Jewellery Quarter Faces Uncertain Future as Council Puts Historic Vyse Street Workshops Up for Sale

07 Oct 2025

Birmingham’s world-famous Jewellery Quarter, recognised only 11 days ago with the prestigious World Craft City designation, is facing an existential threat. Birmingham City Council has quietly placed historic workshop sites on Vyse Street up for sale, with no consultation with the businesses, tenants, or trade bodies that rely on them.

The decision has sent shockwaves through the Quarter. Home to over 700 businesses, the area contributes nearly £1 billion annually to the UK economy. In 2022 alone, the Quarter generated £767 million for Birmingham’s economy, with 40% of all jewellery sold in Britain made here. Its reputation is built on centuries of skill – goldsmiths were working in the city in Tudor times – and today, it remains a global hub for jewellery production.

The two-storey Victorian brick workshops on Vyse Street house dozens of small enterprises, working together to create finished pieces of jewellery. Up to 21 separate processes – from bullion dealing and polishing to gemstone setting, model making and design – are required to produce a single piece of jewellery. Removing even part of this network could have devastating consequences, threatening jobs, apprenticeships, and skills passed down through generations.

Local jewellers say they were given no notice of the sale. The first many knew of it was when “For Sale” boards appeared. No letters were sent and no discussions were held with businesses, the National Association of Jewellers (NAJ), or the Jewellery Quarter BID.

Campaigners warn this lack of consultation is symptomatic of wider gentrification pressures. In the past decade, too many jewellery workshops have closed, replaced by residential developments. This has driven skilled workers out of the Quarter, eroding the apprenticeship model that relies on master craftspeople training the next generation.

Cllr Ken Wood, Deputy Lord Mayor (Sutton Walmley and Minworth, Cons.) said,

“The building sell off puts the World Craft City ‘at risk’ but also risks the Jewellery Quarter’s unique ecosystem of businesses forever”.

Cllr Wood says the building sell-off puts ‘tenants’ livelihoods at risk’. “If you remove any of those stages then the whole thing can disappear.”

The Conservatives Councillors have “called in” the sell-off decision. The Jewellery Quarter is key to Birmingham’s historic identity as the workshop of the world. The city has long deserved the recognition it was granted this year when, on the back of the Jewellery Quarter’s heritage businesses – independent, family-owned and operated – we were granted World Craft City status.

He continued,

“The impact the unmaking of the Jewellery Quarter would have on the local economy and jobs can not be understated. Generations of business, relationships, training and knowledge will be lost if the council does not reverse its current decision”.

Industry bodies including the NAJ, Birmingham Assay Office, the School of Jewellery and JQBID have now joined forces to oppose the sale and call for urgent intervention.

A Jewellery Quarter spokesperson said,

“It is a bitter irony that just as Birmingham is recognised globally for its craft, the very fabric of that heritage is being dismantled. The Council must act now to protect jobs, skills, and the city’s reputation before it is too late.”

Ben Massey, Chief Executive of the National Association of Jewellers representing many of the of the manufacturers, retailers and wholesalers in the quarter said,

 “The Jewellery Quarter is more than a place of business — it’s a living legacy of craftsmanship, community, and culture. We urge the council to protect this heritage not just for those working here today, but for future generations who deserve the opportunity to carry forward its traditions and innovation. Sustainable planning and meaningful consultation are essential to ensure this historic and world recognised district, thrives, not just survives.”

Roxanne Guest, Deputy Chief Executive at the Birmingham Assay Office said,

 “As custodians of the UK’s hallmarking system for 252 years, we know first-hand that the strength of Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter lies in its unique ecosystem of skills, workshops, and small businesses working side by side. The decision to sell off these historic Vyse Street buildings without consultation risks dismantling the very infrastructure that underpins our international reputation for quality and craftsmanship.

 The Jewellery Quarter is not just a commercial district – it is a living, working community that sustains apprenticeships, innovation, and heritage skills that cannot simply be relocated or replaced. We urge Birmingham City Council to pause this process and work with industry bodies, businesses, and educators to secure a sustainable future for the Quarter.”

Luke Crane, CEO The Jewellery Quarter BID has said,

“The decision to sell off these core Vyse Street workshop buildings without safeguards is deeply troubling. These spaces are not just bricks and mortar – they are the living infrastructure of our city’s world-renowned jewellery trade. To sell them unconditionally, with no guarantee of protection for existing jewellers or heritage uses, is to risk dismantling an ecosystem that has taken centuries to build. As a city we’ve just been recognised globally as a World Craft City – that title must mean something”.

Gary Wroe, Managing Director of Hockley Mint said,

“This is extremely disappointing, the lack of consultation or forward thinking by the Council has sent shock waves through the Jewellery Quarter. Let’s hope the Council see sense and work with local businesses to ensure continuity of trade and skills.”

Miranda Wells, Associate Professor in Gemmology, The School of Jewellery, has commented,

“It is so sad to hear of yet more of the traditional Jewellery Quarter workshops being sold off for other uses, particularly as Birmingham has just been awarded World Craft City Status for Jewellery and Allied Trades. We are rightly proud of our long history as world leaders in jewellery manufacturing. Our industry works tirelessly to not only preserve traditional craft techniques but stands at the forefront of technological innovation. I hope that Birmingham City Council will reconsider this decision and preserve these heritage buildings within our beloved Jewellery Quarter, ensuring the industry continues to succeed for many future generations”.

Katy Tromans, Senior Lecturer and Course Director, at the School of Jewellery said,

“It’s heartbreaking to hear that Birmingham City Council has decided to sell off buildings that house not just jewellers and goldsmiths, but leatherworkers, bakers, tailors, a whole hub of creativity and skilled trade. This decision undermines a community that’s just been publicly celebrated for its contribution to the city’s identity and economy. As Course Director of the BA (Hons) Design for Industry program at the School of Jewellery, I’m proud our course achieves 100% graduate employability into our industry. Our ethos is to support and sustain the future of our trades. To see craftspeople forced out of their workshops at short notice, and a key part of our creative community eroded, is devastating. Our students dream of mastering their craft and running successful businesses, they’ve never had to fear losing the very spaces where those dreams begin, until now”.

 

Source: Morrish