Our forte at Lasting Impressions is creating Bespoke Fine Jewellery
Some may describe this onsite service as " Custom made jewellery / Hand Made Jewellery "
Making a " one off " unique piece of jewellery, or one may even describe it as creating family heirlooms of the future !
The plethora of skills gained over the last 42 years by our on site Multi-Award winning Goldsmith / Platinumsmith can be accessed here
Lasting Impressions Bespoke Goldsmiths
40A Fore Street
Bovey Tracey
TQ13 9AD
01626 833177
Email devonlastimpress@aol.com
OPENING HOURS
Monday to Saturday
10 am until 5 pm
( By prior appointment only )
We are located next door to the Post office / Spar shop in the centre of town
Other commission enquiries may include manufacturing Engagement rings , wedding rings , eternity rings , pendants , earrings , brooches , cufflinks , tie pins , lapel pins, etc, etc
Utilising our re-design / restore facility where our clients existing family jewellery can be re-modelled into a new design or expertly renovated or totally re-created back to its former design.............. That's if the item has not passed the point where it cannot be renovated after possible numerous running repairs over the previous decades.
We can also facilitate more simple processes of ...........................
Supply of new Silver, Gold & Platinum British made chains
New ring remounts ( If the customers ring is beyond any type of repair )
Re-sizing of customers rings ,
Chain repairs,
Repairs to customers stone set fine jewellery ,
Engraving , ( Laser or hand engraving )
Stone re-polishing ( If customers stones are chipped or have scuffed / worn surfaces )
Rhodium plating of white gold items ,
Gold plating,
Pearl re-stringing,
Valuations,
Diamond and natural coloured stone identification / certification,
Hallmarking / precious metal testing,
etc , etc.
After 42 years in the fine jewellery manufacturing trade one builds up many trusted specialist contacts in our trade too .
So within October 2025 time line ............
You might find it hard to get your head around the text / quotation below as you may already know .......Platinum is 30 x rarer than gold
" We can manufacture a Platinum 950 parts per 1000 pure item of fine jewellery , that will be 200 parts more pure when comparing it to the exact same item / design made from 18ct gold .
( 18ct gold = 750 parts per 1000 pure )
Pure Platinum cost 9th October 2025 $ 1,686.00 ozt
Pure gold cost 9th October 2025 $ 4,040.60 ozt
The platinum item will weigh 39% heavier than the exact same design if made from 18ct Gold & the Platinum finished item will still be less costly compared to the same item if it were to be made in any of the 18ct gold coloured alloys . "
I have found this has been the case for the last 7 years now when working out quotations for my customers in different precious metals .
We do manufacture in 18ct white gold for customers who request it too......................
But if one is looking for a durable naturally white precious metal that does not need the regular re-polishing and rhodium plating processes as do all of the white gold alloys .... then Platinum is the best naturally white precious metal option available ref metal performance and price at the moment .
Platinum is a denser metal ( 39% more weighty for the same volume ) if the same item were to be made from any of the 18ct gold alloys.
Article's written by the Platinum Guild international ( PGI ) on the Web link's below might be of interest to you if you are looking for a durable naturally white precious metal .
Lasting Impressions Bespoke Platinumsmiths are a previous Platinum Guild International ( PGI ) recommended retailer.
PGI from 1975 supported the Platinum PT global brand, but now has now stopped supporting the UK trade & Uk consumer market ,
PGI currently are supporting other global markets in China , Japan, India & USA
https://platinumguild.com/why-platinum/
https://platinumjewelry.com/metal-matters/
https://platinumjewelry.com/all-about-platinum/
We stock more British made jewellery / made by others too.
10th October 2025 time line ................
One example of this is 925 / sterling silver " Hayseed link " style bracelet = £ 31.70 GBP inc VAT @ 20%
The same hayseed bracelet design ....if made in 9ct yellow gold would cost = £ 386.50 GBP inc VAT @ 20%
So we hopefully have something for everyone, a small gift for a loved one maybe ?
Our Moto
Even though one would think Bespoke Fine Jewellery creations are more expensive, in a lot of cases they can be made for a similar price to a quality high street shop fine jewellery " off the shelf " purchase , but with clients knowing we have personally created something especially unique for them with British Craftsmanship Guaranteed !
