Historical Jewellery Handmade at Leeds Corn Exchange
British Historical Jewellery is made at an independent jewellery workshop inside the Leeds Corn Exchange. Although customers can discover and order the collection online, the work itself is carried out at a real bench by an established Leeds jeweller and a small team of skilled tradespeople.
Every historical reproduction passes through our hands in Leeds: from preparing the sand mould and pouring the precious metal to sizing, setting, polishing and final inspection.
British Historical Jewellery and Dion Smith Jeweller
British Historical Jewellery is the specialist historical collection created and operated by Dion Smith Jeweller at The Corn Exchange.
My name is Dion Smith, and I am the bench jeweller behind the collection. I entered the jewellery trade in 2000, beginning in manufacturing and learning how jewellery is designed, made and finished from the ground up.
By 2006, I was working as an independent trade craftsman. High-street jewellers sent complex alterations, antique restorations and heavy repairs to my workshop when the work required specialist bench skills.
In 2010, I opened Dion Smith Jeweller inside the Leeds Corn Exchange. British Historical Jewellery now brings that practical experience into a dedicated collection made directly from genuine British historical finds.
Made inside the Leeds Corn Exchange
The Leeds Corn Exchange is one of the city’s best-known Victorian buildings and has long been home to independent businesses. Our workshop and shop are located at Unit C2A inside the building on Call Lane.
This is not simply a correspondence address or showroom. It is where the jewellery is cast, filed, sized, set and polished.
Customers who contact British Historical Jewellery deal with the people involved in making the pieces. Questions about unusual ring sizes, gemstone choices, historical designs or existing orders can be discussed directly with the workshop rather than passed through a remote customer-service centre.
Traditional sand casting at a working jeweller’s bench
Our process begins with genuine artefacts excavated in Britain. The original find is pressed directly into casting sand, creating a mould that captures its surviving form, wear and surface detail.
Molten sterling silver, gold or platinum is poured into that mould. After cooling, the casting is removed and worked individually at the bench.
Each stage requires judgement. Modern casting marks must be cleaned away, but the genuine irregularities inherited from the historical artefact must remain. Excessive polishing would remove the very surface character that makes the reproduction distinctive.
The result is newly made precious-metal jewellery with a direct physical relationship to a particular British historical find.
Historically appropriate gemstones and engraving
Our bench work is not limited to casting metal. Where a design requires a gemstone, we can cut and shape the stone to suit the relevant historical period.
This may involve a characterful cabochon with deliberately individual proportions or a suitable gemstone hand-engraved as a Roman intaglio. The stone is treated as part of the historical design, not a standard modern component chosen only because it fits a calibrated setting.
Gemstones are then individually set and finished in the Leeds workshop. This combination of traditional casting, gemstone cutting, engraving and setting allows the complete piece to retain a consistent historical character.
Precious metals independently tested and hallmarked
Our jewellery is cast in solid sterling silver, 9ct or 18ct gold, or platinum according to the option selected. We do not use cheap plating or hollow mass-production methods.
Qualifying pieces are submitted to the London Assay Office for independent testing and hallmarking. The hallmark verifies the precious-metal standard, providing an additional layer of assurance alongside the work carried out at our Leeds bench.
Can customers visit the Leeds workshop?
British Historical Jewellery consultations are available by appointment at Dion Smith Jeweller, Unit C2A, The Corn Exchange, Call Lane, Leeds, LS1 7BR.
An appointment is particularly useful for professional ring sizing, discussing an unusual size, viewing gemstone options or talking through a bespoke requirement.
Customers who are unable to visit Leeds can order through the website and contact the same workshop directly for assistance. Each piece is individually hand-cast and finished before dispatch rather than taken from anonymous mass-produced stock.
Independent British jewellery craftsmanship
British Historical Jewellery combines British historical finds with an established Leeds jewellery workshop. The artefacts come from the ground across Britain; the new pieces are made wearable at the bench inside the Leeds Corn Exchange.
That connection between genuine excavation, traditional craft and a real independent workshop is central to what makes the collection different.
Explore our historical jewellery collection, learn how each piece is created, read the story behind our Leeds workshop, or contact Dion Smith Jeweller at the Corn Exchange.