Ace Jewellery

This shop is very easy to miss unless you’re really on the hunt. With a slim entrance and with the signs for Apex employment agency in the same building attracting more attention, I have walked past this shop countless times without being aware of its existence.
A tiring journey up seemingly endless flights of stairs builds up the anticipation of what you might find at the top… an unchartered Aladdin’s cave of antique wonders? Well… the shop is rather tiny with, I imagine rarely more than one or two customers at a time. If you don’t like the quiet and intimate shopping experience you may feel uncomfortable browsing here. There is pretty limited space and not a whole lot to browse. The staff are clearly very knowledgeable, and the prices of the small selection of vintage jewellery reflect this, varying greatly depending on their carefully assessed value. There were a few pretty cameos, lockets and pendants but somewhat above my tight budget.
If shopping for above-​my-​price-​range vintage jewellery I would look for something really unique with character, but I felt there wasn’t really enough here to satisfy my tastes. However, if you like more classic and understated jewellery of a high quality, you may well feel the range on offer more than justifies the long trudge up the stairs. They also provide a custom-​designed service for that extra-​special gift!

I was on my regular magpie mission of hunting down cool and unique jewellery and remembered often having noticed Ace Jewellery, but never having ventured up there. It’s pretty inconspicuous, with the entry obscured by Clinton Cards on the left and WH Smiths on the right.
Still, having remembered it existed I decided to go up. Oh, lord. FOUR flights of narrow steep stairs. You keep thinking that you’ve made it, only to have to do a 180 and carry on going. There are amusing anecdotes relating to the epic journey as you ascend, and they even have jokes about providing oxygen about half way up! (Or at least they did when I last hiked up.)
And, then I made it. And I was totally disappointed. I realise, these things are clearly personal taste, but there was just nothing special enough to reward you for your exertions once you had reached the top. I felt like I had succeeded Everest (or maybe at least Ben Nevis) and all that was on offer was some reasonably plain, albeit reasonably priced, sterling silver and gold items.
As I said, it really comes down to taste. I love vintage, quirky, special one offs and I found none of the above. But each to their own, if you are perhaps a little less adventurous, then I’d say Ace is for you. And certainly better than the more expensive and more standard jewellers about town.

I am a big fan of hoop earrings, despite my friends calling me a ‘bad ass’ and a ‘chav’ I think they can look very nice if they are simple, and plain (and not made of plastic). So, off I went on a mission to find some nice earrings. I spent about half an hour going to all sorts of high street chain stores and sifting through their jewellery but everything was tacky and over-​priced, or very posh and expensive. That’s when I saw Ace Jewellery. Tucked away upstairs above Apex Recruitment it is not the most obvious of stores, and as both Ace and Apex have black and white typeface outside sharing the same sign, it can be a bit confusing. Once you have noticed it, you have to climb about 4 flights of stairs, (huff puff), to get to the small room full of shiny glass cabinets and a smiley lady. It was a bit posher than my usual choice but you could tell they were professionals and knew what they were talking about. I asked about hoops and she showed me a large catalogue of various bits until finally I saw a pair for £22. Some may think this is a lot for a pair of hoop earrings, but as they were sterling silver and obviously well made I made a mental note and plan to order them soon.
They specialise in wedding rings and diamond rings but also repair and restore jewellery and watches. They also stock other jewellery such as bracelets, necklaces, and earrings. If they haven’t got what you are looking for in stock they can order it in and the waiting list is around 2 weeks, a bit longer during the Christmas period.