Our in-house goldsmith who has a passion for hand crafting fine jewellery since 1983, who embraces modern fabrication methods working along with traditional goldsmithing hands skills, meticulously taking a special pride in the final finish of the precious metal mounts the stones are set in.
We hear a lot of the time about the qualities of precious stones when looking for fine jewellery on websites, Tv shopping channels, High street shops and in the media, but not very often do you hear about how well the precious metal mount holding the stones is crafted and finished.
At Lasting Impressions Multi UK Award Winning ( Goldsmiths Hall London ) Hand finishing / polishing comes as standard whatever we are working on for you !
Commissioning a bespoke fine jewellery piece from us is made a special, memorable experience by us involving the client throughout the manufacturing process, allowing our customers to actually speak face to face with the Goldsmith / Platinumsmith who will be making their special order, we allow our customers to view their commission at different stages of manufacture, from the initial point of selecting their Natural diamond/s or Laboratory grown / synthetic diamond /s and / or maybe coloured gem stones too, client's can view their commission right through to trying their piece on for fit / size before the stones are set into the design.
( A final fitting is needed before the stone /s are set especially with rings )
This is all so their completed piece fits their finger perfectly first time when the stones are set into the ring mount & the item is totally finished .
This process we have in place makes sure the item is exactly what the client imagined is was going to look like, as looking at a computer generated jewellery image on an electronic device is not the same as looking / touching a physical item of fine jewellery even if it is not 100% finished at that point in time .
This very personal service we offer to our clients ( in our mind ) could not be reproduced with an online order with a company or even dealing with a high street jeweller who sends their work away to a workshop as there would be too many people between the maker and the client !
These days other Uk based high street Jewellers' may well even use a workshop overseas too.
VALUATIONS
The majority of our Valuations are at a set / fixed Valuation price per item
Which includes a Wash / Check over of the piece of jewellery
( Jewellery MOT one might call it )
If the customer would like the item/s polished / rhodium plated / adjusted in finger size , chain length altered, or any other renovation work done to the item before the valuation then this additional work can be quoted for separately to the valuation price.
Also going forward from 1 st September 2021 our valuations also have the added process of diamond testing included.
Diamond screening to test whether the diamonds in your piece of fine jewellery are..................................
" Natural Diamonds " made by mother nature
or if they are " Laboratory grown / Synthetic man made diamonds "
Diamond(s) are screened & assessed by experienced, qualified gemmologists in their laboratory using ....................
DeBeers Institute of Diamonds SynthDetect &/or DiamondSure &/or MagiLabs EXA as appropriate
If one requires a more indepth diamond report when a Diamond flags up on the equipment noted above that the diamond could be a
Type 2A diamond.
Then if a natural diamond....... this is very rare Type 2a possibly only 1% to 2% of natural diamonds are a Type 2a diamond
The majority of Laboratory grown ( Synthetic Man Made diamonds ) are type 2a diamonds too.
At an additional charge / cost to the initial valuation price quoted to you before you engage a valuation to identify if a natural diamond has received treatments by man to improve it's qualities / colour etc or if it is a rare Type 2a natural diamond , then the diamond needs to be removed from it's setting, cooled down in liquid nitrogen and tested loose in another very specialist machine in the laboratory.
These additional tests that the loose diamond machine can process detecting if a natural diamond has been subjected to any treatments ......
( By Man ) to improve it's qualities................
Via High pressure / High temperature , laser drilling / fracture filling internally and externally, and surface coatings too.
Also as Laboratory grown / Synthetic diamonds are identical to natural diamonds " chemically, physically & optically " these very specialist tests on very expensive equipment are invaluable to identify what the diamond make up ID is.
The final test results will drastically affect the diamonds / jewellery item value too.
E.G.
A natural round brilliant cut diamond of a certain specification , clarity , weight etc may cost around £20,000 / £25,000
The same specification diamond as noted above ...........................................
but this time a Laboratory grown/ synthetic diamond / made by man may cost around £1,500
BUT WHY DO I NEED A VALUATION FOR MY JEWELLERY ?
