking away at 28,800 vibrations per hour. Its hundred-odd tiny parts are all machined laboriously and precisely from steel or brass, polished to varying degrees of shimmer and shine, then hand-assembled by one of the world’s most skilled workforces in light-drenched mountaintop ateliers. A joyous anachronism in this digital world, with prices that can stretch to the equivalent of a three-bed Croydon semi (try Googling ‘Greubel Forsey’).

But while the underlying mechanical principles of mainsprings, gear-trains and ticking balance-wheel escapements were more-or-less shared around the world (and still are), the Swiss managed to mark themselves out from London, New York or Paris’s artisans. How? Division of labour.

It was down to the genius of goldsmith Daniel Jeanrichard (1665-1741), who devised a system called établissage in the Jura mountains. This cottage industry (chalet industry?) saw the closely guarded knowledge of a few watchmakers spread to independent workshops, each one with its own specialism. The system survives to this day.

In fact, many of the workshops dotting the valleys of the Jura were run by the local dairy farmers who, come the harsh, isolating winter snow, would round up their livestock and turn to their home workshops. Making wheels of cheese with cows turned into making wheels of metal with lathes.

REX/Shutterstock

“From the 1740s to the early 1800s,” explains Michel Golay, who runs Audemars Piguet’s watchmaking museum in Le Brassus, “the farmers-turned-watchmakers in the Jura walked to Geneva every spring to sell the movements they’d made over the winter to the cabinottiers and établisseurs, who finished the movements and cased them up as complete, branded watches.”

Soon enough, the hill farmers realised they could make more money by putting their own names on the dials, says Golay. “Many of them stopped farming altogether and began making watches all year. Families throughout the valley co-operated, and gradually the quality of the craftsmanship increased, as did their reputation.”

The Jura’s La Chaux-de-Fonds is considered the true ‘cradle’ of Swiss Jura watchmaking – the highest city in Europe at 1,000 metres above sea level, colloquially known as ‘Watch Valley’. Here, in this snowy backwater of central Europe, you’ll find the gleaming glass and steel factories of Tissot, TAG Heuer, Breitling, Cartier and countless others nestled idyllically in rolling, verdant foothills, surrounded by cows and their clanking bells.

REX/Shutterstock

Your Budget

So how much to spend, and what will that get you?

Like with holidays or property, that age-old adage applies with a wristwatch: spend as much as you can afford, as you’ll never regret it. But whatever that figure is, rest assured that with a Swiss watch, you will invariably get your money’s worth.

Under £500

Watch snobs be gone: less than £500 will get you a very decent piece of wristwear, with all the after-sales support you’d expect from a watch 10 times the price. You’ll struggle to find a Swiss mechanical movement much under £800 (with the noble exceptions of Tissot and Hamilton) but there’s no shame in a Swiss quartz watch, powered by a battery instead of a spring.

It uses the 32kHz vibration of the titular crystal to regulate the ‘tick’ of the watch – infinitely more precise than a mechanical balance wheel oscillating at a relatively agricultural 4Hz, and losing no more than 10 seconds a year.

For the most affordable watches look to Swiss-made Bulova, Certina, Tissot and Mondaine (but also note that Japanese watchmakers Seiko or Citizen are arguably the heavyweights when it comes to quartz).

£500–£3,000

This is the budget bracket you should be considering with your first company bonus – you’ll be guaranteed the prestige of a Swiss mechanical, preferably ticking away beneath a clear caseback, admirable in the same way as a mid-mounted Ferrari V8 growling beneath its glass engine cover.

An automatic mechanical movement is the most common, and this is where your money’s going. Fitted with an off-kilter weight, or ‘rotor’ that swings with the movement of your arm, this keeps the winding barrel tightly wound. In turn, the winding spring powers a gear-train to which hours, minutes and seconds hands are attached. Manually-wound mechanical movements are increasingly popular, though, as the lack of rotor permits a clearer view into that mesmerising constellation of moving parts.

Brands to bear in mind include Longines, Bell & Ross, Victorinox, Raymond Weil, Nomos Glashütte and Tudor.

Up To £5,000

This is where it can get overwhelming, as many make their first big horological investment in this price range and don’t want to get it wrong. So, for a start, do your research, take your time, visit your friendly local jeweller and don’t be afraid to ask stupid questions – chances are, they’re wiser than you think.

The good news is that so many of Swiss watchmaking’s enduring classics fall into this category, and you’ll never go wrong purchasing one, whether it’s a TAG Heuer Carrera, Omega Seamaster, Tudor Black Bay, or even a Breitling.

North Of £5,000

This is venturing into serious collector territory, where most of your cash is going towards a movement that – rather than being a standard-issue Swiss automatic mechanical movement – gets ‘manufacture’ mechanics, and is made ‘in-house’ by the brands, with exacting hand-polish applied to the tiniest parts as icing on the cake.

