Deakin & Francis is a jewelry company founded in 1786 by Benjamin Woolfield, specializing in the production of gold and silver cufflinks. Later, the company was joined by Charles Washington Shirley Deakin, who had previously traded with C.W.B Moore in the company under the brand name Deakin and Moore Stephen Deakin, who began to help his uncle Charles, the company became known as “Deakin and Nephew” (1879-1881).
Charles Deakin retired in 1881 and Stephen, along with his brother John H Francis, remained in charge of the company and changed its name to Deakin and Francis. In 1902 the company was registered as a limited liability company.
Following the death of Captain J H Francis during the First World War, the company was taken over by the descendants of the company’s current directors, James and Henry Deakin. It is still governed by their descendants today. Throughout its two-hundred-year history, the company has never deviated from the high standards of craftsmanship and quality that have become one of the Deakin & Francis traditions.
James and Henry are the seventh generation of the family of jewelers who founded Deakin & Francis. They took over the management of the company from their father David. Their long experience with precious materials and their passion for jewelry began back in the days when, as schoolchildren, during the holidays they helped their father with work in his jewelry workshop.
Subsequently, they honed their knowledge with the best masters in London and Switzerland. James received his full education at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and received a diploma in the specialty of jeweler-gemologist. Henry studied gemology at the International Gemological Institute in Vicenza and is a graduate with a specialization in gemology and design.