Please feel free to have a look at this short video ref " you tube link " below by
" TH March "
You might find this very interesting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyMqh4_gVNc
You may be wearing an item of jewellery that you presume is insured for loss or accidental damage by your current insurer, but if the item of jewellery has not been valued recently ( within the last 3 to 5 years ) and you are unfortunate to have to make a claim, your insurance companies £ settlement figure may not be enough to purchase a like for like replacement because the insurance claim / settlement figure will be based on the last dated / recorded / or valued proof for the item you can supply.
If it was many years ago since you had a valuation this would mean the insurance claim settlement figure could be possibly thousands of pounds short of the current new UK replacement price for the item.
E.G.
A platinum single stone diamond engagement ring we made in our workshop for a client 12 years ago for £ 5,300.00
was recently re-valued " independently " with our UK based valuation partner.
The ring's new UK insurance / New replacement value ( NRV ) was stated on the valuation document at £ 12,400.00
Another example of how gold prices have moved in the last 20 years ref how out of date your proof of value of your fine jewellery is .......
E.G. A quality / nice heavy weight plain polished gents 18ct yellow gold wedding ring , only takes approx 1.5 hours to manufacture the ring thus not a labour intensive job to manufacture at all
July 2005 / when gold was costing around $ 444.74 ozt average price for the year
This gents wedding ring described above would have cost in 2005 around £ 650.00 inc Uk vat @ 17.5%
9th October 2025 / Am Morning fix price Pure Gold costing $ 4,040.60 ozt
The exact same gents wedding ring specification ring noted above would now be costing nearly £ 3,188.00 inc UK vat @ 20%
So on the 20 year time line since we opened our workshop here in Bovey Tracey the raw precious metal prices we work with have increased in price .
9th October 2025 / Am Morning fix price Pure Gold costing ..........$ 4,040.60 ozt
For comparison Pure Platinum cost 9th October 2025 only ......................$ 1,686.00 ozt
Based on the 2005 average year prices for the precious metals we have used below compared with 9th October 2025 prices.
All based below on pure precious metal 1000 parts per 1000 per precious metal selected.
Silver 11 x the price it was costing in 2005
Gold 7.2 x the price it was costing in 2005
Platinum 1 .75 x the price it was costing in 2005
Palladium 6.5 x the price it was costing in 2005
N.B. Precious metal prices are not always on the upward price track / trend
Pure Gold in 1980 hit a year average high price of $ 615.00 ozt ..................
But then in 1983 when our goldsmith started working in this trade gold had fallen back in price to around $ 424.00 ozt
Gold never climbed back upto the 1980 high price of $615.00 ozt until 2006 / 2007 .... thus 26 / 27 years of flatline of the global gold prices.
Gold has experienced dramatic increases in price since 2018 / So not that long ago back in 2018 gold was costing around $ 1,268.00 ozt
( 9th October 2025 Pure gold AM price $ 4,040.60 ozt )
Naturally you insure your home and possibly review the replacement cost of your buildings and contents periodically to keep it all insured correctly in line with inflation / current replacement price's , just in case you have the misfortune to have to make a claim.
So why not give your insurance company an up to date valuation / proof of value for your fine jewellery / Thus if you have a loss they can offer you a settlement figure that will actually replace the item for you / put you back in the same position before you had the loss / before you made the insurance claim.
N.B.
Lots of jewellers base their valuation fee on a percentage of the new / current valuation price of the item they have just valued for you,
Thus you do not know what the valuation is going to cost before you engage their valuation services and their work is done !
The other question one has to ask before engaging a valuation with a jewellers is
" Has the valuer invested / purchased specialist " Diamond screening / testing equipment ? "
All to detect man made Laboratory synthetic made diamonds along with testing natural diamonds
As described above we perceive our fixed price valuation service to be the fairest way, with the majority of valuations falling into our fixed price valuation structure.
I.E. The majority of our fine jewellery valuations will cost the same fixed price per item valued.