Think Rolex, Zenith, IWC, Hublot, Jaeger-LeCoultre; luxury watch brands with revered heritage in spades, innovation to rival NASA, and every single timepiece the result of months of painstaking work at the hands of some extraordinarily skilled individuals.

Decisions, Decisions…

To kick off, you’ll want a watch for every eventuality – or at least one that straddles a few of life’s regular scenarios. An easy choice for the office is a black leather strap and a clean, silver dial. But when Saturday comes, you may also want a watch that looks appropriate while trimming the hedge – in which case, a metal bracelet instead of leather makes it perfect for both.

People joke about a chronograph only being good for timing an egg – but if you do have soft-boiled eggs for breakfast, then a chronograph is far more convenient than finding the stopwatch app on your phone (and smearing yolk on your screen). Alternatively, a diving watch is useful for diving, yes, but if you harbour an abject fear of open water it still serves as an all-purpose, wear-it-and-forget-about-it watch for all conditions.

Obviously, ‘one watch to rule them all’ will only stretch so far – which is where the notion of a watch wardrobe comes in. It takes years of steady, considered investment, but a solid line-up for the top of your dresser (or sock drawer) looks something like this:

The Rugged All-Rounder

Slightly retro military-style watches work well here, with black dial, monochrome markings and maybe a brown-leather strap, e.g. Bremont’s Airco or Tudor’s Heritage Ranger.

Tudor Heritage Ranger

The Diving Watch

Water-resistance and ruggedness are key here, making diving watches great for strapping on and forgetting about – ideal for beach holidays, epic post-dinner-party washing-up sessions, or simply making a colourful statement, e.g. Victorinox INOX Diver.

Victorinox INOX Diver

The Dress Watch

What it says on the tin: classical formality for the boardroom meeting or black tie event, e.g. Longines Flagship or Cartier Tank.

Cartier Tank

Sports Watch

This usually means a stop-watch chronograph is in the mix, with either a rubber strap or metal bracelet, e.g. Baume & Mercier Clifton Club.

Baume & Mercier Clifton Club

The Classics

A rare breed of watch from one of Switzerland’s big boys that’ll never age or look out of place. Usually comes on a bracelet. Look no further than Omega’s Seamaster, Rolex’s Submariner (both diving watches, funnily enough), the IWC Portugieser and TAG Heuer’s Carrera.

Omega Seamaster

The Brands

Buy a watch from any reputable dealer or direct from any of the big brands, and you can’t go wrong – neither have come this far flogging dodgy tickers hung from the inside of their overcoats. But what sort of design, heritage or make-up speaks to you, and what does it say about you? There’s no getting around it; the brand you endorse is important, especially as it’s just about the most personal thing you’ll possess. Just make sure of one thing: go into the store and try it on. You’ll instantly know, either way.

Tissot

One of the grand dames of Swiss watchmaking, with heritage in spades, and along with Rolex and Omega, a member of the rarefied ‘billion club’ [its revenue was $1.1m last year]. Despite what you’d think, however, Tissot is one of the most affordable means of joining the rarefied Swiss-made-watch club – £395 will get you a supremely chic Le Locle automatic, named after Tissot’s home town.

Baume & Mercier

A member of Richemont Group’s unrivalled portfolio of luxury watch brands (stablemates include Cartier, IWC and ‘the German Patek Philippe’, A. Lange & Söhne) most people quietly respected 188-year-old B&M as the necessarily affordable arm of a formidable arsenal of haute horlogerie.

But just when you thought it was all inoffensive ‘sports luxe’ kitted out with third-party mechanics, the Baumatic comes along – genuinely ‘in-house’ innovation with antimagnetic silicon components, five-day power reserve and five-year service intervals… all for just £2,500.

Oris

One of the first Swiss brands not afraid to embrace industrialised techniques from across the pond, Oris has always been about quality mechanical watches at an incredibly reasonable price. The styles run the gamut from retro dress watches inspired by the smoky jazz clubs of the fifties to utilitarian pilot watches, never usually much more than a grand.

Most recently, as well as a handsome four-grand venture into prestige ‘manufacture’ movements, the focus has been beneath the waves, spearheaded by a number of noble ocean-conservation initiatives and arguably the finest retro revivals in a recent swathe of retro revivals – the Divers Sixty-Five.

Longines

A rung or two up the vast Swatch Group’s portfolio from Tissot, you’ll find Longines – a brand that rivalled Omega and Rolex back in the day, with a string of important technical evolutions in the early 20th century, including chronographs for the wrist, sports timing equipment and lifesaving navigational aids for those magnificent men in their flying machines (including one Charles Lindbergh, no less).

These days, the innovation is left to other Swatch Group brands like Breguet and Omega, but for good-value, classically designed Swissness, you can’t beat Longines’ Master and Heritage collections.

