The history of Clogau Gold

The Birth of Clogau Gold

In 1989 William S. Roberts was amazed to discover this mine among the beautiful Snowdonia mountains. Sadly, it had been neglected for some time but he and his family were determined to bring it back to life.

His original intention was to turn it into a tourist attraction. But strict planning restrictions in the Snowdonia National Park meant the idea never materialised. So he decided to re-open the mine in the hope that some gold was still left.

Amazingly there was, but only enough to last about 3 years of small-scale mining. One of the three miners who retrieved it was a direct descendant of those original mid-Victorian prospectors and together they amassed a small stockpile before the mine closed again in 1998.

History of the Clogau St. David’s Gold Mine

Situated amongst the mountains of Snowdonia, near a small village called Bontddu ("bont-thee"), lies the Clogau St. David’s Gold Mine. Within every piece of Clogau Gold jewellery is a touch of rare Welsh gold from this mine.

First used during Roman times, the Clogau mine started as a copper mine. Copper extraction continued until 1854 when gold was first discovered. The owner at the time, a Mr Goodman, picked up a piece of waste rock and broke it in two. As he expected, the cracked fragments showed no trace of copper. What he didn’t expect was the glittering yellow metal that was revealed – gold.

From that day on, the abandoned copper level was given a rich new life. It became the first seam of the Clogau St. David’s Gold Mine.

The mine developed into gold production in the 1862 'rush' and continued as a major operator until 1911 during which over 165,000 tons of gold ore was mined resulting in 78,507 troy ounces (2,442 kg) of gold. It worked the St David's lode of Clogau mountain alongside the co-owned Vigra Mine and became the largest and richest mine of all the gold mines in the Dolgellau gold mining area.

Although the main phase of mining ended in 1911, the mine has operated intermittently and on a much smaller scale since then.

The Gold of Royalty

Since 1923 the Royal family have been wearing wedding rings crafted from a single nugget of Clogau gold extracted from the Clogau St. David’s Gold Mine.

The tradition was founded by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (Lady Elizabeth in 1923) on her marriage to King George VI (then Duke of York) on April 26th, 1923. Her Majesty’s wedding ring was fashioned from the Clogau gold nugget owned, at the time, by a Mr. Bartholomew. The same nugget was later used by the famous designer W. J. L. Bertollé to fashion the ring that The Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh gave to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at their wedding in Westminster Abbey on 20th November, 1947.

The tradition continues to this day. Other members of the Royal Family that have worn pure Clogau Welsh gold wedding rings include Princess Margaret The Countess of Snowdon (1960), Princess Anne The Princess Royal (1973), Diana The Princess of Wales (1981), Prince Charles (1981) and most recently Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall (2005).

Rare Welsh gold

Extracting this gold used to cost as much as £1,000 per ounce, which is why we can only include a small amount in each piece. This means that Clogau Gold jewellery is not only unique but also affordable.

Unfortunately, our stockpile of Welsh gold is now in rapid decline and there is only enough to last several more years until it all runs out.

The scarcity of Welsh gold cannot be overstated. No gold mining is taking place in Wales today and the stockpiles that remain are being continually depleted. Re-opening the Clogau mine would take an enormous amount of money and the likelihood of finding Welsh gold would not be guaranteed. This makes Welsh gold one of the rarest metals in the world.

Expertly handcrafted and unique jewellery with rare Welsh gold in every piece

From the very start, Clogau has been adamant about creating jewellery of the highest quality. We use expert handcraftsmen, solid golds, solid silvers, high quality stones and diamonds – all crafted into unique, meaningful designs that are inspired by the natural beauty of Wales from where our Welsh gold originates.

Today, Clogau Gold proudly continues this tradition, which has now been passed onto William's son, Ben.

"As the story of Clogau Gold continues to unfold there's one thing that will always remain – our dedication and love for capturing our rare Welsh gold in the most unique and beautiful jewellery possible. That’s what makes Clogau Gold so special," says Ben.