Clogau Gold is a relatively young company. Despite this, it’s the company’s deep ties to Welsh history and tradition which makes it so significant.
The story of the Clogau St. David’s Gold Mine began in 1854. One day in the spring of that year, the owner of mine (which was then only thought to contain copper), accidently stumbled across glistening yellow pieces from within a piece of waste rock extracted from the mine – the first signs of Clogau Welsh gold. From this point one, the mine was no longer to extract copper and instead became the Clogau St. David’s Gold Mine.
This mine actually dated back to the Roman era when it was very first discovered and proved to later be one of Wales’s most productive mines in the late 19th and early 20th centuries during the Welsh ‘Gold Rush’.
This same mine, left abandoned, was later discovered by a Welsh family some 20 years ago in 1989. Its founder, William Roberts, initially intended to open the mine as a tourist attraction. However, this idea was overturned due to strict planning restrictions within the Snowdonia National Park area. William subsequently decided to gamble on the idea that there may still be some Welsh gold left within the hills. Luckily this risk paid off and there was enough gold left to complete three years worth of small scale mining which began in 1992, where small amounts of precious rose-coloured gold was extracted.
The decision was made by William to use this infamous gold to produce jewellery of the utmost beauty and quality using Wales as the sole inspiration behind the designs and creations. And so in 1994 the brand “Clogau Gold” was born with the launch of their very first jewellery range consisting of just five lines.
Due to the scarcity of the Welsh gold and the extraordinary cost associated with mining it – £1,000 per ounce – the decision was made to only include a small amount of the gold in each piece of jewellery created. This way the gold would last as long as possible and the jewellery would be more affordable to jewellery lovers who wished to own their own piece of Clogau Welsh gold.
Clogau Welsh gold is so precious that a single nugget of it has been used to create wedding rings for generations of the Royal Family beginning with the Queen Mother in 1923. Subsequently The Queen, Princess Margaret, Princess Diana, Prince Charles and The Duchess of Cornwall all had wedding rings made from the same nugget of pure Clogau Welsh gold.
The high cost of mining and the diminishing quantities of gold being found caused the eventual cessation of mining at the Clogau St. David’s mine in 1995, followed by the final closure in 1998. As a result of this, our Welsh gold supply will eventually run out making it the rarest gold in the world – based on current estimates, we expect our supply of Welsh gold to be completely gone by around 2016.
Attempts have been made to make use of the discontinued mine. The idea of re-opening the mine in the hope that there is more gold left is an extremely appealing one, but the cost of doing so would be very expensive – six times as much extracting gold anywhere else. Therefore the future of the Clogau St. David’s mine remains unknown.
The Clogau Gold story so far…
William’s son, Ben, replaced him as Managing Director of Clogau Gold in 2007 after working his way up through a series of different jobs within the company, making Clogau Gold a true family-run business.
Ben reminisces, “It never fails to amaze me when I think back to the early days of Clogau Gold nearly 20 years ago.I was a young boy back then but I can remember my father being hugely excited about a gold mine he had discovered in the wild Snowdonia mountains. I didn’t quite understand what all the fuss was about at the time but as I grew up I would always be inspired by his dedication to do what he really believed in.” This inspiration contributed towards Ben being awarded the Bangor University Business Person of the Year by the Daily Post Achievement Wales 2009 Business Awards in recognition of his and his team’s hard work and efforts which demonstrates how far he has come since being a young boy looking up to his father.
Today, Clogau Gold is one of the fastest growing jewellery brands on the UK high street and stands proud amongst some of the strongest brands in the industry. Clogau Gold sells through multiple channels including independent and multiple jewellery stores, department stores, duty-free in-flight magazines, TV shopping channels, and direct mail. Clogau Gold is available in over 500 outlets in the UK including retailers such as H. Samuel, F Hinds and Goldsmiths and is consistently ranked in the top 3 selling gold brands in the UK between the £150 to £500 price range.
Clogau has moved on since it first began in 1989 with only 3 employees (who were also miners) to now employing around 35 people to operate its North Wales head office. One thing that hasn’t changed significantly is the design process. Once Ben has an idea for a new piece, it is briefed and sent to one of the many Clogau designers who create an initial design concept. The design is then reproduced using computer-aided design software to send to the manufacturer. The jewellery then has to complete a 7-stage quality control process before it is approved.
Without a doubt, the natural beauty and traditions associated with Wales are the main inspiration behind the jewellery that Clogau Gold produces which is reflected in the popular collections that currently exist in Clogau’s range including the Tree of Life collection, the Milestones collection, the Sessile Oak collection and the Cariad collection.
In 2010 Clogau Gold continues to release new inspiring collections and additional pieces, keeping its customers engaged with the brand. At the beginning of the year Clogau Gold unveiled a more contemporary collection at the annual Spring Fair trade show. As Ben said “The new range is a great reflection of the direction Clogau is moving in. A little more on the contemporary side than previous renowned collections, but still emulating the natural touch that is quintessentially Clogau”.
After growing rapidly in the UK over the past 3 years Clogau Gold is now turning its focus to international markets, particularly those in America and Asia. In a bid to create Clogau Gold as an internationally recognized brand, Clogau Gold plans to further target the travel retail sector while it already sells through British Airways, Virgin and Air Canada flights.
Ben, however, believes that the volatility of the jewellery market including fluctuating gold prices will make the year an ‘interesting’ one.
"As the story of Clogau Gold continues to unfold there's one thing that will always remain - our dedication and love for permanently capturing this beautiful Welsh gold in the most uniquely beautiful jewellery. That's what Clogau is all about." says Ben.