Diamonds & Pearls

What a strange shop! Positioned on the upper level of the St. Johns Centre, I could not really get a grasp of it.
When entering, there is a stand of colourful beaded necklaces. One step to the right, and some statement jewellery with a tribal influence creeps into the eye line.
Progressing further into the shop, I discovered a pretty range of sparkly scarves and some dainty little hair bands with bows. It was all going averagely well, when I made an unfortunate discovery.
Diamonds & Pearls stock a range of make-​up promoted by a certain two celebrities. They are Transylvanian twins. Who sang about touching their bum. A lot. That’s right, make-​up by Europop wannabes, The Cheeky Girls! An extremely odd product to uncover. The rest of the shop is a confused mix of photo frames, gift bags and sentimental keepsakes.
I do buy cheaper, more disposable jewellery so I have a greater range when accessorising outfits. But I was not really impressed by the choice at Diamonds & Pearls. I think more attractive items could be bought elsewhere, at a cheaper price.

Hmm… if you don’t shop for quality and you like all things bold bright and flashy you’re in for a treat!
The jewellery at Diamonds and Pearls is a mix of standard flimsy metal gold and silver dangly earrings of various designs and some more far out pieces. They have a range of headbands featuring spotty feathers and over-​sized bows… there are also plenty of giant vividly-​coloured flowers going on and chunky necklaces in strange shapes and all the colours of the rainbow. I am a fan of bright colours when chosen carefully and I do have a bit of a magpie eye when it comes to glistening items… but most of the products here just have a touch of the tawdry about them.
They also sell a clumsy cacophony of ‘gifts’ that I wouldn’t touch with a plastic gem encrusted barge pole.
However, I’m sure plenty a teenage girl will love this place!

Oh now here’s a tricky one. Ok so there’s hoards of shiny, and you’ve just made your way past the little hand bag and accessories stall that was trying to sell you goodies like glittery Willow the Wisps that tempt you deeper into the moors of pauperdom, and then you come across Diamonds and Pearls.
From the outset it is the Jolly Roger of glitteryness. I don’t even know what that means. But that’s what it is, and if you are of the pirate/​magpie ilk this is meant to attract you. And as Alexandra has so poignantly noted, pink and ‘girly’ is a theme.
In exciting colour co-​ordinated rows they house hoards and hoards of treasure, from all the matching bracelet, earrings and necklace sets, hair accessories, rings, belts and other paraphernalia that you could imagine. Cheap as chips? Well, in this instance that is a subjective question. For about £10 (give or take) you can buy a necklace. So, not bad compared to say House of Fraser own brand awful jewellery, or Accessorize, or even Topshop and so on. But then, what are you paying for? Certainly not Diamonds and Pearls as the name suggests. I’ll leave it up to you to decide, as I said, it is entirely dependent on your opinion.
For my money I wouldn’t buy their stock as that extra special gift for someone, but I might spend a tenner on something that catches my eye, being aware that though it may exceed the longevity of a Primarni item, it won’t live much longer than one either.

Diamonds and Pearls is a shop that I avoid like the plague. Simply because it is overwhelming;y sparkly. I am not a fan of sparkly things really, especially when they are in huge quantities of over-​priced jewlerry.
The layout of the shop is quite odd, like a show room with too much squished into it. And there is an overpowering sense of stereotypical femininity and pink. I really don’t like it. Prince would probably blaspheme if he saw this place named after one of his hits, even though he is now a devout Jehovah’s Witness. Oh yes and think the Cheeky Girls. Yes you did read it right I’m afraid. A few weeks ago the Cheeky Girls made a celebrity appearance at Diamonds and Pearls in the city that I call home. What a mess this world is.
On the other hand, when looking on their website it doesn’t look too bad. But maybe that’s because the website isn’t pink​.hm. Still I’m not a fan.
If you are looking for a present for a relative who likes that sort of thing then why not, but for some reason I feel weird recommending anyone to spend their money here.