Obituary: Eric N Smith, award-winning jewellery designer

Died: April 3, 2019

ERIC Norris Smith, who has died aged 69, was a well-known award-winning jewellery designer who gained an international reputation for his bespoke diamond designs and headed up a successful retail jewellery business for 45 years.

Born in Ralston, Paisley, on June 1, 1949, Eric was the elder of two children of Margaret and Alexander Smith who was senior designer for the Templeton Carpet Factory in Glasgow.

After schooling at Croftfoot Primary and King’s Park Secondary where Eric excelled in technical drawing, he secured a bursary to complete his secondary education at the independent Allan Glen’s School in Glasgow.

He then studied at Glasgow School of Art where he graduated in design, earning major plaudits for his course work. Such were his design skills and creativity he lifted the prestigious De Beers Diamond International Award while still a student and was one of its youngest ever recipients.

On graduating he was offered the chance to study at the Royal Academy of Art in London but instead opted for the jewellery workshop of Hamilton & Inches in Edinburgh, allowing him to hone his jewellery manufacturing skills. Diamond jewellery design became his professional – and lifelong – passion and his reputation grew as fast as the demand for his beautiful pieces.

He set up in his first small workshop in Hamilton before expanding to a bigger space in Bothwell. He designed and manufactured diamond jewellery for more than 120 retail outlets in the UK – 40 of them in London – before launching the business, Eric N Smith Ltd, based in Newton Mearns in 1979.

In those early days the workshop occupied the smallest of five units in a building on the busy Ayr Road. By the time he retired the business had taken over all five, developing a chic jewellery and luxury goods emporium with an in-house design and repair workshop.

He met his beloved wife Yvonne through the local youth fellowship group in 1966 and the couple married in 1972.

Yvonne joined Eric in the business in 1979 and headed up the sales team while Eric led the creative workshop. They were a strong partnership, committed to developing the business, travelling the world together on buying trips for diamonds, sapphires, pearls and the latest big-brand designer watches. Eric, also at one point, as well as having clients coming from all over the world, designed for and supplied for six shops in Japan.

At his Newton Mearns HQ, Eric and his team of expert craftsmen became well known for their creation of bespoke jewellery, especially engagement rings. Over decades, Eric drew great pleasure from designing for the subsequent family generations who followed in their parents’ – and sometimes grandparents’ – footsteps in their choice of engagement ring maker. To Eric’s shop the eventual newlyweds would later turn for gifts when their first-born babies arrived.

Eric’s expertise, craftsmanship and creativity secured a string of national awards including twice being named as UK Designer of the Year in the prestigious UK Jewellery Awards – regarded as his profession’s ‘Oscars’.

He also created pieces for The Queen and The Princess Royal. His Morse Collection which saw him create ‘secret’ messages in diamond dots and dashes gained global attention.

In 2013 he completed a project to restore the Glasgow jewellery mark which had been first struck 50 years earlier. The internationally recognised stamp of quality was a combined tree, bird, bell and fish, based on Glasgow’s coat of arms.

Eric’s attention to detail and his catalogue of design collections led to customer loyalty which spanned decades. Invitations to his annual pre-Christmas client parties were much sought after with the focus of the gathering as much social as it was retail. Eric enjoyed nothing more than having a chat with his clients, old and new alike, over a glass of bubbly.

As an employer too he enjoyed loyalty with many of his team having notched up decades of service as they rose from apprentices to senior craftsmen. Indeed, when Eric announced the retirement plans he said telling his long-serving staff members was the toughest thing he had ever had to do.

Away from the design workshop he loved walking his Jack Russell dogs Tiggi and Jules and enjoyed golf, driving and holidays with Yvonne. He was a keen sailor and one of his last major voyages was to bring his yacht back from Majorca to Tarbert, a trip he did to mark his 60th birthday, sharing sections of the journey with a string of close friends as well as Yvonne.

Eric was a great charity supporter, quietly donating his sought-after pieces which would be auctioned to raise funds for a wide range of fundraising organisations. He was a Freeman of the City of Glasgow and of London. For 22 years he exhibited at the Goldsmiths Hall in London at their annual showcase of British designers.

Eric and Yvonne also loved spending time at their beloved holiday home on Majorca which had allowed them both to escape the pressures of running the business. They had planned to spend more of their retirement on the island – but alas, it was not to be.

When in mid-March Eric was rushed to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, the team at the intensive care unit showed incredible dedication to caring for him and Yvonne said she believed Eric was in the best hands in the world. Sadly, the fight to overcome his ill health was just too tough and Eric slipped away with Yvonne by his side.

He died less than a year after retiring and closing the business he ran with his wife Yvonne.

Eric is survived by his wife Yvonne, sister Carol-Anne and nephew, Fraser.

PETER SAMSON