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Old jeweller in Lancashire, England gone into Receivership

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pyramid

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I was writing on the coloured gemstone thread about an emerald and diamond ring I bought in 1990 and went to look up the web for the website of the jeweller which is in England so far from where I live.

I have just found out that they have gone into receivership on Thursday.

Very sad.

This is the website for the company http://www.prestonandduckworth.co.uk/about_us.htm


I bought that ring and I love it but don''t know if it was really worth what I paid. I now know to get expensive purchases appraised prior to buying.

I just remembered that Lord Summerisle is in Lancashire, does he know anything about this company. It says they are family owned but I thought they were a chain store which they are as they have 7 locations.

They told me a while ago they were a prestigious jeweller but I don''t know about that now. The purchase I made was from one of their catalogues so I was never at the store.
 
I am originally from Lancashire, and I know of this company. They''re usually called "Preston''s of Bolton" and have a good reputation for high end (ie overpriced) reasonable quality goods, although not Tiffany standard. I know loads of people who got their e-rings from Preston''s, from both my own and my mother''s generation.

It''s like the Jared advert on TV in the US, where everyone says "He went to Jared". That''s the sort of reputation Preston''s has in the northwest of England. The name impresses people and implies the fiance was prepared to spend more than a man who just takes his girlfriend to Zales. In Britain, where really fine diamonds aren''t commonly available in mall jewellers, a ring from Preston''s was something to aspire to for most of the girls I went to school with.

I don''t know where their customers will go now, maybe international internet purchasing is the way forward for Brits, but I suspect it helped cause this company to go under.
 
Yes, I am starting to think now that things bought before I read more education on the internet are just that. I am not a person who really looks for a bargain it is just that I see flaws now in things I did not before, such as a cavity on the emerald and this may have swayed my purchase if I was buying it now. I saw the cavity at the time of purchase but did not bother about it then. It looks like a cavity as the edges are rounded not jagged like a chip and there are tiny white marks inside the emerald near it. Pinpoints? - if they exist in emeralds I don''t know. However I also think that maybe I am looking through rose coloured spectacles and looking now at champagne diamonds on a beer budget.

I have never studied much about emeralds and really don''t want to because I now own this emerald but taking diamonds into consideration I see more flaws in them now than I ever did before e.g. cut differences, clarity, colour.

The thing is that emerald ring is the most expensive piece of jewellery I own, and I probably will not buy another emerald ring so just wish it was better or maybe more the quality I would have got now on the internet than I got back then. Remember there is also the VAT which at the moment is 17.5% so that has to be taken into account as well as custom charges if buying from abroad.
 
Date: 6/27/2005 10:36:23 AM
Author: cinnabar
I am originally from Lancashire, and I know of this company. They're usually called 'Preston's of Bolton' and have a good reputation for high end (ie overpriced) reasonable quality goods, although not Tiffany standard. I know loads of people who got their e-rings from Preston's, from both my own and my mother's generation.

It's like the Jared advert on TV in the US, where everyone says 'He went to Jared'. That's the sort of reputation Preston's has in the northwest of England. The name impresses people and implies the fiance was prepared to spend more than a man who just takes his girlfriend to Zales. In Britain, where really fine diamonds aren't commonly available in mall jewellers, a ring from Preston's was something to aspire to for most of the girls I went to school with.

I don't know where their customers will go now, maybe international internet purchasing is the way forward for Brits, but I suspect it helped cause this company to go under.

Thanks cinnabar

Isn't Beaverbrooks jeweller supposed to be in Lancashire, they are in Scotland and although a chain store the diamonds are G colour. Would they be the same type of store as Prestons was or not do you think. Do you think their customers would go there or is that seen the same are H Samuels in that area.
The diamonds on Prestons website for a half carat seems to be about Beaverbrooks prices.
 
Thanks Feydakin. I have even thought about that too.

I certainly would not have bought an emerald from another country at that time. The local jewellers did not have an emerald over maybe 25 points then. It is funny how your mind tries to compensate for things by finding a reason for it. We don''t like to believe we were wrong
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Isn''t Beaverbrooks jeweller supposed to be in Lancashire, they are in Scotland and although a chain store the diamonds are G colour. Would they be the same type of store as Prestons was or not do you think. Do you think their customers would go there or is that seen the same are H Samuels in that area.

The diamonds on Prestons website for a half carat seems to be about Beaverbrooks prices.


I don''t know where Beaverbrooks are based, but my first e-ring in 1985 was from their Leeds shop (centre round emerald, two side diamonds, crossover design) and cost 250 pounds.

I''d say Beaverbrooks are considered much better than H Samuels, who are the bottom end of the chain market. Beaverbrooks are the equivalent of Jared, while Samuels are Zales or even Walmart standard. Samuels'' gold is mostly 9ct. I''d have put Preston''s slightly higher up the scale than Beaverbrooks in terms of exclusivity, but the quality is probably comparable.

For cheap gold jewellery in Britain, I always liked Argos (the catalogue chain, but they do have outlets in most cities and towns). My mother got a 24ct gold wedding ring (replacement for her old one) from Argos at much cheaper than any high street jeweller. I doubt their diamonds and gemstones are of nice quality, but the plain gold is cheap enough. The main problem is that no one would want to admit their e-ring came from Argos, it''s like saying it came from Costco, even if the ring is very nice.
 
You could always get her an upgrade....
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just kidding.
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yip, i do know of Preston''s (of Bolton) twas next door to my local pub i frequented as a young lad. and My sis got her E ring from Prestons. I think she spent about £1500 on a 18ct gold, 4 stone ring SI/i quality diamonds 2 .2s and 2 .1s bezel set.
 
Beaverbrooks...

I did by a cheap ring set for a girl in a previous relationship... cheap triple set with tiny clusters of CZ stones. Dunno where they are based, but they do tend to advertise the cheap end of things.. high quality diamond rings'' for only £99 on the back of the Saturday paper''s TV guide.

H Saumel - came from Gerald Ratner''s Jewellers - Ratners Jewellers which surffered a PR catasophe when Gerald was asked bby a Jurno how he got his jewellery so cheap answer "well its all crap innit!" cue a swift name change to H Samuel - same crap - different name...
 
Lord Summerisle

The average engagement rings in Beaverbrooks are about £1500 and up, they even have two 1+ carat stones on their website for £8000 up. They do have lower priced clusters and three stone rings too.

H Samuel has been around for years, my mother got her ring from them about 45 years ago. I remember Ratners but I thought they just went out of business.

I wondered if you would know about Prestons, it is a pity when old established firms go out of business, even if they are a chain store now!
 
maybe im thinking of another company.. but BeaverBrooks rings a bell from the back of newspapers...

Prestons i think just did well in Bolton, and from that expanded i guess i cant begrudge em that... but where quite oldie worldy when my sis was in...

Now she is fairly rolling in it... being a Private Dentist (tho also rakes it in doing being the only NHS dentist in a 30 mile radius) and they tried to brush her and her hubbie (-to-be at that time) off as they went in in casuals...

it was when they said money no object the sales peoples ears pricked up...

but i do think they where ripped a little for what she got... but shes happy thats the end of it.
 
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