Meet Terry Cox: jeweller and antiques dealer based in the Clifton Arcade
People ask me why I still work at 79. I work because I enjoy the shop, it’s as simple as that. But I also enjoy holidays – I still go on five-to-six a year. I couldn’t afford to retire, or go bankrupt, because my suppliers are friends. I wouldn’t dream of letting them down.
I was big into guns as a boy – it was a different world back then. I once ended up winning the Gloucestershire Championship in shooting.
I didn’t realise it at the time, but I was about to compete against people from the British Olympic squad and ex-forces, including the army.
I scored 1199.7 out of 1200 – I beat the lot.
I’d been selling items on the side of my factory job for about an extra tenner a week. Then when I was asked to sell some diamond rings for someone, I made around £300, more or less. That was about 20 weeks’ wages for me back then. After two years of working in the factory and selling on the side, I’d saved £5,000, which was about twice as much as my wife and I had bought our house for. I said to my wife – I’m going to take a risk. I took the gamble and went into jewellery full time.
This will be my 24th Christmas in the Clifton Arcade. I’ve been in three locations around Clifton since 1988 – firstly in a massive antiques centre in The Mall, with roughly 40 jewellers and antique dealers, where I was for about 10 years. They closed that down to try and turn it into an Irish-themed pub, but they didn’t know how much clout the people of Clifton had, and we stopped it. Five of us then moved down the road, opposite to where The Ivy Brasserie is now, which we called the New Clifton Antiques Centre, for the final seven years of a 21-year lease.
Back in the early 80s, gold chains were the ‘in’ thing. I used to supply every jeweller in Clifton with gold chains back then – and I mean everyone. I was selling roughly three to five kilos of gold chains a week between 42 shops. Now we do get asked for gold chains, but it’s nothing like the 80s. The biggest seller currently in gold is gold tube hoops. But in diamonds? Take your pick.
The most memorable item I’ve ever sold was an Edwardian ruby and diamond necklace to someone in London’s Burlington Arcade. It had a minimum of 15 carats of diamonds and 20 carats of rubies. Initially I was supplying 36 shops, including in Hatton Garden, London’s jewellery quarter, Bond Street and Burlington Arcade. I’ve supplied shops you wouldn’t believe, the top quality ones and the local ones as well. I’ve supplied royalty and actors of stage and screen – films stars and supermodels – the lot. We once had royalty visit our Bath Business Centre. I didn’t twig who it was at first, until I saw people curtseying and bowing around me.
In the past I’ve had two strokes. I also underwent a very serious operation three years ago, but my motto in life is ‘never give up’.
You can visit Terry Cox in his shop, which is located at: Clifton Village Antiques, 2 Clifton Arcade, Boyce’s Avenue, BS8 4AA
