Sponsored by
Mother and daughter team bring their passion for jewellery to the North East
Bead by bead, mother and daughter team Jill and Kate Watkin are determined to bring their passion for jewellery to the North East and beyond.
For Jill Watkin and her daughter Kate, every bead tells a story.
From Afghan silver to Aboriginal beads crafted from seeds, the Watkin women are devoted to finding treasures from all over the world to add to their Durham city shop, Lebeado.
Lebeado, on Elvet Bridge, is an Aladdin's cave filled with row upon row of jars full of beads in every colour possible, strings of necklaces and earrings and tables full of hand-crafted rings guaranteed to bring out everyone's inner magpie.
The heart of the shop is a vast Moroccan mosaic table where customers and staff gather to make necklaces, bracelets, tiaras and every conceivable kind of sparkle from the 5,000 varieties of beads on offer.
Jill's journey into the jewellery business began in 2007 when she decided to have a "mum's gap year" following the death of her father.
But fate intervened and she only ever got as far as New Zealand, where she stumbled across a beading gallery in Nelson.
Jill said: "It was fantastic in there. I bought some necklaces and made one and it dawned on me that beading is much more mainstream over there."
But it wasn't until Jill returned home that circumstances made her want to open her own shop.
She said: "Kate was down in London and working in PR and she was so fed up in her job.
"I started to wonder if there was something we could do together.
"I'm not a lady who lunches and I needed a new direction with the children leaving home."
After a whirlwind three months of market research and organisation, Kate and Jill opened their Durham store in November 2007.
The venture took off and a year later they opened another shop in Jesmond on Acorn Road.
Kate said: "We took ideas from the shops in New Zealand but we added in a fashion edge and sexed it up so Lebeado would work for a wider audience."
Then, when the recession hit, the Watkins saw a surge in popularity.
Jill said: "People are looking for inexpensive hobbies to do with their spare time because money is tight and this fits very well with that."
Kate and Jill travel the world looking for new stock for the shop, one of Kate's favourite parts of the job.
She said: "When you're in the markets in Thailand there are motorbikes coming at you, chickens everywhere and it's chaotic. People imagine it to be quite glamorous which it isn't because I always end up with food poisoning, but I absolutely love it."
Finishing each other's sentences and talking a mile-a-minute, Kate and Jill are clearly happy as business partners.
Which is a good job, as Lebeado is expanding at a rapid rate.
In October, Kate will travel to London to launch Lebeado At Home and next year the team hope to open a shop in Oxford.
There are also plans to expand worldwide and set up in Russia and Spain.
Lebeado now has 17 staff, many of whom are making a mark for themselves in fashion and artistic circles.
Katie Turnbull, 22, graduated this year from a textiles degree at Cleveland College of Art and Design and works full time in the Durham shop.
Next year, she will become a management trainee at Lebeado in Jesmond.
Katie said: "I walked past the shop when I was out one night and I knew I wanted to work there so I took my CV in and generally pestered them.
"When I was a little girl my mum Diane was always encouraging me to make things, usually a mess!
"Our house was full of paints and Play-doh."
While at university, Katie worked part time and saved her money so she could travel to Rome, Venice, Mexico and Cuba.
She said: "Just being in a different place is an inspiration.
"It's good to see different cultures, and hear different music and just see the street performers and walk through the markets."
Jill, Kate and the Lebeado team are keen to share their expertise and offer informal taster classes for adults and children, hen parties and children's parties.
Wedding favours, bridal work, jewellery for children and designer lines by Jackie Brazil, titiMadam, Michael Negrin, Marcelle Lawson-Smith and St Erasmus are also on offer.
Jill said: "We sell jewellery from 50p to 400 so there's something for everyone.
"It's so lovely to see people come in and get hooked on beading. It is so therapeutic and relaxing."
Samantha Taylor, 21, would agree.
After going to a beading party taught by Katie Turnbull, she got the bug and decided to come back for more.
Samantha said: "I've come in to make a necklace for my grandmother's 75th birthday. I'm making something that's similar to her favourite necklace but I've changed the clasp so she can fasten it as she has problems with her hands now.
"If you talk to the staff they're happy to help and make it less of a challenge.
"You can change your design as you go as well without spoiling anything or having to start again."
And it's not just beads from other countries that find their way to the shop.
Jill said: "Lots of our beads come from local artists because it's a small world and you have to support each other."
Kate said: "We look for designs that are different so our customers can make something that no one else has.
"Personally I like ethnic jewellery and Ancient Afghan pieces whereas mum likes the really wacky unusual stuff.
"We both make an effort to wear great pieces because everyone knows what we do and that's the first thing they look at!"
Jill said: "We've both got tons of jewellery now and I'd feel naked if I went out without a necklace. I've got some really special pieces, like a set of Aboriginal beads made out of seeds and a bracelet made out of early Roman glass.
"Generally, I feel like I came to jewellery quite late in life because I was always too busy but my husband Karl reminded me the other day that when we first met I used to wear really wacky stuff and had three ear piercings before it was popular."
* For more information, call 0191 370 9873 or 0191 239 9009, or log on to www.lebeado.co.uk
Read more in today's Echo
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Sunderland
Tuesday 07 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -3 C to 6 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: -2 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: South
