As featured in Insider Media this month:

“Our stars aligned and we were [always] meant to work together in this business,” the owners of a renowned Blackburn-based jeweller tell Insider.

Ainsworth Jewellers was founded by Phil Ainsworth’s great great grandfather, Joseph Ainsworth, in 1870. He now runs the business alongside his wife, Helen Dimmick.

Dimmick joined as a director in 2023, bringing a strong background in jewellery as a gemologist and specialist at Phillips, now known as Bonhams. She says she was born to be a jeweller, and that working alongside Phil feels like fate.

“I had this incredible moment when I first joined Phillips, where somebody recognised my surname. It’s quite unusual. The clock specialist said that my distant relative was James Dimmick, who was a clock and watchmaker for Queen Victoria.

“He would have been working at the same time as Phil’s great great grandfather. It’s in the DNA there. Somehow our stars have aligned and there’s something that was meant to be for us to work together in this business.”

Dimmick knew from the age of 16 that she wanted to be a jewellery specialist, inspired by a picture of a chest plate from the tomb of Tutankhamun. She was fascinated by its symbolism and the story it told, particularly through non-verbal communication, as her father is profoundly deaf. Encouraged by her parents, she pursued her passion for jewellery from that moment.

That passion, combined with the history of the business, is what the pair believe sets them apart from other jewellers.

“Our history has played a key part. One of the things we said around Covid time is that we would put a family museum together [which we have now done]. It’s fascinating that when customers come in, one of the things they gravitate to is the museum and we can talk to them about the various different timelines.

“But you can’t rest on your laurels. Yes, we have this 155 year history, and it does provide an element of trust, but when we decided to work together, we had to define what was important to us, [such as] our principles are community, charity and collaboration.

“You have to be genuine to do this. Jewellery is highly portable, valuable, and while some people look at it for profit, for us it’s about the heart.”

The couple have developed their large store into a destination for clients, featuring an exhibition on diamonds and a dedicated wedding ring area. They offer Inspired Bridal, a range of dresses, and a concept called Wedding Friends, a one-stop shop connecting every Lancashire supplier to the big day.

“I’m well known in the industry, but I wasn’t well known here [in Blackburn]. I joined a lot of networking groups, and I have met some phenomenal people.

“A lot of those people say we are so different. The way I would define that is I’m not interested in selling any piece of jewellery. I’m interested in matching people and jewellery. When you walk into the store, we have transformed it. The first thing that you see is the museum of the family history.

“We want to get to know our clients before we do things. It’s people first, profit second. You also have to love what you do, and we genuinely love it.”

Dimmick describes herself as the driver of the business, taking an entrepreneurial approach and pushing for immediate action. Phil, meanwhile, focuses more on the website and brings a sense of reality to their partnership. Together, their shared passion for the business keeps them constantly talking and inspiring each other. Dimmick added that they are a strong team and customers are fascinated by how they work together.

The couple do not have children to pass the business onto but they say they are aiming to “redefine what a family business means”.

“They won’t be linked by DNA, but they will be linked with shared values and via education and our outreach. It is our passion to involve other people in the business, and we will ensure it has a legacy based on fantastic principles.

“We very much want to leave a legacy. It has to be a legacy that we want to leave for future generations. We are talking now about creating a workshop within the store, which will give people the skills and opportunities to design, make, and repair jewellery. That can be part of the legacy.

“While there may not be an Ainsworth name in the store going forward, Ainsworths will live on in Blackburn through various other ways.”