W.J. Jago opened as a goldsmith on St Albans High Street in 1750 and the name has sat above the door ever since. The shop was taken back from the brink in 2015 by David and Sarah Gillow, who reopened on Market Place and were named 2019 finalists for Best New Jewellery Retailer. Fine jewellery, official Tissot watches, Perma-jewel welded chains, and a workshop bench that still sits behind the counter.
“The same W.J. JAGO lettering above the door, nine generations on.”
Fine jewellery sized to your finger at the counter, watches stocked direct from five mid-luxury houses, repairs and rhodium re-plating done in the workshop you can see behind the till, and a Perma-jewel station for the welded chains that have become a Saturday-afternoon ritual for sisters, mothers and best friends in St Albans.
Bench-built engagement rings and wedding bands in 18ct white, yellow and rose gold, plus platinum settings. House pieces alongside a curated rotation of independent makers. Settings reworked, stones matched in person under the loupe, hallmark to British Standard. The piece you walk out with was sized to your finger in this shop, not a warehouse.
Official stockist for five mid-luxury watch houses, displayed in tray on the counter alongside service and battery replacement for most major brands brought in by customers. Bracelet sizing done in the shop while you wait. Pressure-testing for divers up to 200m on a workshop scheduled day.
Re-sizing, claw rebuilds, soldering, stone replacement, rhodium re-plating for tired white gold, antique pavé re-set without disturbing the original setter's pattern. Insurance and probate valuations written by appointment, probate to HMRC's open-market definition, not retail replacement, which matters when a family is settling an estate.
A 9ct or 14ct gold chain measured against your wrist on the counter and welded closed without a clasp. Sits on the skin permanently, through the shower, through the gym, but can be cut in seconds with snips if needed. Drop-in service most Saturdays; booked in pairs and small groups by appointment.
A 1779 mourning ring for the widow of Captain James Cook. A modern bridal pair sized at the counter last month. The Victorian shopfront photographed when gas-lamps still lit the windows. The same workshop, three different centuries.
Mourning ring for Elizabeth Cook, widow of Captain James Cook. Gold, enamel, funeral-urn motif. Engraved CAPT. JAMES COOK. OB. 14. FEB. 1779. AET. 50. A surviving Jago commission from the 18th century.
A 19th-century view of St Albans High Street looking toward the Clock Tower, the parade Jago has traded on since 1750.
A modern bridal pair: diamond solitaire engagement ring and 18ct gold wedding band, both sized to the wearer at the counter on Market Place last month.
W.J. Jago opened as a goldsmith on St Albans High Street in 1750. The shop made the mourning ring for Elizabeth Cook in 1779 (her husband Captain James Cook had died at Kealakekua Bay that February), and you can still see the engraved gold-and-enamel piece in the portfolio above.
The lettering above the door survived the gas-lamp era, the bombing of Hertfordshire in the war, and the high-street decline of the 1980s and 90s. From the mid-1970s onward Keith Chard stewarded the W.J. Jago name for over forty years, until his retirement in early 2015. With no successor in place, the shop was scheduled to close.
In March 2015, David and Sarah Gillow bought the business and reopened it. David, a lifelong jeweller and former CEO of jewellery group Galio, brought a combined fifty years of trade experience with his wife. Four years later, Jago was named a finalist for Best New Jewellery Retailer at the Inspiring Independents awards.
Today the W.J. Jago lettering is still above the door at 29 Market Place. The bench is still behind the counter. The same firm that engraved Cook's ring will size yours while you walk into town for a coffee.
“The retail industry has had some of its most challenging times ever, and I am proud we have weathered that storm and emerged stronger than ever.”
David Gillow · WatchPro, Hot 100 Retail Titans · 2015
Most high-street jewellers post repairs out, to Hatton Garden, to Birmingham, to a wholesaler\'s back room. We do not. Re-sizing a ring, soldering a worn shank, re-setting a lost diamond, re-plating a tired white-gold band, all of it is done on the bench you can see behind the counter at 29 Market Place. Three specifics most customers do not know:
The fastest way to reach us is to walk in any time Monday to Saturday between 10 and 5. If a question is easier in writing, drop your details opposite and one of us will reply within a working day, often the same afternoon.
Jago sits on the parade of independents that runs the length of the historic Charter Market, busiest on Wednesdays and Saturdays, when the market itself spreads down the cobbled run. The Clock Tower of 1405 marks the south end; the Cathedral and Abbey Church is a four-minute walk further down the High Street. Nearest pay-and-display is Sopwell Lane; the Maltings shopping centre is two minutes off Market Place.
| Monday | 10:00 - 17:00 |
| Tuesday | 10:00 - 17:00 |
| Wednesday | 10:00 - 17:00 Charter Market day |
| Thursday | 10:00 - 17:00 |
| Friday | 10:00 - 17:00 |
| Saturday | 10:00 - 17:00 Charter Market day |
| Sunday | Closed Closed. Valuations by appointment. |
Most ring re-sizes in 18ct gold or platinum are done on the bench behind the counter in 60 to 90 minutes, bring the ring in, drop it off, walk into town for a coffee, collect it before the shop shuts. Heavy gauge bands, eternity rings and antique settings sometimes need a longer sitting; we will tell you at the counter when you bring it in. There is no separate sender-out workshop in another town, every job stays at 29 Market Place.
Yes. Walk in any opening hour and one of us will weigh and value the piece in front of you on certified scales. We make an offer there and then, cash for smaller pieces, bank transfer for anything substantial, and there is no obligation. Often the right thing is to restore an inherited piece rather than melt it, and if so we will say so before we make the buy offer.
Yes. The bench sketches a design from a brief in the shop, quotes you on metal and stone before any work begins, and then builds to that quote, no surprise upcharges. A bespoke solitaire in 18ct gold with a half-carat brilliant tends to start around £1,800 all in; a platinum setting with a one-carat lab-grown diamond around £2,400. Natural diamonds and rarer cuts go above. Three weeks turnaround on a standard design, longer for anything intricate.
No. The chains are too thin to register on standard airport metal detectors and we have had Perma-jewel customers fly weekly without incident. They are also waterproof, so the shower and the pool are fine. If you ever need it off, for an MRI, a surgical procedure, or just a change of mind, we cut it off in 30 seconds at the counter with snips, no charge.
Yes, for most major mid-luxury brands. Battery and gasket on quartz movements is usually a same-day service; mechanical movement service is sent to the right specialist house, Tissot to the Tissot service centre, Citizen to Citizen, the higher-end Swiss pieces to a vetted independent, and we manage the return so you only deal with us. Pressure-testing on divers is scheduled into Wednesday workshop days.