John the Jeweller

But for John, being a jeweller has never really been just about jewellery.

He began his apprenticeship in 1995 under respected Newcastle jeweller Kevin Atwood Pope, and went on to build his career between Kev’s workshop and Mayfair Jewellers Belmont, where he worked until 2023. Since then, he has worked alongside Mark, Vanessa and the wonderful team at Williams the Jewellers in The Junction.

Across those years, thousands of pieces passed through his hands. And with them came thousands of stories. An engagement ring made for a proposal. Wedding bands worn every day for decades. A treasured ring inherited from a parent or grandparent, remodelled so it could be worn by another generation.

Not every story was a celebration. Jewellery also finds its way to the bench after loss, separation and divorce. John has always understood that. Sometimes his role is to create something new, sometimes to preserve what is already there, and sometimes to transform a piece so that its story can continue.