( N.B. Complex fine jewellery holding many numerous stones may command a slight increase in the valuation fixed pricing structure as well as the express valuation services we offer have an increase in the standard pricing structure , watches will also incur an additional valuation charge too )
All the above can be quoted for before you engage a valuation with our business, thus you know 100% what a valuation is going to cost before you engage a valuation with us .
Do you need a valuation in a hurry ?
I.E. Quicker than our standard 10 to 15 working days service ?
Your item/s washed , photographed, valued, document printed out on a 5 working days service is sometimes available if valuation capacity / the valuers workload allows .
There are a few different types of Valuations one could chose from
E.G.
For Probate (when some one has passed away)
Sale between parties ,
Family division, etc
But the most common valuation request we have is ....................
So you can present your insurer with a copy of the valuation document and insure your item / s at the current UK high street £ UK sterling / pound replacement costs or current UK antique shop replacement value etc etc .
DIAMOND AND COLOURED STONE CERTIFICATION / IDENTIFICATION
Diamond certification, coloured stone certification, Pearl testing , Precious metal testing / Hallmarking, laser engraving , damaged stones
re-polishing are all services we can offer as standard to our customers
Because our business has evolved from the Fine Jewellery manufacturing side of our trade,
We have a unique understanding of the work we do
Thus we are not just another Uk high street Retail Jeweller buying in stock and selling it on.
We DO NOT stock any Silver / Gold or Platinum plated / coated jewellery
Nor do we stock hollow chains / Rolled Gold / Gold filled / Vermeil , etc............... ( Vermeil is Gold plated silver jewellery )
Many high street and internet based jewellery businesses offer this type of plated / coated product for sale , hollowed out / plated / coated jewellery made by others are manufactured to make the piece sell for a certain / lesser price point.
Sometimes types of products made from precious metals are that thin / light weight and contain not a lot of precious metal are sometimes injected with liquid plastic to stop the item bending / denting during normal wearing .
The look of precious metal plated / coated items when they are purchased brand new will not last forever as the surface plating / coating will wear off and reveal the main metal colour beneath the plating / top surface colour.
( I.E. less precious metal contained in the piece = a lesser retail price )
but in many cases this compromises the durability of the item overtime too.
We like to think here at Lasting Impressions we are supplying / making family heirlooms of the future
So why compromise on a fine jewellery commission ref a little less precious metal contained within it's design, when a none hollow version will then last more than a lifetime !
After all it takes us no more in labour time to manufacture a solid quality piece compared to a hollow one !
We specialise in working with / supplying Gemological Institute of America ( GIA )
certified natural diamonds / certified coloured diamonds , and lots of other
natural gemstones ..............
We also work with certified Laboratory grown / synthetic diamonds too
Lots of interesting precious stones info on the web address below
www.gia.edu
We will also " upon request " manufacture brand new precious metal jewellery to order
to hold our supplied " Laboratory grown / synthetic man made diamond's " that we can purchase in for the job in hand .
Cliq Jewelry / Superfit ........................... HINGED RING SYSTEMS
2018 " Superfit " have re-branded to " Cliq Jewelry "
All since developing their unique hinged ring system in 1993
We can supply totally New Hinged wedding rings / hinged engagement rings in all of the
14ct 585 gold alloys , 18ct 750 gold alloys & Platinum 950 alloy.
Also we can retro fit this unique hinged shank / band system to some original customers engagement ring setting designs, that's providing their original stone settings are in good order.
All worked upon in our on-site Devon based workshop too
A fantastic solution for ring wearers if you suffer from Arthritis, or have a problem / larger finger joint after an injury maybe.
A couple of short video's on the Youtube links / web addresses below about this fantastic technology that can be applied to rings.
https://cliqjewelry.com/what-is-cliq/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5Iqfi2I5-8
We are also licensed to have our finished ARGENTIUM SILVER work hallmarked in the UK
With this licence we can request that the item submitted for hallmarking has the Argentium " Flying Unicorn " logo applied after the legal Uk hallmark .
This gives the customer a guarantee that the item once tested, the results confirming that the metalloid " Germanium " is within the silver alloy , thus confirming 100% the silver alloy is Argentium silver alloy
Argentium 935 / 940 / 960 purity alloy's are special tarnish resistant silver alloys
Argentium silver alloys are more durable / stronger / harder compared to Sterling 925 silver too.
