Contact us

Opening Times:

Mon-Weds	9am - 6pm
Thurs	9am - 8pm
Fri & Sat	9am - 6pm
Sun	10.30am - 4.30pm

Extended opening times for Christmas.

Closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and Easter Sunday.

 

C/O Francis Clark
North Quay House
Sutton Harbour
Plymouth
Devon
PL4 0RA

2 NEW GEORGE STREET, PLYMOUTH  PL1 1RL
SHOWROOM: 01752 227799

1 KING STREET, TRURO  TR1 2RA
SHOWROOM: 01872 279202

We all know the anxiety of purchasing gifts for our loved ones, is it the right style? Will he / she like it? etc etc…the list goes on and on.

At Drakes Fine Jewellers we offer an exchange / refund option ensuring you are never left with an item you do not want. All purchases, with the exception of specially ordered goods are covered by our 14-day refund and 28-day exchange policy.

To qualify items MUST be returned within the time frame allocated from date of purchase along with it’s receipt and any paperwork. The items must of course be unmarked, and any showing signs of wearing or scratching will not be accepted for return. (Statutory rights are unaffected)

We hope this will ease the anxiety and difficulty when choosing that special gift.

You can download a copy of our privacy policy by clicking here.

You can download a copy of our terms & conditions by clicking here.

The loss or theft of treasured possessions is traumatic to say the least. We can help you with your insurance claim by providing the assistance and help necessary to get you through this difficult time.

Our fully qualified, National Association of Goldsmiths Registered Valuer, will prepare an insurance estimate for you free of charge.

Of course any previous valuations or photographs will assist in the accuracy of your estimate. We will, if you prefer, submit the estimate direct to your insurers and liaise with them on your behalf. Let our many years of experience help with the smooth running of your claim in this difficult time.

REMEMBER....We are here to help.

Interest free options are available on a wide range of items with a retail price of £375.00 or more. Agreements are accepted according to status and a cheque account, cheque guarantee card and driving licence are the minimum required to process an application.

A minimum deposit of 20% minimum is required with the balance payable by direct debit over a six or nine month period.

Exclusions include: Sale goods, Coins, Second Hand and promotional items.

Whilst most applications are processed within a few minutes, delays can occur if the phone lines to the finance company are busy. In these cases we will hold the item selected for you until authorisation is obtained.

Written details available on request.

The National Association of Goldsmiths established the "Registered valuer" scheme many years ago and set new standards in the level of competency required in order to be qualify as a Registered Valuer.

Many years of experience, together with appropriate equipment and reference libraries enable us to carry out your insurance valuation with accuracy and confidence. Our fully qualified registered Valuer is able to assist with your valuation needs.

Please remember that to be accurate takes time and must not be rushed, after all, you are the one who stands to lose the most if the evaluation subsequently turns out to be incorrect after a loss. Although a valuation, by definition emphasizes a monetary value, the detailed description is extremely important. It's purpose is not only to confirm and justify a value, but in the case of a loss...

• To provide a check list so that everything missing is claimed for.
• To prove ownership if the item is stolen and subsequently recovered by the police.
• To enable a very similar item to be purchased or made again.
• To show that on the date stated the item existed and was examined by the signatory.
• To ensure that in the event of dispute with the insurance company / loss adjustors you have a firm foundation on which to base your claim.
• To check that if a replacement is supplied it is of comparable quality and value with the original.

Hallmarking in England has been in operation since the reign of Henry VIII, and remains your guarantee that an item is what it is supposed to be.

A hallmark now comprises a minimum of three symbols

A sponsors (Manufacturers) mark - We have the letters   “DFJ”

A metal fineness mark such as 916, 750, 375 etc indicating the carat used

And an Assay mark Leopards head, Anchor etc. showing which Assay Office was used.

There may also be additional marks such as a date letter indicating the year manufactured, or traditional fineness marks as shown.

More information is available on the following website  www.thegoldsmiths.co.uk/assayoffice

There are four main assay offices in the UK.

• London - Indicated by a Leopards head
• Birmingham - Indicated by an Anchor
• Sheffield - Indicated by a Tudor Rose
• Edinburgh - Indicated by a Castle

Each of these government-controlled offices is empowered to assay items manufactured in gold, silver and platinum and stamp them appropriately.

There are four main gold standards in the UK

• 22ct gold  Indicated by the number 916 i.e. 916 parts per 1000 is pure gold
• 18ct gold  Indicated by the number 750 i.e. 750 parts per 1000 is pure gold
• 14ct gold  Indicated by the number 585 i.e. 585 parts per 1000 is pure gold
• 9ct gold    Indicated by the number 375 i.e. 375 parts per 1000 is pure gold

The Platinum standard for the UK is indicated by the number 950 i.e. 950 parts per 1000 is pure platinum.

A continental grading of 800 and 850 is currently in use and may occasionally be found on imported items.

For silver goods there are two standards in the UK, one is for “Sterling Silver” the most used Indicated by the number 925 i.e. 925 parts per 1000 pure silver, and “Britannia Silver” Indicated by the number 958 i.e. 958 parts per 1000 is pure silver.

Many reasons exist for the need to alloy metals in this way, with cost being the obvious one. Alloying also imparts other properties to the metal, which may be needed to allow for casting etc. in the manufacturing process.

With the increasing popularity of white metal in jewellery more instances of discolouration are being experienced. Gold does not occur naturally in white only in yellow, and various techniques are used to alloy the gold with other metals such as silver and palladium, which has the effect of “bleaching” the gold to a near white colour. Most items then receive a coating of Rhodium to impart a very white bright finish.  It is when this coating is worn off that the underlying colour may show through.

Many of the white gold alloys used since 1920 had nickel as the primary bleaching agent and although this produced a very white metal that did not require rhodium coating, it unfortunately caused a severe allergic reaction.  It was subsequently banned for jewellery use in Europe from the year 2000.

At this time it is still in use in America where its allergy problems are  beginning to be felt and no doubt the law will be changed in due course..

Thankfully there is a new metal now available, which has none of the problems of white gold… welcome to Palladium! This naturally occurring very white metal is part of the Platinum family of metals and can be worked in exactly the same way as gold.

With a price point just slightly above 9ct gold it is also very cost effective and considerable sales in wedding rings bear out in practice all of it’s obvious benefits.  Please contact us for information on this exciting new metal.

You can download a copy of our ring size chart by clicking here.

ENGLISH	AMERICAN	CONTINENTAL
Note Size comparisons are a guide only
H	4	5
I	4.5	7.75
J		9
K
L	5.75	11
M	6.5	12.5
N		13
O	7.25	15.5
P	7.75	16.5
Q	8.25	17.5
R	8.75	19
S	9.5	21
T
U	10.5	23
V	10.5	23.5