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Following the launch of their brand a little over a year ago, award-winning jeweller Raliegh and
her partner Angus have relocated from London's Hatton Garden to open their flagship store and workshop in Burnham Market. Raliegh, who trained as a goldsmith, has designed for high-end Mayfair jewellery brands, celebrities and wealthy individuals. Her days were spent walking
through electronic airlock security doors (the kind you see only in movies) and surrounded by diamonds that most of us will never see in a lifetime. Angus was in hot demand from many of
the Bond Street jewellery brands for his precision manufacturing skills. The duo have become renowned for their supreme expertise and craft.
They also stand as one of a very select few jewellers in the world who do not outsource any of their product. Everything from start to finish, with the exception of hallmarking, is done in house. They design the pieces, source gems, are expert in 3D design and 3D print, and they cast, mount, polish, plate and set stones themselves.
And so when the pair decided to stop creating and designing for others, they formed their own brand, and rather swiftly at that. Making predominantly bridal jewellery and bespoke jewels for their private clients, they have formed a business that offers a highly personal service with a human touch. And this adaptability to their clients; wishes and needs is what has rapidly set the Raliegh Goss brand apart from the more rigid luxury brands which the pair knew only too well and which they envisaged remodelling thanks to their long apprenticeship in the business and their subsequent commercial experience.
‘I want to sell jewels of exception but in a real and affordable way’ Raliegh and Angus soon became the brand of choice for young people who were willing to step out of the confines of the current luxury bridal marketplace. They were offering coloured diamond engagement rings at unmatched prices with serious design and craftsmanship.
‘The best feeling is seeing someone who might elsewhere get something small, get so much more, clients can’t seem to believe their luck’
In initial discussions with clients they demonstrate both a basic and deep knowledge of diamonds and stress that they work only with eco diamonds of fine quality, all certified by the GIA. Helping their clients to truly understand where the stones are sourced and exactly how they are spending their money is vital to their business model. Raliegh and Angus will always provide comparisons and show the client how much more they are getting for their money.
‘People ask, why Norfolk?’ Raliegh spent part of her childhood in North Norfolk, she went to school at Greshams in Holt. And, well, she chose Burnham Market because her godparents lived and had businesses there, and because it is the go-to shopping destination in North Norfolk! The shop, off the beaten track, is hidden in a sweet little courtyard in Emma’s Court. True to their insistence on quality they have redesigned the shop in such a way that customers are privileged to see them at work in a visible workshop attached to the store.
You’d think it would be a shop that displays jewellery only, but Raliegh had more in mind for her little sanctuary. She has filled it with precious natural objects she has curated from all over the world, such as fossils, petrified wood, museum shells, brass sculptures, entomology collections and ancient Cycladic marble. Raliegh herself has collected much of the same objects throughout her life, and she just loves being around things of beauty and intrigue.
So, “cave of wonders” is probably the right description for their new flagship shop. A place where people can come and glance at bewildering artefacts and grasp a true understanding of how jewellery is made and see it happening live. Or simply pop in and sit in the lounge, enjoy a coffee or some bubbly while looking through designs and be inspired to create something new and wondrous.
