Jewellery Maker is a British jewellery shopping channel that launched on 4 May 2010 and is a sister channel of Sewing Quarter. The presentation and format of the channel is similar to the crafting channel Create & Craft. Jewellery Maker is available on Freesat, Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media and online. The channel operations are based at Ivy House in Studley, Warwickshire. The channel currently broadcasts live from 8am to 10pm. It rebroadcasts the live shows during its downtime. The channel's website live streams all programming, as well as providing video tutorials and workshops. With a staff of over 100 people, the company is based in Studley, in the West Midlands.
History
Jewellery Maker was launched on 4 May 2010 after The Colourful Company Group successfully purchased the Thomas Cook TV EPG slot on Sky. For the first 2 months, the channel broadcast solely pre-recorded shows. On 7 July 2010, Jewellery Maker started broadcasting live, due to the completion of the sale involving rival channel Gems TV. Jewellery Maker is currently using the former Rocks TV studio, after it moved into the former Gems TV 2 studio following the acquisition of Gems TV UK Limited. On 10 August 2010, Jewellery Maker launched on Freesat channel 807. On 8 September 2010, the channel also launched on Virgin Media channel 756, replacing Gems TV 2. In 2015 the Immediate Media Company acquired Jewellery Maker from the Genuine Gemstone Company, adding to Immediate's Craft and Arts portfolio.
Freeview
Following the acquisition of a 24-hour Freeview slot for Gems TV in 2011, Jewellery Maker began to broadcast on Freeview channel 43 during its live hours, as Gems TV was broadcast as a teleshopping block on 5* during this period; channel 43 relayed Gems TV between 1pm and 9am. The arrangement was later flipped such that the 5* block would carry the Jewellery Maker live day show on all platforms, allowing channel 43 to relay the core Gems TV channel at all times. In January 2015, the Jewellery Maker channel was removed from Channel 64 on the Freeview Channel List, and was later replaced with CBS Action. On 6 July 2015, it was announced a new Jewellery Maker channel will be provided, with a new channel number. On 27 July 2015, the Jewellery Maker channel started broadcasting again, this time on channel 76, between 8am and 12pm, replacing the old block shown on the 5* channel. Jewellery Maker moved to channel 74 on Freeview on 26 June 2018. To make space for Sewing Quarter, the channel moved to the COM7 multiplex on Freeview, where it currently resides until 26th February 2020, the channel moved to the COM6 multiplex and now broadcasts from it’s old hours 8am to 1pm where its currently resides, which replaced Sewing Street on the platform.
As of 1 March 2012, the channel also broadcasts live from 5pm to 9pm in what is billed as "The Late Show". As Gems TV was using Freeview 43 at these times, The Late Show was only broadcast on Jewellery Maker's dedicated satellite and cable channels. Following the removal of the BT Sport Preview promotional channel, and the remaining Top Up TV services, from the DTT platform at the start of November 2013, the shopping channel Marketplace increased its broadcast hours to provide a round-the-clock shopping service; TGGC leased a four-hour programming block on this station to allow the Jewellery Maker Late Show to be simulcast. Marketplace is not broadcast as a channel on satellite or cable platforms. The cessation of Marketplace in February 2014 means Jewellery Maker has reverted to its prior day-show-only service on Freeview.
Designer Inspiration
In November 2013, a new afternoon programme was introduced to Jewellery Maker's satellite and cable channels. Designer Inspiration features jewellery-making tips and ideas from the channel's roster of guest designers, working with kits available for purchase from the channel, and allows for longer, more detailed demonstrations than were possible in the prior shows. The introduction of Designer Inspiration meant that Jewellery Maker was now broadcasting live programming for twelve hours a day on its satellite and cable channels, with replays overnight from 9pm to 9am. On Freeview, Designer Inspiration was not made available as the arrangements were unchanged - DTT viewers could continue to access the daytime show on 5* and, until February 2014, the evening show on Marketplace.
