Independent goldsmiths · South Wales · since 1962 Bridgend · 01656 657310 Cardiff · 029 2034 0103
dewi griffiths distinctive jewellery
★ Bridgend & Cardiff · established 1962 · two on-site workshops

South Wales goldsmiths, since 1962.

Two showrooms, two benches, one team. Forty Caroline Street in Bridgend carries the bespoke commissions; forty-six Charles Street in Cardiff carries the day-to-day repairs. Maria Gatehouse and James Gibbs hold the directors\u2019 seats. The work, and the welcome, has not changed in sixty-four years.

Start a bespoke quote Plan a visit to either shop
Since 1962
Sixty-four years on the same name
Two benches
On-site at Bridgend and Cardiff
IGI stones
Antwerp-certified, sourced in days
Same-day repairs
Walk-in, walk-out, in our reviews
Two members of the Dewi Griffiths team standing in the open Bridgend shopfront doorway at 40 Caroline Street
40 Caroline Street · Bridgend
The Bridgend shopfront at opening time, balloons either side of the door.
Two addresses. Two benches. One email.

Both shops keep a working bench behind the showroom counter.

Most independent jewellers in Bridgend and Cardiff send repairs away to a trade workshop in Birmingham or Sheffield. We don\u2019t. Your ring stays on Caroline Street, or on Charles Street, the whole time it is with us. The Wednesday close at both shops is the workshop day, when the bench work without walk-ins gets done.

Bridgend showroom and workshop
40 Caroline Street, Bridgend CF31 1DQ
Bespoke commissions, diamond grading, loose-stone sourcing.
01656 657310 9:30 to 5:00 \u00b7 closed Wed & Sun
Cardiff showroom and workshop
46 Charles Street, Cardiff CF10 2GE
Day-to-day repairs, sizing, chain and clasp work.
029 2034 0103 9:30 to 5:00 \u00b7 closed Wed & Sun

One inbox, both shops: dewigriffiths@btconnect.com. Send a photograph of the piece, a description of what needs doing, and which shop is closer for you.

What the bench does

Four hands of work, on premises, since 1962.

A yellow-gold dress ring with five baguette sapphires in a curved central row, channel-set with diamond accents either side.
On the bench

Repairs and resizing while you wait

Chain repairs, ring sizing both ways (metal removed, or metal added on heavier shanks), shank rebuilds, claw retipping, stone replacement, diamond and gemstone matching. All repairs guaranteed against faulty workmanship. Quote agreed before the work begins. Same-day service available at no extra charge; a customer in the November rush had three rings resized on the day she walked in.

A round brilliant diamond bezel-set in a yellow-gold band, with decorative shoulder flourishes and shallow milgrain bevels either side of the bezel.
Bespoke

Designed at the Bridgend bench

From simple pieces in silver to elaborate confections in platinum and diamonds. Designed in-house from a sketch, an heirloom you bring in, or a conversation across the counter. A subtle balance between beauty and security is the rule when setting gemstones; the milgrain-bezel solitaire on the right is the kind of piece the Bridgend bench has been turning out for decades.

An IGI diamond report card with a 1.01 ct VS1 H round brilliant fitted to the cut-out window, certificate number F3E48487, sourced Antwerp.
Loose stones

IGI-certified, sourced from Antwerp

Certified diamonds and gemstones (and uncertified stones for clients who prefer it) sourced worldwide, usually within days. The team includes a qualified diamond grader; selection is led by the four Cs of carat, colour, clarity and cut, with the certificate paperwork talked through across the counter before the stone is committed to a piece. The 1.01 ct VS1 H round brilliant pictured carries an IGI Antwerp report (reference F3E48487).

A yellow-gold rivière-style necklace with a graduated diamond cluster pendant and three smaller cluster station beads.
Care, valuations, insurance

For the pieces that need to last another fifty years

Insurance valuations (recommended every three to four years; written, on paperwork insurers accept) and probate valuations (a different methodology, lower than insurance). Insurance claim replacement work, with our team hand-making a facsimile copy of the lost piece from descriptions, drawings, photographs or the previous valuation, then dealing with the insurer on your behalf. We are partnered with the T.H. March specialist jewellery insurer. Engraving by hand on site with initials, dates, heraldic or family crests.

From the workshop floor

Three pieces, three benches, three weeks of work each.

Commission a piece
A round brilliant diamond bezel-set in a yellow-gold band, with decorative shoulder flourishes and shallow milgrain bevels either side of the bezel.
Round brilliant bezel solitaire · yellow gold with milgrain bevels · designed and set at the Bridgend bench
A yellow-gold dress ring with five baguette sapphires in a curved central row, channel-set with diamond accents either side.
Baguette sapphire and diamond dress band · channel-set five-stone row · from the workshop
A yellow-gold rivière-style necklace with a graduated diamond cluster pendant, three smaller cluster station beads on a bar-link chain.
Diamond cluster rivière · graduated stations on a fine bar-link chain · matching cluster studs
Heritage

Sixty-four years on the same name.
Still trading under the goldsmith we were named for.

The shop opens in 1962 as Dewi Griffiths, named for the goldsmith founder. The Bridgend workshop at 40 Caroline Street settles in on the high street. The Cardiff branch follows at 46 Charles Street. In 2014 the family business is restructured into a limited company, and Maria Gatehouse and James Gibbs take the two director seats they hold to this day. Two showrooms, two on-site benches, one team, one email. The lights are still on at both.