Argentium Silver alloys are a little purer than the standard / normal Sterling 925 silver ( 925 parts silver per 1000 parts of the silver alloy )
Argentium Silver alloys are available in 935 / 940 / 960 parts per 1000 purity
Argentium silver items can also be heat treated to make the finished item harder .... & springy too .
Keep your eyes open for the Argentium " Flying Unicorn " logo punch stamped or laser applied marks / burnt alongside any
Sterling Silver 925 / Britannia Silver 958 UK hallmark.
Reason for Argentium silver item holding a Sterling silver 925 / Britannia 958 Uk hallmark along with the Argentium flying unicorn logo is that a Uk law has not currently been passed any additional Hallmarking law's for the purer numbered Argentium Silver alloys .
If one selects the 960 purity Argentium alloy then the Britannia traditional fineness symbol and it's purity fineness mark of 958
can be applied within the Uk Hallmark on the 960 purity Argentium silver item submitted for UK hallmarking .
Remember the additional "Flying Unicorn mark " is your guarantee that the item is made from one of the special Argentium Silver Alloys
More info on Argentium silver alloy via this very informative YouTube video / two links below
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLf318FYlhY&list=RDCMUCURCSz85uTynijLDR4_0b0w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcVMTeqpAs4
More information for your interest if you search the internet / Web for " The UK hallmarking Act of 1973 "
Approved by Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II ................. on the 25th July 1973
Our onsite Silversmith / Goldsmith / Platinumsmith past achievements include.............
Making a Platinum diamond set Tiara for a UK Trade fair International Jewellery London ( IJL )
Individual limited production runs of pieces for DeBeers Diamond Occasions promotions.
Also numerous awards from" The Goldsmiths Craft and Design Councils " annual competition at Goldsmiths Hall in London
(The Oscars of the UK Jewellery making world)
Accreditation to the " Platinum Guild International " ( PGI ) Recommended Retailer Program in 2008 to promote high standards of product knowledge and customer service.
In 2012 our Goldsmith was honoured to be selected by the " British Jewellers Association " ( BJA ) in their 125th Anniversary year to play a key role in the manufacturing process for a gift made from BJA members donated precious materials Rare UK golds , Fair trade / Fair mined gold and the predominant precious metal used was 950 purity platinum , the brooch was set with white and coloured diamonds too .
The Diamond Jubilee brooch gift was named " The Eternal Dove Brooch " by the designer and was presented by the BJA to
Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the 5th December 2012
( HM's Diamond Jubilee year )
We were all delighted to see HM wearing the BJA brooch gift upon her sky blue coat later on that month on Christmas day 2012
at Church on the Sandringham Estate.
The majority of precious metal jewellery we use in the UK are made up of alloys, these precious metal alloys are graded by how much pure precious metal " Parts per Thousand " ( PPT ) mixed with other metals to form the precious metal alloy.
375 PPT ( 9 ct Gold )
585 PPT ( 14ct Gold )
750 PPT ( 18ct Gold )
916 PPT ( 22ct Gold )
950 PPT ( Platinum )
950 PPT ( Palladium )
925 PPT ( Sterling Silver )
958 PPT ( Britannia silver )
935 / 940 / 960 PPT ( Argentium silver )
Palladium..............
The standard purity used in the UK is 950 PPT , but there is a 500 PPT option , but this palladium 500 alloy less durable / softer than the 950 alloy mix due to 50% of the 500 palladium alloy content will be silver .
Palladium is the newest "Platinum Group precious metal " to be discovered just over 200 years ago.
Palladium is 88% lighter than platinum for the same volume and less hard wearing compared to Platinum.
Palladium is sometimes used as the " bleaching metal " in some 18ct white gold alloys.
If you have always thought about commissioning a piece of platinum fine jewellery 2025 may be the right time to make that enquiry.
