C J Vinten Goldsmiths is a family run jewellers in Leigh Road which was established in 1983 by Christopher Vinten.
Since Christopher’s semi-retirement in 2014 his children, Lance and Lily, have taken over the running of the shop and workshop.
Lance received a HND in Jewellery and Silversmithing at the internationally renowned Birmingham School of Jewellery, and has gone on to achieve qualifications in Diamond grading and Gemmology, whilst Lily has completed her Professional Jewellers’ Diploma. Workshop Manager, Tom, has worked alongside Christopher for the past 30 years. Tom is fully trained and specialises in the design and hand making of exclusive jewellery, with two of his designs featuring in Vogue magazine.
Christopher has been designing and hand crafting jewellery since the age of 16 and after a brief spell hitch-hiking around the beaches of the South of France fashioning jewellery from local restaurant cutlery, Christopher returned to the UK. A 4 year jewellery design and manufacture course at Medway College (now Kent University) gained him a Distinction and numerous awards for his innovation and creativity. The following 2 years saw Christopher training under the famous Dutch Goldsmith, Leo DeVroomen, where he learnt the standards that he still holds so dear to this day.
Christopher went on to open C J Vinten Goldsmiths, which started as a small show room and workshop. As the years went by and the business continued to grow, he extended the shop and workshop along with converting his upstairs flat into further workspace.
Christopher is a member of the National Association of Jewellers (NAJ). This is the professional trade association for retail jewellers. He is also a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths and a Freeman of the City of London.