Our Family Business

Rhiannon Evans

From the very beginning, my designs were inspired by an absorbing interest in the Celtic art and heritage of these British Isles. I have spent a lifetime studying this subject in all its complexity and still find it immensely inspiring to discover new ways in which ancient deep-rooted traditions manifest themselves in language and culture. There is a story behind many designs and I’m not surprised at all when these resonate for people of British origin and others worldwide.

Rises in precious metal prices and our refusal to compromise on weight and quality has made our jewellery even more of a luxury product – each item a special purchase and made to last a lifetime. I am now making more individual commission pieces of all kinds, in Silver, Gold, Platinum and of course Welsh Gold.

Back in the 1980s I was one of a very few licensed jewellers using Welsh Gold from the Gwynfynydd mine. Having made more pieces and having a stronger design element than anyone else, Rhiannon Jewellery and our Welsh Gold Centre here in Tregaron is renowned internationally as a primary source of genuine Welsh Gold. Gwynfynydd closed in 1990 but we acquired a large quantity of gold at that time. Welsh Gold eventually became totally unavailable on the market and we decided to use our reserves to make our own Rhiannon Welsh Gold with 10% genuine Welsh Gold and with our own exclusive registered mark.

A few years ago we also managed to purchase the last reserve of real Welsh Gold, which had been obtained under the last full Crown prospecting licenses to be issued. Moreover, during the last year we have also renewed our association with Steven Mitchell, who used to apply the Welsh Maiden mark of authenticity to items made by the licensed jewellers on behalf of Britannia Gold the operators of the Gwynfynydd mine. Steve is also a very experienced and skilled jeweller in his own right, specialising in gemstone setting, and between us we have almost 100 years experience! As a result we are now able to offer Rhiannon Welsh Gold in both 9ct and 18ct, with a bespoke design and fabrication service. Some of our commission pieces can be seen on our website and in this catalogue. Some items are designed and made with the additional input of my son, Gwern, his speciality is diamonds, precious stones and the design of engagement rings and settings.

Please don't hesitate to get in touch with us if you would like to discuss your requirement for exclusive jewellery designed and made just for you.

Rhiannon Evans

Gwern Evans

My first real memory of the Rhiannon workshop is from when I was about five years old. Since that time I have continued to be a part of the business to some degree until assuming my current role as Managing Director. Over the years the business has grown and developed but like our first workshop, the basics remain the same. We make everything ourselves by hand to our own original designs. We only use high quality precious metal alloys, do not compromise on the quality of fitting, chains or findings and every item is rigorously quality controlled by us.

During my lifetime it is a sad truth that the number of traditional manufacturing jewellers has fallen dramatically. As craftspeople we find ourselves in an increasingly lonely market. We have responded to this by offering a broader range of in-house services. We source all our diamonds and precious stones and will do so specifically and exclusively for individual orders and commissions. As well as our exclusive range of designs, we work with customers to design and make unique bespoke pieces.We still make genuine Welsh Gold wedding and engagement bands as well as designing and making in sterling silver and gold. We hope you enjoy the designs and the detail of their inspiration, we hope you feel inspired by them yourselves, and finally, we hope that any Rhiannon Jewellery you already have or will have in the future can be as special to you as it is to us.

Gwern Evans