PA Jewellery’s story begins in 1976. Our founder, Mike Marsh, was working in insurance and had a business meeting with a silversmith to discuss pensions. Mike was so impressed with the silver ingot pendants the silversmith was manufacturing that he came up with the idea of selling them via mail order by marketing them through the national press.

Unfortunately his first dip into the sparkling waters of jewellery didn't go to plan. Only a few hundred sold and he barely covered his advertising costs. Luckily for us, that didn't deter him.

In 1977 everything changed. A special mark was added to the hallmark to celebrate the Queen’s silver jubilee and feature hallmarked ingots were a perfect way to display it. 

This really caught the jewellery buying public’s imagination and that year Mike sold around 20,000. They were packaged and dispatched from his loft at home by Mike, his wife Pam (the P in PA) and his friend Anthony (The A) as well as Mike’s father 'Pops' and any other friends and family willing to lend a hand.

Mike was the business mind behind PA Jewellery, but he realised that to be able to offer the best service, great product knowledge was needed too. Employing people according to their enthusiasm and jewellery knowledge rather than sales skills, he soon built a team of expert jewellers to advise his customers and help with buying decisions.

In the mid-80's Mike created the iconic PA Jewellery radio adverts. Anyone who listened to Radio Hallam at that time will be familiar with Mr Hodgkiss’ sage advice to his young apprentice about where to buy his jewellery. These adverts were so effective that customers still talk about them now, over 20 years since they last aired.

In 1993 Mike and his team’s hard work was recognised nationally when PA Jewellery scooped the prestigious Retail Jeweller Magazine Independent Retailer of the Year award. In 1997 the company was in the limelight again when it was awarded Sales Team of the Year at the same awards.

By the end of the millennium PA Jewellery was outgrowing its premises. In 2001 the Old Bank underwent a transformation, extending at the back and adding an extra floor, more than doubling its floor space to give a spacious showroom and workshops, plus office and storage space to administer the business.