Farringdons Antique Jewelry Store: Walk In Six Days a Week

Farringdons Jewellery lets you walk in without an appointment at 32B Greville Street, Hatton Garden, London EC1N 8TB, Monday to Saturday from 10:30am to 4:30pm. For anyone hunting an antique jewelry store in London's diamond quarter, that matters: several older dealers nearby now work by appointment only. Farringdons is a family firm, and its cabinets lean hard toward Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian and Art Deco rings.

Mark Hicks, a third-generation independent jeweller, started Farringdons in 2006 as a modest stall inside the Heart of Hatton Garden Jewellery Emporium. His son Liam joined in 2011, his daughter Alexandra soon after, and the business later moved into its own premises on Greville Street. The staff page still reads like a family tree: Mark, Alex, Liam, Paula and Mia Hicks, alongside Andy Clarke and Murat Karagozlu.

That origin explains the tone of the place. This is not a grand Mayfair salon with a doorman. It is a compact independent shop on a side street a few steps off Hatton Garden itself, run by people who grew up trading among the stalls. The firm claims one of the area's largest selections of antique and vintage engagement rings, and the stock list online supports that, with rings outnumbering everything else.

Prices are posted on every piece, which makes a first visit far less awkward. At the lower end, an Art Deco turquoise and diamond cluster ring from the 1920s, set in platinum with 3.00 carats of turquoise, is listed at £3,850. A Victorian three-stone ring from the 1880s, 1.10 carats of opal flanked by diamonds in 18ct yellow gold, sits at £2,950. Both are the kind of colourful, wearable piece that suits a first antique purchase.

Further up, a Victorian five-stone ruby and diamond ring of the 1880s, 2.50 carats in 18ct gold, is £14,250, and an Edwardian three-stone emerald and diamond ring from the 1910s, mounted in gold and platinum, is £9,250. The showpiece in the current stock is a Victorian sapphire and diamond bangle carrying 7.80 carats of stones in 18ct yellow gold, priced at £23,500.

The shop's own FAQ says you are welcome to walk in and browse during the week. If you already know you want something specific, such as an Edwardian engagement ring or a piece from one particular era, booking ahead lets the team clear proper time and pull options before you arrive. That is the better plan on a Saturday, when Hatton Garden fills with couples doing exactly the same ring crawl.

Arrive near the 10:30am opening on a weekday if you want the counter to yourself. The shop closes at 4:30pm, earlier than many Hatton Garden neighbours, so a late-afternoon dash after work will not succeed. Sundays are closed. If you have only one free hour, put Farringdons first and leave the bigger chain jewellers on the main street for later.

Ring resizing is offered with a quick turnaround, and the repairs page says same-day resizing and cleaning are available on request. Valuations are done in house and take two to three working days. The first conversation about a valuation costs nothing and carries no obligation to sell, but written valuations for insurance or probate usually carry a fee, so ask for the figure at the counter.

Read the returns policy before you buy in person. The 14-day money-back guarantee applies to online customers who could not visit the store. Buyers who purchase in the shop get an exchange policy instead, and once a ring has been resized the firm may refuse a return. If a piece is not quite affordable today, a non-refundable deposit will hold it, with the balance due within three months.

The firm also buys jewellery and runs a pawnbroking service, which is worth knowing if you are trading in an inherited ring toward an older one. Bring any paperwork you have on the old piece. Deliveries within the UK are free, and international shipping is free on items above £1,500, which helps visitors who would rather not carry a bangle through airport security.

Because the shop both sells and buys, the counter mixes couples comparing old cut diamonds under a loupe with sellers bringing in family pieces for an opinion. Staff will happily explain the difference between a rose cut and an old mine cut. Ask to see stones out of the setting light, and ask about the hallmark on gold shanks.

An honest verdict: skip Farringdons if you want a signed piece from Cartier or Van Cleef & Arpels, because the current list names no makers. The strength here is unsigned period jewellery with clear dates, carat weights and prices. If a famous name matters more than the stone, a Mayfair dealer such as Susannah Lovis in Burlington Arcade is the better trip.

Greville Street runs between Farringdon Road and Hatton Garden. Farringdon station, served by the Elizabeth line, Thameslink and the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines, is about five minutes away on foot. Chancery Lane on the Central line is a similar walk from the south. Buses along Holborn and Farringdon Road stop within a couple of minutes of the door.

After the shop, cut across to Ely Place, a gated private road that once belonged to the Bishops of Ely. At 14 Ely Place stands St Etheldreda's Church, whose crypt is one of the oldest Catholic church buildings in England. Down a narrow alley off the same road, Ye Olde Mitre at 1 Ely Court is a tiny tavern that rewards a slow half pint while you think over a price.

Farringdons Jewellery is open Monday to Saturday from 10:30am to 4:30pm and closed on Sunday. Every piece online shows its price and an in-stock flag, so scan the list the night before and arrive with two or three pieces already picked out. If one has sold, the team can suggest the nearest match from the same period.

The blog is worth ten minutes before you go. A post dated 19 October 2026 walks through antique sapphire jewellery, and a 2026 valuation guide sets out what a free first conversation covers and when a written report is charged. Read one, then ask the team to show you an example in the shop. That turns a browse into a lesson, and nobody here seems to mind.