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Museum of the Jewellery Quarter: The Museum of the Jewellery Quarter

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Veröffentlicht am 11:46 05.08.2007 von tashaway



When it comes to jewellery, I’m definitely not an expert. I’m not even an apprentice. What little I know about gold and diamonds was learnt in the three weeks after my engagement, when my husband and I trawled through what seemed like every jewellery store in central Melbourne looking for the perfect set of engagement and wedding rings – a crash course in cut, carat, clarity and colour.

But with a free afternoon ahead of me in Birmingham, I figured it was time to expand upon that knowledge at the city's Museum of the Jewellery Quarter.

The Museum’s main exhibitions deal with the history of the Quarter, with videos about the area and the jewellery making process and jewellers tools on display. I was also able to try out an only style-jewellery stamp (gold, unfortunately wasn’t provided – instead I had to use gold paper!)

Upstairs, in the Earth’s Riches gallery there were displays of jewellery from around the world, which had been made with a variety of materials, including butterfly wings, gems, shells, metals and wood. There were even a few pendants, belts and bracelets made of human hair.

For something more contemporary (such as a choker made from recycled Coke cans), there’s a wide variety of pieces, many by local jewellers, available for sale in the Museum shop.

However, the highlight of my trip to the museum was the hour-long tour of the Smith and Pepper Jewellery factory, which was established on the site of the current museum in 1899 and only closed down in 1981. Myself and approximately 15 others were shown around the small factory by a sparky young guide, with a knack for telling the stories of the family that owned the factory and the people who worked there. We were shown how the stamping machine worked, and how to get a blue soldering flame from a Bunsen burner, and were told about the factory’s tea lady who also was responsible for the factory’s cyanide.

Seeing the fan belts in action, the grills on the floor, the radios up in the corners of the room, the spiral staircase from the owner’s office to the factory below, definitely gave me a better understanding of what it must have been like to work in a jewellery factory, particularly in the early to mid years of last century.

The Museum of the Jewellery Quarter is located in Vyse Street, which is about 20 minute’s walk from Birmingham city centre. Entry into the Museum (including the tour of the factory) is free.

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Hotels in der Nähe

2. Colmore Place - 1,48 km
3. City Nites - 2,30 km

75 - 79 Vyse Street
B18 6HA Hockley

Tel: +44 1215543598


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