What an adventure the whole WJ team have had attending the UK Jewellery Awards at the Honourable Artillery Company in London on Wednesday 8th July 2026.
It’s very rare we close the shop, but we felt that the whole ‘work family’ should be recognised for their effort, dedication & determination in making WJ Shaw Jewellers the best it can possibly be. Being nominated for a national awards meant we wanted to take the time to celebrate just how far the business has come since William & Julia began their jewellery journey together back in 1988.
William, Julia, Heather, Lara, John, Laura, Darren, Tanya & Natalie set off at 1pm from Wakefield and got the train down to London Kings Cross Station, before heading to the hotel. It was a quick relax, prior to getting ‘awards ready’ and changing into our glad rags. Heather had secretly organised a Party Bus complete with disco lights, music and drinks to take us to the awards in style. On arrival, we were given a wristband, drinks and had our official photo taken, before heading outside to the funfair. We couldn’t resist having a go on the carousel, dodgems and coconut shy, before heading to our table for our three course dinner. Following our meal, it was awards time- there were twenty one awards and our ‘Bespoke Jewellery Retailer of the Year’ Category was announced first…
Although we didn’t take home the honour this time, we’re so proud that our small independent family business was shortlisted for Bespoke Jeweller of the Year! Winners included big names such as; Harvey Nichols, Beaverbrooks, Swarovski, Nomination Italy, Casio UK & Berry's Jewellers to name but a few, so we’re over the moon to have been acknowledged amongst the best of the best! Congratulations to all the worthy winners & nominees- the standard of businesses across our industry is exceptional and we were thrilled some of our friends, suppliers and brands took home awards.
The evening ended with dancing, photobooths and an afterparty at Barrio in Shoreditch. We’d like to take the opportunity to thank the Retail Jeweller for putting on such an incredible event, they had thought of everything from carousels, candy floss & most importantly air conditioning machines! We also think special thanks is in order for our Managing Director, Heather for all her hard work in sorting tickets, trains, hotel rooms, taxis, and museums & meals the next day- Your organisation skills are second to none and keeping the work family in check is no mean feat… head to our Social Media Pages to see just how we like to party!
And finally, thank you so much to you, all our amazing customers for your years of support, encouragement and kind words- we couldn’t do what we do without you!
