Hancocks & Co is a retail

jeweller A bench jeweler is an artisan who uses a combination of skills to make and repair jewelry. Some of the more common skills that a bench jeweler might employ include antique restoration, silversmith, Goldsmith, stone setting, engraving, fabricat ...

in London, founded on 1 January 1849 by Charles F. Hancock, a former partner of Storr and Mortimer. The first shop was opened at a corner of

Bruton Street Bruton Street is a street in London's Mayfair district. It runs from Berkeley Square in the south-west to New Bond Street in the north-east, where it continues as Conduit Street. Notable residents have included Field Marshal John Campbell, 2n ...

and New Bond Street, in London. It has moved several times since then. Hancocks has become notable for the manufacture of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

medals and also for the various Royal Warrants that it holds. It has been based in the

Burlington Arcade Burlington Arcade is a covered shopping arcade in London, England, United Kingdom. It is long, parallel to and east of Bond Street from Piccadilly through to Burlington Gardens. It is one of the precursors of the mid-19th-century European sh ...

in London since 1998.

History

Hancocks' first gallery opened at a corner of

and

New Bond Street Bond Street in the West End of London links Piccadilly in the south to Oxford Street in the north. Since the 18th century the street has housed many prestigious and upmarket fashion retailers. The southern section is Old Bond Street and the ...

, in London in 1849. Hancocks subsequently moved in 1917 to

Vigo Street Vigo Street (originally Vigo Lane) is a short street in central London that is named after the Anglo-Dutch naval victory over the French and Spanish in the 1702 Battle of Vigo Bay. It has important literary connections. Location The street ru ...

, in 1970 to

Burlington Gardens Burlington Gardens is a street in central London, on land that was once part of the Burlington Estate. Location The street is immediately to the north of the Royal Academy of Arts and joins Old Bond Street and New Bond Street in the west and ...

and in 1998 to its current location at 52 & 53 Burlington Arcade. Hancocks has exhibited at several renowned exhibitions. The first exhibition that Hancocks attended was the Great Exhibition at

the Crystal Palace The Crystal Palace was a cast iron and plate glass structure, originally built in Hyde Park, London, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. The exhibition took place from 1 May to 15 October 1851, and more than 14,000 exhibitors from around th ...

in 1851. It then participated in international exhibitions at Paris in 1867 and Vienna in 1873 where Hancocks was awarded medals of excellence. Hancocks continues to participate in major exhibitions such as Grosvenor House, Maastricht and New York. In 1998, Hancocks acquired the business of S.J. Rood, diamond merchants and jewellery manufacturers. S.J. Rood were themselves awarded a Royal Warrant by

Mary of Teck Mary of Teck (Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes; 26 May 186724 March 1953) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 6 May 1910 until 20 January 1936 as the wife of King-Empe ...

, queen consort of King

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...

, in 1921 and are famous as the creators of the “For....” series of rings which were gifted to Queen Mary’s ladies-in-waiting on their marriage. Hancocks currently occupy the former S.J. Rood premises in Burlington Arcade.

Royal Appointments and Warrants

On 13 August 1849, after only eight months in business, Hancocks received the Royal Appointment of

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. Many of the principal sovereigns of Europe also became regular patrons. There can be little doubt that the rapid expansion by Charles Hancock during the formative years of the Company led to Hancocks being entrusted with the design and production of the Victoria Cross on the inception of the award in 1856. This medal is still made exclusively by Hancocks. In 1962 the Company was granted the Royal Warrant as Goldsmiths and Silversmiths to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.

S.J. Rood

S.J. Rood was established in London’s Burlington Arcade in 1873 by the Allen family. From 1900 onwards the firm enjoyed great success with affluent Londoners and was awarded a Royal Warrant by Queen Mary. It operated independently until it were acquired by Hancocks in 1998. Hancocks then took over the Rood premises in Burlington Arcade, where they remain trading today. Holland VC f&b

Current business

Hancocks, founded in 1849, is still family owned by Stephen and Janie Burton, and is one of London's oldest specialist dealers buying and selling rare and collectable jewels. They are based in historical premises in The Burlington Arcade in London.

References

External links

Hancocks website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hancocks Purveyors to the Imperial and Royal Court British Royal Warrant holders Victoria Cross British jewellers