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The Museum of the Jewellery Quarter’s newly renovated shop is set to open on Saturdays from 11am – 4pm throughout May.

The Museum of the Jewellery Quarter’s shop is home to a breath-taking range of beautiful jewellery created by a selection of the very best of Birmingham’s designer makers including the museum’s last Jeweller in Residence, Vanessa Miller. The shop also sells a wide variety of gifts, greetings cards and prints, and visitors to the shop can take a look through the factory window to see the Victorian and early 20^th Century jewellery factory around which the museum is built.

In addition, the museum will feature a new pop-up bookshop stocking a range of fascinating lifestyle books from fashion to jewellery, art to history and design to architecture.

Fans of Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery will spot a familiar giant book wheel in this space too. This iconic prop normally resides in the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery shop and provides a popular selfie spot for book lovers! It has now been relocated to celebrate the new collection of books available to buy at Museum of the Jewellery Quarter.

Alex Nicholson, Commercial Director at Birmingham Museums Trust said:

“It’s great to be able to reopen the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter in some way, and to be able to expand our offering with a great range of books!

“While we’re not able to reopen the museum’s historic factory just yet we are planning a programme of tours, walks and workshops later in the year, once government advice allows. In the meantime, all sales from the shop bring in vital support for Birmingham Museums so do pop in!”

The Museum of the Jewellery Quarter is built around the perfectly preserved Smith & Pepper jewellery factory. When the proprietors retired in 1981 they simply ceased trading and locked the door, unaware they would be leaving a time capsule for future generations. Although the museum itself currently remains closed, visitors to the shop will be able to have a peek of the incredible workshop from the viewing window.

The Museum of the Jewellery Quarter is cared for by Birmingham Museums Trust – an independent charity which relies on income from ticket sales, catering and retail outlets all of which have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. All sales from the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter shop support Birmingham Museums Trust in caring for Birmingham’s unique collection and the delivery of its award-winning education programme.

For further details visit: birminghammuseums.org.uk/jewellery

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