"I walked into this very friendly jewellers, and was welcomed in. The work was completed to a very high standard, and in a very quick time."
Richard & Alison Peckham · September 2023
  1. 1962
    Trading begins. The shop opens as Dewi Griffiths in South Wales, named for the goldsmith founder.
  2. 1960s onwards
    40 Caroline Street, Bridgend becomes the long-term home of the workshop and showroom on the high street.
  3. Cardiff
    46 Charles Street is added as a second showroom and workshop in the city centre.
  4. 2014
    The family business is restructured into a limited company. Maria Gatehouse and James Gibbs take the two director seats.
  5. Today
    Two showrooms, two benches, one team, one inbox. Sixty-four years on, the lights are still on at both.
A round brilliant diamond bezel-set in a yellow-gold band, with decorative shoulder flourishes and shallow milgrain bevels either side of the bezel.
Specialism

A subtle balance between beauty and security is the rule when setting gemstones.

From simple pieces in silver to elaborate confections in platinum and diamonds. Designed in-house from a sketch, an heirloom you bring in, or a conversation across the counter. Three details most customers do not know to ask about, and that we are uncommonly careful with:

  • Sizing without thinning the shank. Sizing-down uses metal removal; sizing-up uses metal added back. We do not stretch, which weakens.
  • Hand-finished claw retipping. Where a claw has worn down on an inherited ring, we rebuild it by hand to match the original setting style, rather than recast-and-swap.
  • Antwerp-sourced certified stones. A qualified diamond grader on the team selects to the four Cs; certificate paperwork is talked through across the counter before the stone is committed.
From the customer review stream

Same story, four years running.

I walked into this very friendly jewellers, and was welcomed in...the work was completed to a very high standard, and in a very quick time.
Richard and Alison Peckham · September 2023
Absolutely fantastic service today. You were all so kind and repaired my pendant on same day I brought it in. I have never been without this pendant since my dad died many years ago.
A customer · January 2023
Had three rings resized. I was delighted that they didn’t have to be sent off, completed on site and quickly too.
A customer · December 2021
Start a conversation

Tell us what you have in mind. We\u2019ll quote before any work begins.

Whether it\u2019s a repair you can drop into either showroom, an heirloom you\u2019d like redesigned, or a piece you\u2019d like commissioned from a sketch, send us the details below and we\u2019ll reply from dewigriffiths@btconnect.com the next working day. Wednesday is the bench day; emails sent on a Wednesday come back on Thursday morning.

If you\u2019d rather call

A photograph of the piece, if you have one, is the single most useful thing you can include. Attach it to the reply once we\u2019re in email.

Visiting

Walk into either shop. Same hours, same email, same standards.

Bridgend
40 Caroline Street
Bridgend CF31 1DQ
  • • Two minutes from the Olde Stamp pub.
  • • Three minutes from the indoor market.
  • • Caroline Street parking, free after 3pm.
  • • The Bridgend bench is the bespoke bench.
01656 657310
Cardiff
46 Charles Street
Cardiff CF10 2GE
  • • Two minutes from Queen Street rail.
  • • Three minutes from St David\u2019s shopping centre.
  • • Charles Street, the city-centre lane.
  • • The Cardiff bench is the repairs bench.
029 2034 0103
Hours, both shops
  • Mon 09:30 to 17:00
  • Tue 09:30 to 17:00
  • Wed Closed · Bench day. Workshop only.
  • Thu 09:30 to 17:00
  • Fri 09:30 to 17:00
  • Sat 09:30 to 17:00
  • Sun Closed

Wednesdays the showroom doors are shut. The benches at both shops, however, are at work.

Questions we are asked across the counter

The answers most customers ring up to check.

Do you do repairs while I wait? +

Often, yes. Our reviews go back four years and customers keep telling the same story: three rings resized on the day, a pendant repaired on the day, a watch serviced and returned promptly. Both shops have a working bench. The quickest jobs (a sizing-down, a chain link, a clasp) often happen on a coffee break. Larger work (a shank rebuild, a stone replacement) is quoted across the counter before the work begins.

Why are you closed on Wednesdays? +

Wednesday is the bench day at both shops. With the walk-in floor closed, the bespoke commissions and the larger repair jobs get done without interruption. The other six days, the workshops sit behind the showroom and we run both.

What’s the difference between the Bridgend shop and the Cardiff shop? +

Same team, same email (dewigriffiths@btconnect.com), same standards. Bridgend at 40 Caroline Street is where the bespoke commissions are bench-built. Cardiff at 46 Charles Street is where the day-to-day repairs, resizing and chain work are bench-completed. Walk into whichever is closer; the email is the same inbox at both.

I’ve lost a piece. Can my insurer have a copy made? +

Yes. Our team can hand-make a facsimile copy of the lost piece from descriptions, drawings, photographs or the previous valuation paperwork. Where a casting is the more economical route we will source it. We deal directly with insurers on your behalf, including our partner T.H. March who specialise in jewellery cover.

Do you sell loose diamonds and gemstones? +

Yes. Certified (e.g. IGI Antwerp, the report card pictured in our loose-stones block) and uncertified, sourced worldwide and usually delivered to the Bridgend workshop within days. Selection is led by a qualified diamond grader on the team. The stone is talked through in person before it is committed to a piece.