Austen & Blake

8 Greville St, EC1N 8SB · View on Google Maps · Visit website · 02076601568

Austen & Blake was founded in 2012 by a family with four generations in the trade, who began by making jewellery for other retailers before selling under their own name. The first store opened in Manchester in 2018 and there are now 16 UK showrooms, of which Greville Street is the London one.

That matters for setting expectations. This is a retail chain that happens to have an address in Hatton Garden, rather than a Hatton Garden workshop that grew. The model is a configurator: choose a diamond, choose a setting, and it is made to order in their own workshop. The pitch is explicitly value-led, with less waste and a fair price rather than craft heritage.

The practically useful thing about them is the diary. They trade seven days a week including Sunday, which most of Hatton Garden does not. If Sunday is the only day you and your partner can both go, that narrows the field sharply, though Heera also opens on Sundays if you want to compare two on one trip. They ask you to request an appointment rather than advertising walk-ins, and they offer virtual appointments too.

The process is deliberately simple: select a diamond from their inventory, select a setting, and every piece is then made to order in their workshop rather than pulled from stock. Both natural and lab-grown are available on any ring. In-store guidance comes from staff they call Jewellery Experts, and the same configurator is available online.

Their site asks you to request an appointment rather than stating a walk-in policy, so book ahead. Hours are Monday to Saturday 10am to 6pm and Sunday 11am to 5pm, which is broader than anyone else in the quarter and includes the Sunday everyone else closes for. Virtual appointments are available if you would rather start remotely.

There is a manufacturer warranty and 30-day returns. They do not publish production timescales, which given that everything is made to order is the single most useful thing they could add. Ask for a date in writing.

The distribution is more divided than any other jeweller on this site. Google shows 1,288 reviews; of the 1,190 we analysed, 1,096 are five star and 76 are one star, with almost nothing in between. That is a 92 per cent five-star rate, which is good, alongside a one-star rate roughly six times what the other high-volume jewellers here carry.

The praise is specific and consistent. 128 reviewers mention how much the consultant knew and 68 describe being given time with their questions, with a further 17 saying they arrived knowing nothing about diamonds and were walked through it. When an appointment here goes well it clearly goes very well.

The complaints cluster rather than scatter, which is what makes them worth reading. Twenty mention delays or missed dates, 16 describe difficulty getting a refund, 14 report messages going unanswered, eight raise quality or workmanship, and seven describe unwelcoming service. The refund cluster is the one to take seriously, because everything is made to order and a made-to-order piece is harder to return by default. They reply to 38 percent of reviews including many critical ones, which is more than most.

Worth noting on timing: 866 of the 1,190 we analysed are from the past year alone. This is a fast-growing operation, and both the praise and the complaints are recent rather than historic.

Review figures taken from Google and checked in July 2026. We recount them monthly.

This suits someone whose availability is the constraint. If you both work weekdays and Saturday is difficult, Sunday opening puts this on a very short list, and 128 reviewers describing genuinely helpful staff suggests the visit is worth having.

It also suits a buyer who wants lab-grown and natural presented as equal options, and who values a national chain with a warranty behind it over a one-person studio.

Approach with more care if your timeline is tight or your budget is at full stretch. The recurring complaints are about dates slipping and money being hard to get back, so get the delivery date in writing before you pay, and read the returns terms properly given everything is made to order.

What are Austen & Blake London opening hours?

Monday to Saturday 10am to 6pm and Sunday 11am to 5pm at 8 Greville Street, EC1N 8SB, per their Google Business Profile. Sunday opening is unusual in Hatton Garden, where most of the quarter closes at the weekend. Their site asks you to request an appointment rather than advertising walk-ins, so book ahead.

Are the reviews for Austen & Blake good?

Mostly, but the split is unusual. Of 1,190 reviews, 1,096 are five star and 76 are one star with little in between. The criticism clusters around delays, refund difficulty and unanswered messages rather than being scattered, which is why it is worth reading rather than averaging.

Can I return an Austen & Blake ring?

They advertise 30-day returns and a manufacturer warranty. However, everything is made to order, and 16 reviewers specifically describe difficulty getting refunds. Read the returns terms carefully before paying, particularly on a customised piece.

Do Austen & Blake offer lab-grown diamonds?

Yes. Every engagement ring can be made with either a lab-grown or a natural diamond, and both are made to order in their own workshop.