History

Woolfe Jewellery opened for business in 1988. In 2002 John Woolfe was commissioned by the Tower of London to create a necklace and earring set to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Her Majesty the Queen. This set is displayed in the Jewel House of the Tower of London.  In 2005 Woolfe opened the shop in the Centre MK, Milton Keynes. In 2008 the company moved to its present larger premises in the Centre MK. We have established our reputation as both the premier destination for diamond and coloured stone jewellery, as well as for bespoke pieces, in the area.

MEET JOHN WOOLFE, THE FOUNDER OF WOOLFEHow did Woolfe come about?I used to work in ceramics, I had my own company designing and producing plant pots and vases for garden centres and florists, which were made in a factory in Stoke-on-Trent. It was a successful business, but hard physical work. I used to sell to most of the best garden centres and florists in the country. In the manufacturing process there were inevitably some pieces which were seconds. We used to destroy the worst pieces, but some were almost perfect and too good to destroy, so occasionally I would book a stand in a marquee at a county show and I used to sell them there. I will never forget one day I was at the New Forest Show in Brockenhurst. I had had a really good first day and sold nearly every piece. Towards the end of the day a man came around looking at everything in the marquee. He said, “What are you doing? You have hired this space with two big tressle tables and you aren’t selling anything.” I explained that I had done really well that day and sold just about everything. “Oh” he said, “You should be in the jewellery business!” His name was Neil Stirling and he had a company which imported inexpensive fashion jewellery from the far east. I said I’d think about it overnight and I decided to take a chance. The next morning I bought some of this fashion jewellery which I put out on the tables and sold. It wasn’t long before I started designing all the jewellery myself and I now have some help from Des Smith, our very knowledgeable and talented shop manager. Over the years I have moved onwards and upwards and today we have this lovely shop in the thecentre:MK, Milton Keynes shopping centre.Which is your favourite Woolfe piece and why?My favourite Woolfe piece is the mabé pearl, emerald and diamond pendant. There is something very intriguing about the piece and the way it is designed. It’s also a piece that can go with any outfit, for any occasion