Two World Cup winners swapped the muddy rugby pitch for the sophisticated launch of a fine jewellery shop.
Martin Johnson and Dorian West who were on the England Rugby squad which won the World Cup in 2003 were the special guests at the launch of Lanes Fine Jewellery in Stamford.
Husband and wife team Ercan and Carli Onguc opened the shop in the former Clarks building in Red Lion Square last month and held an official launch last night (Thursday).
Martin, who knows Ercan through their kids, said: “There is some beautiful jewellery here. Stamford is also a lovely town.”Dorian added: “People should get down here to look at the jewellery.
“The business deserves some support.”
The pair played for Leicester Tigers before progressing onto the England squad, which Martin captained.
Lane Fine Jewellery’s flagship store is in Leicester, where they live.
The business specialises in diamonds and precious stones, with a wide range of wedding and engagement rings, necklaces, bracelets and earrings.
It also offers bespoke engagement rings and staff can help to design something exclusive to the customer.
Carli said: “It’s been really busy since we opened in Stamford and we have had a nice response from the local community.
“We hope we can offer something different which compliments the other shops in town.”
Lanes Fine Jewellery opens in former Clarks shoe shop in Red Lion Square, Stamford
Lanes Fine Jewellery opened yesterday (Monday, November 14) in Red Lion Square, Stamford.
It has been years in the making since husband-and-wife team Carli and Ercan Onguc first set their sights on Stamford.
“We came to Stamford and absolutely fell in love with the town. It is a stunning place and people are lovely,” said Carli.
“There’s a real sense of community particularly among businesses which is really rare.
“We were keeping our eyes out for the right building in the right spot.
“Before this building even became available we always liked it. When it was Clarks we said it would be perfect for a jewellery shop with its window positioning.”
However, renovating the former shoe shop into a high end jewellery store required a lot of time and effort.
It was initially supposed to open before Christmas last year but delivery delays pushed it back a whole year.
Carli said: “It has been a long time. We did wonder ‘is this meant to be?’ but we are really happy to be here.”
The firm specialises in diamonds and precious stones, with a wide range of wedding and engagement rings, necklaces, bracelets and earrings.
It also offers bespoke engagement rings and staff can help to design something exclusive to the customer.
Ercan’s family are jewellers in Istanbul, Turkey so he has always been passionate about it and when he moved to the UK worked in the jewellery business in London.
To celebrate the new store opening, Carli and Ercan will host a launch party for people to attend and are set to consider holding other events in the shop’s upstairs room.
Carli said: “I hope we can offer something new to Stamford in terms of the style and value with a high end feel.“While the jewellery is high end we want to offer good value for money.
“I hope people will come and enjoy the environment.”
