A family jewellery business, where a father has passed his traditional silversmithing skills down to his daughter, has been named Retail Business of the Year at the Carmarthenshire Business Awards.
Quicksilver Jewellery in Laugharne was founded by self-taught silversmith Alby Barrett in 1988.
He has been in the township crafting bespoke jewellery for nearly 36 years, but the future of the business hung in the balance when he suffered a major stroke in 2021 and spent over six months in hospital.
“Dad has had to work extremely hard since then, adapting to this huge life change,” said his daughter Rosie Thorne.
“We really did not want this to be the end of Quicksilver after so many years, especially after managing to survive through the Covid times, so I - and assistant Rosy Stark - made it our priority to continue in Dad’s footsteps and keep the business going."
“it has been such a blessing,” said Rosie, who is continuing to create her father’s classic designs, as well as developing her own, exciting ideas.
“All of our jewellery is handmade from start to finish at our workshop in Laugharne, this means each piece is completely unique and handcrafted with care. We pride ourselves on having a sustainable focus, using only recycled precious metals
“A large part of our business is affordable wedding rings and bridal party jewellery and we love being a part of such a special occasion.
“Last year we launched a new exciting experience where couples can come to our workshop and spend a memorable day together handcrafting their own wedding rings.”
This special customer service saw Quicksilver Jewellery them gain a Highly Commended in the 2024 Guides for Brides awards.
Rosie added: “We are keen to show others that there are still craftspeople using traditional methods to handcraft bespoke jewellery and how much time, energy and love goes into each piece we create.
“There are not many small businesses that are still running over 35 years later, we are so proud to have overcome such challenging times throughout the years.
“We're so lucky to still be growing as a business, we have so many ideas and plans to continue in this amazing county and are delighted to receive an award to show this.
The Carmarthenshire Business Awards were held at Parc Y Scarlets, Llanelli on Friday July 12.
Rosie said “This Retail Business of the Year award means the absolute world to us and our small business.
“It is such an honour to be recognised within Carmarthenshire and to represent our wonderful Township of Laugharne.”
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