Our Workshop

All the jewellery is designed and made in the workshop which lies within the courtyard along side our shop in Lacock.

Graham Watling with his wife Jean, established the business in Lacock  in 1972.  They originally set up a workshop by the invitation of the National Trust and later moved into larger premises in Lacock, which they converted to provide larger workshops and showrooms, then know as Lacock Gallery.

 Jane Watling with some of the tools of the trade in the workshop
Sterling Silver Poppy Head Earring by Jane Watling We may use a gas flame where our predecessors used charcoal, and our tools may be steel rather than iron or bronze - but the methods and techniques we use are the same ones used by the Egyptians, the Greeks and the Vikings. That’s why our jewellery will last for generations, and mass-produced high street jewellery won’t Jane Watling working at the bench in the workshop
Bench Tools There are certain things that can only be done really effectively by hand - and diamond mounting is one of them.

 To mount a diamond, a perfectly sized hole is cut in the gold, into which the stone fit’s snugly. Then small edges of metal are carefully chiseled to close tightly across the top outer rims, so it is securely encased in its setting, hand -tailored to the dimensions of the individual stone.

 Saphire and Diamond in 18ct Yellow Gold by John Watling
Every process in creating a piece of Watling jewellery is done by hand - right from the beginning when sheets , bars and coils of wire of precious metal are cut and hammered or milled into shape, in our 16th Century workshop.