Meet Piers Carpenter

Meet Piers Carpenter

Based in a traditional studio, above the quaint and quirky shops of Rochester High Street, Kent, Piers Carpenter has been quietly working to build a reputation as one of our shining UK Jewellery stars.

With a modern twist on classic and iconic styles, Piers has a passion for antique jewellery, as well as traditional goldsmithing. His pieces are crafted to individual requirements, alongside a collection of designs born from a desire to create.

Piers says, “Above all, I value quality to ensure that all my jewellery will be loved, last a lifetime and be cherished forever. My designs are practical for daily wear or alternatively for that special moment in your life … it is all in the detail.”

With a wealth of experience and knowledge now under his belt, we invited Piers to road-test our popular jewellery pliers to find out what he thought of them, as well as to share tips and tricks of the trade.

After all, following a chance application to the show, he was crowned champion of the BBC’s All That Glitters in 2022. No wonder he’s so well-qualified to share a few gems!
 

“My name is Piers Carpenter, and I am a jeweller.

“I was trained as a jobbing jeweller, which means that I was trained to do repairs and make things occasionally but more on the repair side of things, which has been really good. Doing the repairs, you need all sorts of tools for all different jobs because you are doing all the different sorts of trades within the jewellery world. I obviously have all sorts of tools. I use a few things every single day, but specifically the Maun 4340-125 Snipe Nose Parallel Plier. I use this pair every single day. They are fantastic! Hence why I got in touch with the people at Maun.

“I was lucky enough to take part in Series Two of All That Glitters, and fortunate enough to win it at the end.

“I have been in the jewellery trade since I was 15. I’ve not been on the bench since I was 15. I started as a sales assistant in a jewellery and antique shop which sold a lot of antique jewellery, quite high-end things. It’s given me a lot of insight into designs and things like that. Again, I was fortunate enough that, when I did get on the bench doing repairs, I get to see how things are made and question why it is made like that. Why is that the best way to make it?

“I’ve probably been on the bench for about four years, but including Covid, probably about five / six years. In the scheme of things, not a great deal of time, but I worked really hard to get into it.

“While I worked in the shop, there was a jeweller on site, and I pestered him and pestered him to teach me, and he would always say no. I must have worn him down, and I think it was after seven years of asking him to teach me, he finally gave in and started teaching me. I haven’t looked back since.

“You sort of get a great sense of achievement, being able to do something that you set out that you wanted to do. And I think that’s maybe why I won All That Glitters, and maybe why I’m doing quite well now.

“When it’s something you really want and you’ve worked really hard to get it, you continue to work really hard, It’s a passion. It goes beyond a job.”

Head over to Piers Carpenter's website, and browse his beautiful creations here.

Further Reading

We hope you enjoyed this post introducing the wonderfully talented Piers Carpenter.