Curiouser & Curiouser

Their jewellery has been featured in the Harry Potter films and they count Brian Adams, Kate Moss, Billy Idol, Lemmy from Motorhead and children’s author Jacqueline Wilson among their clients, so this little place should probably be a bit more famous than it is, right? And for a business that clearly pride themselves on their famous clientèle, I find it a little odd I never seem to see any staff in there. I can browse for ages without ever being approached and as a result, stepping into here feels a bit like walking into a dark, deserted little cave of jewels: not altogether unpleasant, and perhaps even the atmosphere they’re going for.
Anyway, aside from that their jewellery really is quite lovely. My favourite pieces are a range of heavy silver rings and necklaces set with a variety of precious and semi-​precious stones. They also have some beautiful freshwater pearl necklaces at the moment and these intriguing deep green earrings cut from champagne bottle glass. It’s easy to see why they’d appeal to the Goth/​rock community too, with their range of silver skull-​related jewellery (of which I’m not a fan, I must say). All in all, if you want to spend a little more money on a quality piece of solid, silver jewellery, then Curiouser & Curiouser should probably be one of your first points of call.

Being a huge fan of Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland, this misnamed shop was bound to disappoint me. I imagined a maze of quirky unique items, perhaps akin to the jumble of Snooper’s Paradise. Or knowing it was a jewellery store, I’d expect some mythical or fantastical itens. But instead, I was greeted by ugly silver skull and cross bones jewellery! On closer look, I discovered some pretty gothic items, such as silver broaches and semi precious stone necklaces. Perhaps I’ll pop by again when looking for a gift, however nothing particularly floated my boat,

I’m not sure what I was expecting wandering into a shop called Curiouser and Curiouser, but it wasn’t a large Buddha statue offering me free candy. That was just a bonus.
The shop sells crystals and stones sold separately or as pieces of colourful jewellery. Each type of stone is displayed in its own cabinet, clearly marked with name and healing purposes. Around the store are lists of birthstones by month and astrological stones for those new to crystals.
Smaller statues and the artwork set out along the base of the casings are also for sale. The clerk was busy but very helpful (as I overheard.) And, the final curious surprise: A life-​size cut out of Slash, wearing a More Cowbell t-​shirt. Delightful.

This jewelry shop has a stunning gothic treasure trove window display filled with fantastic bold silver jewelry. The style is definitely Ozzy Osbourne — huge skull rings, huge rings with semi-​precious stones– and a chic modern woman with a penchant for big and bold. When you step into the shop, and I don’t often step in, the atmosphere changes and it seems somehow a little disappointing and unwelcoming. Everything is laid out beautifully in glass cases, the jewellery is obviously good quality and comes in a variety of gem stones (amethyst, turquoise, onyx, malachite, emerald, peridot, pearl, ruby, even some diamond pieces), but nothing has a price tag so that it’s obvious that only someone seriously considering a purchase should bother the busy salesperson… how am I to know if I want to purchase if I can’t see the prices, touch the pieces and hold them up to me. To further confuse the issue the shop walls are covered with painted plaster plaques of buddha and various hindu images… and they are quite cheap-​they did have price tags!- and looked a bit cheap, I’m afraid. So some conflicting messages from the protected prices on request jewellery and the wall plaques.