BIZ Q&A Nicholas Wylde on living his childhood dream

At just eight, Nicholas Wylde decided he wanted to pursue jewellery making

BIZ Q&A Nicholas Wylde

A true Bath institution, Wylde Jewellers has been a vital part of Bath’s retail landscape since 1987. Founder Nicholas Wylde offers his insight on the industry

What do you like most about working in Bath? When I found some sparkly gems and jewellery in a building site in Birmingham’s jewellery quarter at the age of eight. I immediately fell in love, and never deviated. What do you love about your work? It’s a pleasure to be able to take the time to listen to a client, hearing about their journey, in order to create a piece of bespoke jewellery that carries their story forever. What is your signature style? We design unique pieces with combined fluidity and geometry and

no boundaries. Our pieces are always created with the intent to inspire and express individuality. What changes have you seen in the jewellery world over the last few decades? The high street is changing fast, which is affecting much more than just the jewellery industry. We’re lucky that jewellery enthusiasts want to come in and try on our jewellery before they buy, and enjoy the luxury experience we provide in our bespoke lounge. We will always strive to work with the times however, even if that means we end up as holographic personal jewellers right in the customer’s home, calling an Uber-flight-pod to drop them to our VIP lounge! We are very approachable, with incredibly knowledgeable staff on all floors, all willing to help our clients no matter how big or small the request is. Our passion is making people smile when we create jewellery that makes them feel like themselves. What are upcoming jewellery trends? People are moving away from the designer brands and instead looking for unique pieces that express their own individuality. Bespoke personalised pieces are very popular now, something I have always encouraged – we do a lot of bespoke work at Wylde. It’s wonderful being part of a fabulous group of jewellers all with their different styles. We could easily have our own jewellery quarter in Bath. Clients travel from all across the UK and abroad to visit us here and explore our many independents.

You’ve been in business such a long time. What have been some of more your unusual client requests? We’ve made some fairly outrageous things over the years, from a scaleddown, solid gold Ferrari, to an exact copy of a bicycle that the client stole from his now wife! We’ve certainly heard our fair share of unusual ‘how I got the girl’ stories – this client stole a girl’s bike and when she went looking for it, he was conveniently placed with his motorbike to offer her a ride home. She jumped on the bike and years later her now husband came to us to commission a miniature, enamelled exact replica of the stolen bicycle.

For more: Wylde Jewellers, 12 Northumberland Place, BA1 5AR; tel:

When did you first realise you wanted to pursue a career as a jeweller?

“OUR PASSION IS MAKING PEOPLE SMILE WHEN WE CREATE JEWELLERY THAT MAKES THEM FEEL LIKE THEMSELVES”

What sets you apart from other jewellers on the high street?

01225 462826; www.nicholaswylde.com

Are you hoping to find Wylde jewellery under the tree this Christmas?