How we work

From a conversation at the bench to a finished piece

You tell us what you have in mind

We talk through the piece, the wearer, the stones you already own and the date you need it by, in person or over the phone.

We sketch and source

Drawings follow, then a search for the right old-cut diamonds or a suitable donor watch, with samples brought to you before anything is set.

The work is carried out at the bench

Setting, engraving, restoration and servicing all happen in our own workshop, and we keep you posted as each stage is finished.

It comes back to you, checked and boxed

Every piece is cleaned, tested and photographed before handover, with a written note of what was done and how to care for it.

Our story

A small workshop for bridal commissions and old watches

Henderson Jewel Atelier is run by WTG Henderson Ltd from a workshop in the United Kingdom. We do two things, and we do them slowly: bespoke bridal jewellery, made to order for people getting married, and the restoration of antique watches, mostly pocket watches and the mechanical wristwatches that came before quartz.

The bridal side starts with a conversation and a pencil. We draw the ring or the band around the hand it is for, then choose the metal and the stones, whether that means a single old-cut diamond bought at auction or a set of family stones that have been sitting in a drawer. Nothing is cast until you have seen a drawing and held the stones. Engraving, setting and polishing are done at our own bench, so the piece passes through one pair of hands from start to finish.

The watch side is the older half of the business, and it grew out of the jewellery work rather than the other way round. Customers brought in watches that had belonged to a parent or grandparent and asked whether they could be made to go again. We strip a movement down to its parts, clean it, replace worn pivots, jewels and mainsprings, and rebuild it with the correct oils. Where a part no longer exists we make it, which is slow work but the only honest way to keep a 1920s movement running.

We are deliberately small. That means a wedding ring may take six to eight weeks and a full watch restoration rather longer, and it means you deal with the person doing the work rather than a counter. We will tell you when a repair is not worth doing, when a stone is better left as it is, and when a watch should stay on the shelf as an object rather than be run.

Much of what we make is a remodelling of something already in the family: a brooch turned into two wedding bands, a grandmother's engagement ring reset for a smaller hand. If you have old gold, old stones or a watch that has stopped, bring it in and we will look at it with you and say plainly what can be done.

Recent work

Three jobs that came through the workshop

Rebuilt heirloom band

A worn Victorian band remade in 18ct yellow gold.

The band came in split at the solder line and worn to half its original thickness. We took a cast of the outside profile before touching it, then annealed the gold, built the shank back up with matching alloy and re-cut the worn hallmarks by hand so the original date letter stayed legible. The engraving inside was deepened rather than replaced, keeping the names that were already there. It went back to the customer polished but not over-buffed, so the age still shows.

1912 pocket watch service

A stopped silver pocket watch brought back to time.

The watch had not run for decades and the mainspring was broken. We stripped the movement, cleaned every part, and found two cracked jewels and a bent pivot on the third wheel. The pivot was re-turned on the lathe, the jewels were replaced from stock, and a mainspring was made to fit the barrel. The case was cleaned but the dial left alone, since its hairline cracks are part of the watch. It was regulated over several days before being returned, running and with a note of the work carried out.