A like for like ring design will weigh 39% heaver if made from Platinum 950 purity alloy .... when compared to an 18ct gold version and as noted above a Platinum ring will be slightly less in final cost compared to the exact same design if it was made in 18ct gold alloy colours of yellow , white or red ,
The other added benefits of Platinum are that it is harder wearing / more durable / also Platinum is 200 parts per thousand purer alloy mix thus Platinum has at 950 parts per 1000 pure , compared to 18ct gold 750 alloy ,
another benefit of Platinum that doe's not need the ongoing process of rhodium plating to keep the item looking a true
" Grade one white colour "
All white gold alloys will naturally need re-rhodium plating periodically to keep the item looking an all over white colour .
N.B.
18ct white gold alloy is not just 18ct yellow 750 gold alloy then rhodium plated like some members of the public think it is ,
18ct white gold is 750 parts per 1000 gold ( Gold is always yellow in colour ) then sometimes palladium is added to the mix to create a grade 2 white gold alloy called 18ct white gold alloy , this 18ct white gold alloy to confirm will contain 750 parts per 1000 gold / yellow in colour , but even with the naturally white palladium precious metal added it will still not be / look as white as the platinum 950 alloy colour .
So that's why ...... as a manufacturing jewellery trade standard procedure ( Globally ) we always rhodium plate all white gold alloys after the item has had it's final polish at the end of the manufacturing process.
We offer a Free ring removal / cut off service in our Bovey Tracey workshop for clients who have had an accident or a medical condition that has caused their hands to swell.
N.B. All jewellery cut off a persons body is totally at their own risk .
We can only cut off precious metal jewellery off a persons body
Other none precious metals like Titanium , Tungsten Carbide , Stainless Steel etc, etc
then the jewellery will have to be removed at a hospital.
Free visual " Jewellery MOT "
All to check your precious gem stones are still securely held in your jewellery mount.
Most of our clients call in to see us when they have lost a gem stone, so why not take advantage of this free service !
The item will need de-greasing / washing to assess the condition / security of the stones in their settings, this washing / degreasing process is to be totally at the customers risk.
Reason ......sometimes the grease / dirt / soap compacted in the jewellery items settings can actually be the only thing holding the stones in their settings after the precious metal stone setting edges have previously worn away over past years / decades .
As with most things in life a service / maintenance is needed every now and again when owning fine precious metal / stone set jewellery
just like having your car serviced or a washing machine repaired to keep things in a full / safe working order !
If you are looking for a written / photographed / documented assessment of your fine jewellery that maybe your insurance company have requested to confirm the stone / stones in your fine jewellery items setting are secure before they renew their insurance policy for you , then our workshop can gladly do this for you for a small charge too.
Also
As our business / workshop is not located in a city, our business running costs / overheads are less, thus we can pass on that saving to our customers within the competitive prices we offer,
but remembering our business will still have the same physical security, police response alarm systems & a specialist jewellers insurance policy in place that any city centre jewellers should naturally have too.
Our Opening Hours may look a little strange to some....
We would love you to call in and see us face to face in our workshop/ shop to discuss your fine jewellery requirements
Our entire business premises will be
" 100% our clients own space " within their pre-booked appointment time too .
OUR OPENING HOURS
By Prior Appointment Only
Monday to Saturday
10 am until 5 pm
( Closed Sundays & Bank Holidays )
We are located are next door to the Post Office / Spar shop in the centre of Bovey Tracey ...........................................
Lasting Impressions Bespoke Goldsmiths
40A Fore Street
Bovey Tracey
Devon
TQ13 9AD
Tel 01626 833177
Email devonlastimpress@aol.com
We send out info updates / posts on our Google Business and Google maps pages too !
We hope you found all of the information / and links within our business listing interesting / informative
WEB LINKS within our Bovey Tracey Town council business listing ( BTTC ) above ........are not " Live links "
Reason is because BTTC do not permit " Live web links " within business listings on their .Gov website
But if you " cut and paste " the links from this listing you are reading into your normal search engine / browser you use then these links will still work perfectly for you to view .
We look forward to meeting you in the future to discuss your fine jewellery project
It maybe a restoration / remodelling enquiry , wedding rings ....................or a brand new bespoke commission !
40a Fore Street,
Bovey Tracey, TQ13 9AD
Tel: 01626 833177