Third generation jeweller, Poppy Elder learned her craft in the family business and is now using it to create timeless, meaningful pieces right here in Birmingham
From post girl to designer and every department in between, Poppy Elder got under the skin of her family’s metal casting and jewellery business where she developed a unique understanding and appreciation of the industry. Now, with all her knowledge and experience, Poppy is creating meaningful, timeless pieces from her studio in Sutton Coldfield.
In the Fifties, Poppy’s grandparents opened a metal casting business in the Jewellery Quarter which became one of Europe’s largest independent jewellery manufacturers. Poppy was involved from an early age working in the school holidays for a bit of pocket money and when decisions about university were being made, she chose to follow her family into jewellery making instead. In addition to the factory, the family had a shop in the Jewellery Quarter where Poppy worked so that she could learn the retail side of the business. What was meant to be a 12-month stint in the shop turned into a decade.
Poppy’s mum and uncle are in the process of retiring and explored selling the business before settling on an employee ownership scheme in order to protect their loyal work force. While they had plenty of interest from people looking to buy the business, Poppy’s mum and uncle were worried they were looking to make a quick buck asset-stripping the factory which obviously they were keen to avoid. Poppy says: “The MD had been there for donkeys years and lots of people had worked there for decades, so it would have been heartbreaking. There would have been a hundred jobs lost potentially, which is why they started the employee ownership scheme.”
TIMELESS DESIGNS
With the wealth of experience under Poppy’s belt, going it alone wasn’t daunting, and she quickly found her own unique style preferring to create timeless pieces rather than following fickle trends. She’s had customers who have visited her with very wide gold wedding bands that were fashionable when they got married, but they don’t like them anymore. She says: “It has to last a lifetime, so there’s got to be an element of classic.” Poppy enjoys using unusual diamonds and colours in a classic setting ensuring beauty and longevity while also making the piece individual.
There’s a lot of emotion involved in the design process. She explains: “Nobody’s buying fine jewellery for the sake of it. It might be a wedding, an anniversary or a special birthday. There are generally a lot of emotions.” This is most evident with engagement rings when Poppy does a lot of hand holding through the design process. Some people come to see Poppy with very set ideas that might need managing.
She explains: “It’s a big decision and there are a lot of hats to wear. Some people want white gold but don’t realise that the shiny white finish might wear off in time and need work further down the line. Platinum doesn’t require that. Also, the cost of gold fluctuates because when there’s instability in the world people invest in gold. It’s currently more expensive than platinum and more high maintenance, so platinum is a better option.” Sometimes people want the stone to be as big as possible, others want it to be as perfect as possible. There’s generally a budget, so Poppy says there’s a fine balance to strike. She says: “There’s also the element of surprise with an engagement so that adds to the emotion.” Poppy is the only point of contact throughout the whole process making it a truly one to one experience that customers appreciate. Surprisingly she says WhatsApp has become a useful tool for answering questions quickly and discreetly with engagement rings.
AWARD-WINNING
Online business has generally been big for some time and while many of Poppy’s customers are local and pop in for face-to-face consultations, there’s a significant proportion online too – Poppy’s biggest wholesale customer is online.
As well as bespoke pieces that are collaborative and take time, Poppy has created an award-winning collection of one-of-a-kind pieces that are ready to ship which she has called the Signature Collection. Inspired by the natural beauty of the diamond or gemstone the piece is built around, crafted in 18ct gold or platinum, each piece is unique and aimed at customers who don’t want to wait.
Last year Poppy was part of the first cohort of the 51% Club which is a Birmingham-based organisation supporting female founders across all industries. It aims to change the landscape for female founders in the region through networking, masterclasses, workshops and generally creating opportunities and developing support networks. On the back of 51% Poppy has started running workshops for similar businesses to hers. She says: “The businesses could be seen as competitive but there’s enough work here for everybody. It’s a supportive community.”
In terms of what’s next for Poppy, she’s already building her dream career, so more of the same. She says: “This isn’t just a job for me, it’s my passion. I’m honoured to be part of such special moments in my clients’ lives.”