In a world of high street chains and mass-produced sparkle, Terry Cox of Clifton Village Antiques offers something increasingly rare: heritage, well-sourced craftsmanship and genuine personalised service.
We catch up with him to find out what people visiting can expect…
Having recently turned aged 80, Terry remains a well-known character within The Clifton Arcade in Bristol, where he’s traded as Clifton Village Antiques for the past 25 years. Before that, he was part of the original Clifton Antique Centre in The Mall and has a remarkable career that has spanned some of the most iconic jewellery destinations in the world, including Bond Street, Hatton Garden, Burlington Arcade – and has supplied jewellery for clients far afield as Las Vegas, New York and Hong Kong (plus almost every jeweller within a 70-mile radius of Bristol).
With a background rooted in precision and design (his first apprenticeship 60 years ago was in box-making, where tolerances were measured in thousandths of an inch) Terry brings the same level of meticulous detail to jewellery. “If you can design a carton, you can design anything,” he says. That early training gave him a deep understanding of structural symmetry and margin for error, which is critical when setting diamonds and shaping custom rings for discerning clients.
Over the years, Terry has supplied jewellery to royalty, Hollywood and stage stars, and even the occasional supermodel. Yet his approach remains refreshingly grounded. He works with just a handful of trusted, self-employed goldsmiths and offers a level of personal service that’s becoming increasingly difficult to find. “If we can draw it, we can make it,” he says. “Rings, brooches, anything.” Unlike larger retailers, who often send repairs away for weeks at a time, Terry can usually complete ring sizing within three days and most other repairs within a week, thanks to his close-knit team and their specialist equipment.
Design is a cornerstone of Terry’s service, particularly for clients looking for something truly unique. One of his most recent memorable commissions was for an engagement ring designed as a tree branch, which he believes other jewellers had turned down due to the complexity. “The back of the ring was plain, and then as it wrapped around the finger to the front, it became a branch of a tree,” he recalls. “We split the shank, set tanzanite into the branch, added a leaf with a diamond and a central diamond too. It took me 10 days just to draw it up.”
Despite his decades in the business, Terry remains fiercely competitive on price. “As long as I get 30p in the pound, plus VAT, I don’t care,” he says. “If a high street jeweller quotes you £6,500 for a solitaire ring, I’ll sell you the same quality for £4,000.” He encourages customers to bring in photos and quotes, confident he can beat them every time.
His pricing strategy also applies to gold trading. “If someone brings in scrap gold and wants to buy something in the shop or have something made, I’ll give them up to £40 a gram, even if the market price is £28. It gives people real value, and it keeps them coming back.”
The shop has been particularly busy lately, with business up 50% on the previous year. It’s a sign that more people are turning away from standardised service in favour of something more personal, especially when it comes to sentimental pieces like engagement rings or heirloom restorations.
Diamonds remain the most popular stone among Terry’s customers, but sapphires (particularly Sri Lankan ones) run a close second. “The colour and quality of Sri Lankan sapphires are second to none,” he says. He can source virtually any stone, and his collection includes a number of striking, unusual pieces. During our visit, he shows an eye-catching eternity ring set in white gold with sapphires in every hue: green, yellow, pink and pale blue.
Antique jewellery also features in Terry’s offering. He always keeps a selection of Deco pieces in stock, including rings from the late 1920s to early 1940s, characterised by clean lines and architectural symmetry. “They’ve never gone out of style,” he says. “I’ve got nine Deco rings at the moment, and they all appeal to very different people.”
Terry’s service goes beyond sales and design. He offers professional valuations for insurance and probate purposes, and will also purchase gold, whether it’s scrap or part of a trade-in. His knowledge of the market and honest approach have earned him trust across generations of customers.
Today, only a handful of independent dealers remain in Clifton Village – far from the 60 or so that once populated the area. “We’re vastly different to a high street jeweller,” Terry notes. And that difference matters. His longevity in the industry is a testament not just to his skill, but to the relationships he’s built over the decades. Even at 80, Terry shows no signs of slowing down. He still opens his shop every week and remains deeply involved in every design and sale. “Never give up,” he says with a smile. It’s a motto that has served him, and his customers, very well for more than six decades.
Unit 2, The Clifton Arcade, Boyce’s Avenue, Clifton, BS8 4AA