Tudor

From its 1940s conception, Tudor mirrored Rolex – it had the same designs and model names, but with a different logo and cheaper movements. Genius marketing initiative from Switzerland’s biggest name. However, Tudor’s ‘Submariner’ diving watch was quickly adopted by the Israeli naval commandos in the 1960s, followed famously by French naval divers and the US elite combat divers. And it’s this heritage that’s been drawn on so effectively in recent years, affording ‘Rolex’s little brother’ to grow up at last into a titan of Swiss watchmaking, complete with in-house movement factory. Still just as affordable, mind.

Omega

From Cindy Crawford to Buzz Aldrin via James Bond; from timing every Olympics event to pioneering the only major advancement in horological engineering in two centuries (the Co-Axial escapement, since you ask), the world of Omega is a vast, multifaceted one.

In terms of the watches themselves, though? Difficult to fault, in a nutshell. The ‘Moonwatch’ Speedmaster is still the only timepiece to have been ‘flight qualified’ by NASA and boasts one of the most classic chronograph designs in history. While the Seamaster diving watch is still the choice of 007, yes, but also real-life Royal Navy frogmen.

Rolex

Hans Wilsdorf founded the Most-Namechecked Brand in Hip Hop as recently as 1905, in London believe it or not, giving it a generic name that was easy to pronounce across different languages. He was a marketing genius, strapping his newfangled ‘Oyster’ to English Channel swimmer Mercedes Gleitze in 1926 and advertising its proven water-resistance on the front cover of the Daily Mail. The Oyster developed into the Submariner diving watch in the fifties, in response to the burgeoning craze for SCUBA, and was worn by James Bond well into the Timothy Dalton days.

Despite appearances, things never rest chez Rolex, thanks to it constantly honing a limited range of super-precise, super-reliable mechanical calibres and timeless designs like the Cosmograph Daytona. It might be a predictable choice, but Rolex watches are arguably the best in the world, and generally accrue in value.

Zenith

An early pioneer of the ‘manufacture’ process, Zenith brought virtually every trade in watchmaking beneath a single roof in Le Locle (over the road from Tissot) in order to speed up development and guarantee parts supply.

Its other claim to fame is the El Primero chronograph, which tied with Heuer’s Calibre 11 in 1969 as the world’s first self-winding stopwatch for the wrist, but still has the edge thanks to its high frequency tick. This essentially means it can time events to a margin of one tenth of a second rather than an eighth. ‘Basic’ El Primeros also happen to be the most bargainous in-house automatic chronographs out there.

Officine Panerai

If they re-made Wall Street, it wouldn’t be a yellow gold Cartier peeping out from Gordon Gekko’s starched French cuff, it would be the nineties pioneer of ‘oversize’, Officine Panerai, in gold.

Every corner office’s favourite timekeeper started life in the thirties, when the Italian Navy requested a diving watch from its preferred equipment maker. More used to making saltwater chandlery than finickity tickers, Panerai turned to Rolex, who essentially added a strap to one of its cushion-shaped pocket watches. The iconic cushion shape stuck, but the rebooted brand now makes its own, top-end movements. Expensive, yes, but not nearly as expensive as those original Rolex models at auction. (If you can find one…)

Nomos Glashütte

To finish with a wild card, this is the only brand in our list that isn’t Swiss. Germany is your first port of call if you decide not to buy Swiss and Nomos is one of the country’s most impressive watchmakers. It’s also the only brand here formed in our lifetime, in 1990 – immediately after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Given the import of Swissness and heritage in the stuffy world of watchmaking, this makes Nomos’s meteoric rise as impressive as the watches themselves. They’re based in the tiny village of Glashütte, nestled – Swiss Jura-style – in the picturesque Ore Mountains, near Dresden, along with every other major German watchmaker. Ice-cool Bauhaus modernism married with in-house mechanical prowess and bafflingly low price tags makes Nomos a compelling case if you’re venturing out of Switzerland.

[bespokekitchesldn]

Croydon jeweller excited to display her works at international event

A Croydon based jewellery designer is taking her collection to the next level. from This Is Local London | News http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/15489965.Croydon_jeweller_excited_to_display_her_works_at_international_event/?ref=rss

[mccullytech]

Croydon jeweller excited to display her works at international event

A Croydon based jewellery designer is taking her collection to the next level. from This Is Local London | News http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/15489965.Croydon_jeweller_excited_to_display_her_works_at_international_event/?ref=rss

[kellyturner1968]

Croydon Advertiser published Watches and jewellery stolen in 'frightening' Banstead armed...

A number of watches and jewellery were stolen during a "frightening" armed raid at a jewellers in Banstead this afternoon and police have found a machete nearby as they search for the robbers.Surrey Police were called to a report of a robbery at Campbells of Banstead Ltd, in the High Street, at 2.15pm today (Friday, June 16).A group of offenders smashed their way into the shop through the front door of the premises. A number of glass cabinets were smashed and a quantity of watches and...

from Surrey Mirror All Content Feed http://www.surreymirror.co.uk/8203-no-injuries-following-banstead-armed-robbery-but-jewellery-and-watches-stolen/story-30394651-detail/story.html