COMPANY HISTORY

T. O'Donoghue Ltd. was founded in 1951 by Tom O'Donoghue who had previously been working in the trade first as an apprentice jeweler and then as a master craftsman. Tom O'Donoghue first became an apprentice in 1935 to T.M. Balson. He went on to lead his craft with several successes from the Arts Council of London. After the end of world hostilities in 1946 he set out on his own, gaining his Gemological Association Diploma in 1950 forming T.O'Donoghue Ltd was formed a year later. 

Soon T.O'Donoghue Ltd. was employing four other craftsman and in 1956 moved to its own workshop at 88 Hatton Garden, London. The business grew steadily on the back of its fine craftsmanship and the quality of its gem set jewellery, selling goods up and down the country and beyond to Germany and America. By 1964 the firm had outgrown its Hatton Garden premises and moved to the modern building it still occupies in Kirby Street. By the time the move was made the workforce had grown to 20. 

The firm attended its first international exhibition in New York along with many other British manufacturers who attended with mixed success, to the company's relief however, the show was a resounding success with Americans only too eager to buy TOD's quality handmade goods on offer. in 1974 the firm won the ACE Award for exporting.  In the same year,  Tom's son John O'Donoghue joined the firm after spending a year and a half working in Germany, France and New York. The firm  started to expand  quickly with the new impetus introduced by John. The company pushed further and further into foreign markets whilst rapidly expanding dealings in antique and secondhand jewellery. This side of the company is now as large as the manufacturing side and continues to do well in national and international markets. The firm is now a well established company with customers all around the world and attending many international exhibitions.

The firm is now run by John O'Donoghue although Tom O'Donoghue can still be found regularly in the office dealing with customers and offering his expertise on jewellery. With the wealth of experience and huge range of stocks, T.O'Donoghue Ltd is now in a position to supply all of the needs of most fine jewellers whether they require new goods or an important antique or secondhand  item.