Picketts & Pursers has kept the same family behind the counter in the heart of Petersfield since Thomas Pickett opened as a watchmaker and jeweller in 1850. Today Sarah Nutbrown, the fifth generation, runs a showroom of fine jewels, watches and clocks, with repairs, valuations and remodelling all seen to under one roof.
The kind of shop that repairs, values and remakes as well as sells, with trade-qualified staff at every counter.
Ring resizing, clasp and chain work, restringing, and watch batteries and movements seen to on the premises. A wedding band shaped to sit flush against the ring beside it. One customer brought in an ID bracelet and had it back the same afternoon.
Written valuations prepared in-house by trade-qualified staff. The document is matched to its purpose, an insurance replacement valuation is not the same as one written for probate or for a sale. We examine each piece, photograph it and describe it in full.
A ring that no longer fits the life, a brooch nobody wears, a good stone in a drawer. Bring the piece in, we talk it through at the counter, and the workshop reworks it into something worn again. The part of the trade we are asked for most.
Diamonds and coloured gemstones, new and pre-owned jewellery, wedding and engagement rings, watches and clocks, silver, fine china and glass. Names in the cabinets include Seiko, Rotary, Raymond Weil, Dartington and Waterford.
Thomas Pickett opened as a watchmaker, jeweller and goldsmith in 1850, the fascia reading Watchmaker, Pickett, Jeweller at number 153. In the 1920s the family took on John Purser and Sons, Jewellers to the Admiralty, and the name Picketts & Pursers was born.
The shop has carried on through two world wars and a great deal of changing fashion, always the same family, now at the head of Rams Walk. Sarah Nutbrown, who grew up in the trade, is the fifth generation to keep the doors open.
“A nod to bygone years, when service and courtesy was a normal expectation. Second to none.” From a customer review
Most of what crosses the bench is sentimental rather than spare. A ring from a marriage now ended, a grandmother’s brooch nobody wears, a loose stone that has sat in a drawer for years. The work is to keep what matters and make it wearable again.
From the Victorian Pickett window to the lit shopfront on Rams Walk, the family has only ever traded a few steps from The Square.
A short note to start, with no obligation. The real work happens at the counter, once we can see the piece in person. Or simply phone 01730 264244 and ask, the shop is open Monday to Saturday.
9 Rams Walk
Petersfield GU32 3JA
Phone · 01730 264244
Email · enquiries@pickettsandpursers.com
We are at the top of Rams Walk, the covered precinct off The Square, where the lead statue of William III has stood since the 1700s. Petersfield is the gateway to the South Downs, with the Heath and its pond a short walk from the door.
OPENING HOURSOpen all day Saturday, the busy market day in The Square. Closed Sundays.
Yes. Resizing, clasp and chain work, restringing, and watch batteries and movements are seen to on the premises by trade-qualified staff rather than sent away. Bring the piece to 9 Rams Walk and we will talk through the work and the timing before anything starts. A recent ID-bracelet repair was done in about three hours.
Yes. We prepare written valuations in-house, examining and photographing each piece and describing it in full. We match the valuation to its purpose, because an insurance replacement valuation is written differently to one for probate or for a sale. Your details stay confidential.
That is the part of the trade we are asked for most. Bring in the piece or a picture of an idea, and the workshop reworks what you already own into something worn every day. Stones come out of a drawer and back onto a hand.
Yes. The cabinets carry new and pre-owned jewellery, watches and clocks, and we are happy to talk about antique and estate pieces over the counter. Call in, or phone 01730 264244 first if you would like to bring something specific in.
Yes. Five generations of the Pickett family have run the shop since Thomas Pickett opened it in 1850, from Thomas to Reginald, Michael and Christopher, and today Sarah Nutbrown. The showroom has been likened to stepping back in time, and we rather like that.