New bosses for one of Hartlepool's oldest firms

Mark Lloyd started his career as an apprentice at H Lamb in the town - and now he and his wife Michelle have agreed a deal to take over Lamb’s and run it alongside their existing business, Mobeus, which he set up in 2004.

Michelle will work in the Lamb’s store alongside John Davey, who helped Mark learn the ropes, and who was in charge having taken over the York Road store from Harry Lamb.

John will come in for two days a week, with Mark taking on more of a behind-the-scenes role.

That will allow him to work on his ever-expanding order book for the Mark Lloyd Jewellery Collection.

Michelle said: “It is a very exciting time for us, and this really is an opportunity for us to take the business to the next level.

“Lamb’s is an institution in Hartlepool, it has been here many years and has built up a loyal base of customers.

“It’s a common misconception that Lamb’s and Mobeus are rivals - that couldn’t be further from the truth.

“Mark started his career with Lamb’s under John’s guidance, and he views him as something of a mentor.

“Mobeus will remain as it is in Park Road, it’s more of a service and repairs based business, and Mark will be able to put all of his energies into what he does as a designer and craftsman.”

While Mark designs and creates rings, Michelle has ambitious plans to provide more of an “experience” for couples choosing and designing their wedding bands.

She added: “When you think of a wedding, there is always a lot made over choosing the dress.

“Brides take their mother and friends, they make a day of it, and it is a real big thing.

“I understand that completely, but it always surprises me that rings are often just seen as routine, when in actual fact the ring is what the whole ceremony is about.

“The ring is a symbol of eternity. The dress is taken off at the end of the day and put away, the rings are there forever and I intend to make it a real VIP service for the customer.

“They can pick their own elements for the ring, from stones to precious metal, and then we can show them our workshop and how it will be crafted and created.

“There is always a story behind the rings we create, people bring us family heirlooms to work with, they are unique and often sentimental.”