Garrard and Co
Garrards of 24 Albermarle Street and 17 Grafton Street, London, W.
of 112 Regent Street, London W.1. (1959)
1721 Company established by George Wickes of "Ye King's Arms", Panton Street.
1739 First Royal appointment to Frederick, Prince of Wales, eldest son of George II.
As Crown Jewellers, their duties included the care and maintenance of the British Crown Jewels and the Royal Crown. They developed an international reputation for craftsmanship in the design and manufacture of jewellery, gold and silverware.
Company taken over by:
- 1747 Edward Wakelin.
- 1776 John Wakelin.
- 1792 John Wakelin and Robert Garrard.
1802 Robert Garrard (senior) took the control of the firm active in Panton Street, Haymarket, London.
1818 Robert was succeed by his three eldest sons, Robert Garrard Junior, James Garrard and Sebastian Garrard trading as R, J & S. Garrard.
1835 The firm became R. & S. Garrard
1843 Name changed to R. & S. Garrard & Co
1843 Queen Victoria bestowed the honour of Crown Jeweller on the company.
1852 The celebrated diamond, the "Koh-i-noor" was recut on the premises, the first facet being cut by the Duke of Wellington.
1909 Name changed to Garrard & Co Ltd
1909 Incorporated as a limited company.
1914 Crown jewellers, goldsmiths and silversmiths. Appointed Crown Jewellers to Queen Victoria, King Edward VII, King George V, the appointment entailing supervision of the regalia. Supplied Queen Mary's crown which she wore at Westminster Abbey; also the Imperial crown worn by King George V at the Delhi Durbar. Specialities: fine diamond and coloured gem jewellery and pearls, gold and silver plate and artistic productions in both gold and silver, the Insignia of all the principal Orders of Knighthood. [1]
1914 Garrard and Co were asked to manufacture precision range finders for the British Artillery because they had both the craftsmen and special machinery needed.
1915 Formed the Garrard Engineering and Manufacturing Company Ltd with Major S. H. Garrard as Chairman, to run a factory set up in the premises of the White Heather Laundry in Willesden, London, to create precision rangefinders, as they had the specialist equipment necessary.
1945 Following the death of Major S. H. Garrard, all the links with Garrard Engineering and Manufacturing Co were severed and The Garrard Engineering and Manufacturing Company Ltd became a separate entity.
1952 the firm was amalgamated with Goldsmiths and Silversmiths Co Ltd.
1953 "Formerly the Goldsmiths and Silversmiths Co"[2]
1959 Acquired by Sears Holdings[3]
1998 Garrard merged with the jewellery firm Asprey and Co to become Asprey and Garrard, moving from 112 Regent Street to premises on New Bond Street.
Asprey & Garrard was bought by Prince Jefri Bolkiah, a younger brother of the Sultan of Brunei, in 1995, and later acquired by private investors Lawrence Stroll and Silas Chou in 2000.
2002 The company demerged, with Garrards returning to the Albemarle Street site it first occupied in 1911.
2006 Garrards was acquired by the US private equity firm Yucaipa Cos., ending its partnership with Asprey.
2007 On 15 July 2007 an announcement was made in the Court Circular that Garrard & Co's services as Crown Jeweller were no longer required, with the reason cited being that it was simply 'time for a change'. G. Collins and Sons were appointed the new Crown Jewellers.
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ 1914 Whitakers Red Book
- ↑ See advert
- ↑ The Times, Oct 24, 1959
- [1] Silver collection