The Hatton Garden Podcast

S Weissbart is one of the longest running and best known diamond dealers on Hatton Garden.  I sat down with Jonathan and Sapir to talk.   We covered: How Jonathan got into the Trade. Stepping into the family business. Saul Weissbart. Diamond jokes and intro songs. The appro system and its vulnerabilities. Challenges facing the diamond industry. The Responsible Jewellery Council. How the trade has changed over the years. What diamonds still excite Jonathan. Diamonds essential to the story of Hatton Garden. Closing thoughts.        

In this episode I most enjoyed the enthusiasm and drive that Harrison Beasant has for his work.  Harrison is an up and coming jewellery designer in Hatton Garden.  Originally a graduate of the Goldsmiths' Centre Foundation program, he then spent time as an apprentice in a traditional workshop.  His work carries the hallmarks of both approaches and I'm excited to see where he goes.   Enjoy!   We covered: How Harrison got into jewellery making. The Goldsmiths' Centre Foundation program. How Geoff got into the jewellery trade. Finding his own style as a maker. An ambitious engagement ring commission that he is working on. A pair of earrings that Geoff designed. The creative process. Collaboration with Lorenzo OG. Collaboration with the fashion designer Wisnel. Grillz. Experimental materials. Harrison's new mens' jewellery brand Monarch. Engagement rings. Designing with lab grown diamonds. Visions for the future of Hatton Garden.          

I enjoyed Peter's infectious enthusiasm for fine jewellery and hearing about his experiences with Bvulgari in Rome.  We spoke about:L   How Peter was encouraged into the trade by his mother and a family friend. The importance of experience in manufacturing. The joy and stress of working with high value gemstones. The art of designing bespoke pieces for clients. Timeless design. Rome, Bulgari, Cartier and the Duchess of Windsor. The London skyline. Hatton Garden and the West End. A culture of excellence. Hatton Garden village. The recent, darker side of Hatton Garden. The plight of diamond cutters in Surat. Historic diamond cutting centres. Some great characters of the trade.  

I was touched to hear about the love that Max and his family have for their business, the oldest shop in The Garden and how, in a time of soaring gold prices, they see themselves as custodians of antique jewellery, doing their bit to save old treasures from the melting pot.  We discussed: The 'jewelry' industry in New York The only general jewellery antique shop in Hatton Garden A little on shoplifting What would have happened to the jewels stolen from the Louvre The buzz of buying Working with family The threat to antique jewellery from the high gold price US vs the UK market for antique and 20th century jewellery Custodianship of old jewellery and the challenges of restoration A tale of two heists: Hatton Garden & The Louvre The obligatory chat about laboratory diamonds The joy of dealing in family jewels        

I really enjoyed this conversation with Howard and learned a lot about the, largely hidden, mass-production side of the diamond polishing industry.  At the end of our chat he shared his thoughts on what makes a great jeweller, I think his insights there get to the essence of what it is all about.  I hope you enjoy the conversation.  We discussed:   Howard's route into the trade The pearl market in the UK How Diamnet improves the approbation system for its clients Natural and laboratory diamonds The importance of a physical presence selling diamonds Ethics of natural and lab grown diamonds 'Super Fancy' lab grown cuts Why do we buy jewellery? How large is too large? 2 - 3 cts it turns out. Taylor Swift Hatton Garden, national centre of the jewellery trade How Hatton Garden used to be a global diamond trading centre How Sarin technology changed the diamond polishing industry What makes a beautiful diamond - beyond certificates How AI is affecting things The rise of bespoke jewellery What makes a great jewellery? Empathy.            

Michael retired in 2021 after nearly 60 years in Hatton Garden.  I got the sense from him of a different time; a harder but more simple time. Here's what we covered:   Introduction and Michael Fox's Background   Hatton Garden in 1963   Early Experiences and Apprenticeship   Why Jobbing Appealed   Traditional Tools   Workshop Atmosphere   Transition to Self-Employment   Community and Relationships   Gaining Confidence   Hatton Garden as a Diamond Trade Center   Enjoyment of the Trade   The Cost of Gold   Sense of Belonging and Community   Work as a Hobby   Current State of the Trade   Cultural Fabric - Lubavitch Visits   Retirement   Natural & Synthetic Gemstones    

