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An iconic, family-run business that has welcomed generation after generation of tourists and families is hoping that its fresh eco focus, masterclasses and a soon-to-be upgraded café and menu will help keep the generations coming.
Amid challenges facing hospitality and tourism, Express found out about how Jersey Pearl is adapting to thrive as it edges closer to its 40th birthday...
Someone who knows the importance of family better than most is Jersey Pearl Director Julia Williams – her brother Mike is Managing Director and her daughter Annabelle (16) works in the café on weekends.
She is the third generation to be looking after the business, which was founded by her grandfather, Fred Scragg, her uncle Michael Scragg, and her dad, John Taylor, in 1985.
On the day it opened, the car park to the 15,000sqft St Ouen showroom was full of coaches, and a queue stretched from the front door to the main road – an early signal of the iconic status it would reach among tourists and islanders alike.
Pictured: Julia travels the world to find the best pearls and the newest trends in the sector (Dave Ferguson)
It started with a simple concept: that "holiday time is special", Julia explained.
"You come together as a family, you have a magical time. And therefore, when you were in Jersey having this magical time, how do you capture it? How do you take it home? How do you smile every time you go to a jewellery box or a drawer and put something on?"
Marking these moments with jewellery is a point of pride for Julia, with families coming back generation after generation.
Jersey Pearl has become a part of families' history – redesigning jewellery for weddings and becoming a tradition for visitors.
"When someone says: 'I've come over from Australia or Canada because my granny was from here' and they buy something of ours to take away – you know that those sort of things are magic," Julia adds.
Pictured: Employee Mia Pirouet holds up a pearl (Dave Ferguson)
The Pick-a-Pearl area has been going for at least 30 years. According to Julia, grandparents bring their grandchildren, saying: "I did it with your mum when she was 10 or 12 and I've been waiting to do it with you."
Despite being entrenched in family tradition, not least Julia's own, the business is evolving, adapting to the new generation of managers and a change in demand in the travel and retail industries.
In 2013, the team was named Jewellery Brand of the Year by the magazine Retail Jeweller, the sector's main publication – which Julia says marked a moment of "generational transition".
The pandemic was a major blow – not only are Jersey Pearl in retail, they are in holiday retail. But Julia said was "proud" of the Jersey Pearl "family" for coming together and becoming a support system with barbecues, painting and a Christmas party in June (all within the rules, of course).
Not only did the team grow closer, but changing their thinking made them innovate.
Brilliance Festival was born out of the pandemic, bringing together jewellers who normally work separately for a calendar of events, demonstrations and workshops.
"We never would have done that if it hadn't been for the trickyness of covid. We would have just carried on in our own little world of doing what we're doing," Julia says.
Pictured: Jersey Pearl has, through its history, aimed to give people holiday memories to take home and cherish. (Dave Ferguson)
Normally, Julia travels the world to find the best pearls and bring the back to the island – meeting producers and finding out about new manufacturing and culturing processes. But the pandemic forced her to do this virtually for four years.
The brand has also reassessed marketing messages for a new generation of customers.
"Do you go on holiday like your parents do? Do you pay your bills like your parents do, do you shop like your parents do? No, you don't," Julia says.
"Just as tourism has changed the experience that was needed X many years ago, and we'll have to change too at Jersey Pearl, we change every year."
They have introduced measures to be more sustainable – eco-gems, plastic-free packaging and offsetting the pearl's carbon footprint are all part of what Julia calls "doing what bit we can".
A major win for Julia was reimagining Jersey Pearl’s tassel bracelet – a classic of the brand – which is now made out of recycled bottles instead of polyester. A limited edition version also recently helped raise funds for charity Beresford Street Kitchen.
Last year, a planning application to demolish and redevelop the site as homes was put forward, but later withdrawn. Julia says there are lots of big plans to keep the business thriving in the works.
Masterclasses and a café that will see a big revamp over the winter add to the brand’s evolution – with the new food spot with a “whole new menu, who new design” due to open in the spring.
But with so much constant regeneration, the business’s core mission remains intact: “A lot of things are so similar. We are still making memories on holiday.”
This is a snippet of a feature in the December 2023/January 2024 edition of Connect Magazine, which you can pick up around the island or read in full below...
Pictured - top, from left: Julia Williams with her parents, Angie and John Taylor. (Dave Ferguson)
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