Many high-end luxury retailers have been hit hard by the restrictions that have been imposed on bricks-and-mortar businesses in recent months. Many are now finding that they are doing the majority of their business online – but for some companies this was an expected shift and they have already brought themselves into the digital sphere.
The Antique Jewellery Group began in 1995 as a small family business trading at fairs and with individual collectors via mail, but the directors decided early on that a purely online model would allow them to keep pace with the needs of their customers. With no overheads in maintaining a shopfront, they were free to focus on becoming the best at trading online.
Two generations of experience in the trade has provided the group with the expertise and knowledge to source genuine antiques of all kinds. While it specialises in Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian and art deco pieces, its inventory is filled with a variety of treasures, all of which have been individually inspected and verified by expert staff.
Selling antique jewellery online may be a new way of doing business, but speaking with the directors, it’s clear that the way they trade has retained many of the features you’d expect from a premium retailer. Every customer is a special case, and the staff do everything they can to make sure they are going the extra mile in getting them exactly what they want. Thanks to their network of contacts in the industry, they are able to provide professional gemmological certification on every piece upon request. Ring sizing is provided free of charge, delivery is swift and secure and, if the customer isn’t satisfied for any reason, returns and refunds are processed with no questions asked.
“It’s all about building a relationship with our customers, and showing them that they can trust us completely,” say the directors. “We want them to know that from the first moment they make contact with us we are there to make sure they get the perfect piece for them. If they see something on the website that they like, but it isn’t quite right, we’ll go to our network of trusted suppliers and do our best to find something that’s absolutely spot-on.”
It’s clear that the group has access to some of the most beautiful historical pieces. One look at its flagship site laurelleantiquejewellery.com shows a dazzling array of period diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds set into silver, gold or platinum as preferred. There are also rare treasures for the collector – scissor-cut, hig- carat aquamarine pendants, exceedingly rare black opal rings, and jewellery tied to specific historical movements, such as the pieces from the Suffragette movement, which have their own specialist site suffragettejewelleryonline.com within the group’s umbrella.
In January the Antique Jewellery Group celebrates its 25th year of trading with the launch of a brand new design for its website laurelleantiquejewellery.com. Building on its reputation with scores of satisfied customers, the Antique Jewellery Group is poised to bring a greater number of high-quality antique rings, bracelets, pendants, earrings and brooches to every one of its customers.