In my conversation with Justin we talked about the following:   What makes a great jeweller Justin's route into the trade The craft of handmade jewellery Antique jewellery Being an apprentice is 1974 Hatton Garden and the West End Making high end jewellery The challenges of having an apprentice Trade secrets Approaching retirement Working with the finest gemstones Favourite jewellery (Art Deco) Justin's long running passion project The future of jewellery            

Tessa is an unorthodox presence in Hatton Garden but nonetheless part of the place.  I had a great time chatting with her in her shop at the end of the street about all sorts of things, from pigeons to window cleaners, from her creative process to the politics of diamonds.  Enjoy!   How Tessa got into jewellery. Why Pigeons? Where Tessa draws inspiration from. Jewellery and art. Diamonds. Gemstones. Tessa’s creative process. Symbolism and the everyday. Heart shaped gemstones. Creative tone of voice. Coming to Hatton Garden as a female maker. Questions from Instagram. The future of jewellery?

**Apologies, but the sound quality is poor in this episode** with some of the recording unusable so the editing is a bit of a dog's breakfast. The substance of what Gareth had to say was so valuable that I hope you will condone the decision to run with it. For this episode I visited Gareth of Smith and Harris is his dungeon workshop on Hatton Garden.  Surrounded by the tools of the trade, some of which he and his business partner Dennis have made or had made themselves, we covered a lot of ground, from mudlarking to bungling Kate Moss into the back of a Land Rover in broad daylight. We covered:   The tools in Gareth’s workshop. Memories of being an apprentice. How Hatton Garden has changed. Advice for becoming a jeweller. Why Gareth is a jeweller and not a farmer. Gareth’s favourite aspects of Hatton Garden. How people find meaning in jewellery. Some of the commissions Gareth has delivered. Trophies. Making an 18ct Gold life size statue of Kate Moss. The benefits of welding over soldering. More on Kate Moss. The anonymity of workshops in Hatton Garden. From the workshop to the velvet cushion. Mudlarking on the banks of the Thames. The ecosystem of Hatton Garden. Gareth’s predictions for the future.

When I first stepped into the offices of Ino Creative, Norman's company, I had a sense that this was the future, or at least one aspect of it, for the bespoke jewellery industry in Hatton Garden.  Norman's perspectives and insights in this conversation are valuable and informative - well worth a listen.  Thanks for giving me your time, brother! We covered: Valentine's Day. The challenges of casting. Secrecy and transparency in jewellery manufacture. How Norman got into the trade. Starting Ino Creative. Being a CAD designer in Hatton Garden. CAD designed vs handmade jewellery. The ecosystem of Hatton Garden. Advice for a young person getting into the jewellery profession. 3D metal printing. Natural and Lab grown diamonds. How the advent of lab diamonds has effected the trade. Norman's predictions for the future.      

I sit down with Stuart Poole to discuss his work in founding Nineteen48 Gems and the challenges of supplying fully traceable, ethical gemstones.  Here's what we covered:   How Stuart got into the world of jewellery and started 1984 gems. The importance of reputation and relationships. Establishing a traceable supply chain. The Sri Lankan mining industry. Artisanal and large scale mining. Description of a mine in Sri Lanka. Setting up the company. Working in the Sri Lankan market. The challenge of tracing individual gemstones through the supply chain. Gemstone holograms and QR codes. The effect of laboratory diamonds. Comparison of Diamond and Gemstone mining. Moyo Gemstones collaboration in Tanzania. Comparison of working in Tanzania and Sri Lankan. Current trends. Mining in developed economies vs developing. Sapphires. Native light and how that might affect gemstone desirability. Stuart's predictions.

I talk with Marcus McCallum, eminent gemstone supplier to the jewellery trade in Hatton Garden.  I'm grateful to him for being a good sport and trusting me with this first instalment of the podcast.  The insights he had to offer were broad and deep.    Introduction: the aim of The Hatton Garden Podcast. How Marcus came to Hatton Garden. How Hatton Garden has changed over the last 40 years. The ecosystem of Hatton Garden. Rising rents and the pandemic. Marcus’s collaboration with Faberge and the V&A museum. Hatton Garden and the West End. Hatton Garden and the UK. Ethics and sustainability in the gemstone trade. The importance of long term, local relationships. Small scale and large scale mining. Gemstone and diamond mining. Current trends. Marcus’s predictions for the future.