Alan Corrie Wharton opened the watchmakers shop on George Street in 1947. His son Christopher came home from a London goldsmith's bench at twenty-three to start designing rings at his father's counter, won twelve consecutive Diamond Trading Company design awards, and never left. His son Sam returned from Boodles and David Morris in 2000 to run CAD and source the stones. Three generations of the Wharton name, one bench upstairs.
What the high street cannot do: the bench is upstairs from the showroom, the design is sketched in front of you, and the same craftsmen who drew it finish it.
A four-step bespoke process led by Christopher and Sam at the bench. First conversation in the showroom (or by video). £100 design deposit covers sketches and CAD renders. Refinements through a wax model in your hand before any metal is committed. Master craftsmen finish the piece upstairs in the workshop. Champagne at collection.
In-house Wharton bridal collections alongside full bespoke. Diamond consultations sat at the showroom counter. A proposal-ring service for those who want to propose first and design together afterwards. Eternity bands, anniversary rings, his-and-hers wedding bands cut, set and finished on the same bench.
Rings and pendants you have inherited but never wear are stripped, the metal melted to be reused, the stones lifted and re-cut where it suits the new design. The gold stays in the family. Only the form changes. A common route for engagement rings that pass down between generations.
Cleaning, sizing, re-tipping, rhodium plating, claw re-setting, on-bench polishing. Insurance valuations carried out in the workshop, not sent away. Pieces bought elsewhere are welcome on the bench.
A first conversation at the showroom, or by video call. We talk about the piece, what you wear, what the occasion is. \u00a3100 design deposit confirms the design slot and covers the first round of sketches.
Christopher draws by hand; Sam takes it into CAD so you can see the piece from every angle. Refinements are quick and free at this stage. The point is to settle the design before any metal is bought.
A wax model of the ring goes in your hand. You feel the proportion, the shoulder width, the way the stone sits. Stones are sourced and presented loose. Only then are metal and stones committed.
Master craftsmen build the piece in the workshop upstairs from the showroom. You can drop in and see it on the bench if you live close enough. Collection in the showroom with champagne, or shipped gift-wrapped.
The shop has been on the same corner of George Street since the end of the war. Alan was the watchmaker; his son Christopher trained at a London goldsmith's bench and came home at twenty-three to start designing rings in the back of his father's shop. The room behind the counter became a workshop. The workshop became the business.
Christopher won twelve consecutive years of design awards from the Diamond Trading Company (now De Beers) and sold his original designs to retailers across the UK. In 2000 his son Sam, after a Sir John Cass degree and time at Boodles and David Morris, came home as Director. Christopher still draws. Sam runs the CAD and the stones. Master craftsmen finish on the bench.
\u201cAs an apprentice many years ago, the thought of having my own workshop and following in my father's footsteps seemed an impossible dream.\u201d \u2014 Christopher Wharton
What the high-street jeweller down the road cannot do: design the ring in the room with the maker. Sketches in front of you. CAD renders shared the same week. A wax model in your hand before any metal is committed. Master craftsmen building the piece on the same bench the design was drawn at.
Trained at a leading London goldsmith and designer's bench. Returned to his father's shop at twenty-three. Twelve consecutive Diamond Trading Company design awards. Sells his original designs to UK retailers as well as commissioning bespoke at the George Street bench. Draws every piece by hand.
Sir John Cass University (jewellery making, silversmithing, art and design). Bench apprenticeship in the family workshop. Time at Boodles and David Morris at the top of the London market before coming home as Director in 2000. Runs CAD design and sources the stones.
The first conversation is free. We schedule it at the showroom on George Street, or by video call if you are further afield. Bring inspiration, an idea, a sketch on the back of an envelope, or nothing at all. Most clients arrive with no fixed idea and leave with a first sketch.
No. 1-2 George Street
St Albans, Hertfordshire
AL3 4ER
Phone · 01727 859 489
Email · showroom@whartongoldsmith.com
Walk-in · the corner of George Street and Market Place, a minute from the cathedral
Park · Drovers Way and Maltings car parks, both five minutes on foot
Bespoke design by appointment so the bench can clear the floor for sketching. Walk-ins welcome for repairs, valuations, gifts and a look at the bridal collections.
Yes — most clients do. The first conversation is about what you love, what you wear, what the piece is for. Christopher and Sam sketch in front of you. We come back with CAD renders to refine together. A wax model goes in your hand before any metal is bought. You see the design every step before it is built.
The deposit covers the initial design session, the first round of sketches, and the CAD renders that follow. It is taken off the final price of the piece if you proceed. If you decide the design is not for you, the deposit covers the studio time spent.
Yes. We strip the old setting, melt the metal so it can be reused in the new piece, and lift the stones (re-cut where it suits the new design). The gold stays in the family. The result is a piece you wear, made from a piece you do not.
Yes — our proposal-ring service is built for this. You propose with a simple placeholder; then both of you come into the showroom and we design the real ring together. About a third of our bespoke engagement work begins this way.
Six to twelve weeks is typical, depending on stones and complexity. The design conversation runs across the first two weeks; CAD and wax sit in the middle; the workshop build takes three to four. Rush work is possible for specific dates — mention it at the first meeting.