A CITY centre boutique is celebrating 30 years of business.

Anja Potze Fine Jewellery has been a firm fixture in Friar Street, Worcester, since 1994.

To mark the occasion, the founder Anja and her team are inviting people to celebrate with them in the shop with complimentary cake, Prosecco and jewellery cleaning on Friday, April 12 and Saturday, April 13.

Anja said this success would not have been achieved without her loyal and constantly-growing customer base.

She has noticed a considerable change in the retail scene of the city centre over the past years.

Anja said: “It is fantastic to see so many flourishing independent businesses in Worcester, both old and new.

“It hasn’t been an easy ride, through recessions and times of uncertainty, but it has been a pleasure to serve the people of Worcester and the surrounding area.

“I have seen children come in with their parents 15 years ago now coming back through the door to design their own engagement ring!

“As well as many new customers coming through the door, jewellery holds so many important memories and it is truly a pleasure to witness these milestone events.

“Over the past years the business has had to adapt to a changing market of consumer in the age of social media and online shopping.

“We have invested heavily in our online shopping platform and work hard with our social media team to ensure we can keep up with the demands of the modern consumer whilst still providing an unrivalled personal customer service and anticipating our customers’ needs.”

From Anja’s roots in her native Netherlands she has been on an incredible journey.

She trained at the Vakschool Edelsmeden in Amsterdam and achieved a degree in gemmology before taking the plunge when launching her own business in 1994 ahead of a sparkling 30 years.

On arriving in the UK aged 21 she first worked for a small number of high-end jewellers, including five years with London-based Asprey and Garrard Group where her customers included the late Baroness Margaret Thatcher among other notable names.

Anja’s wealth of experience in the industry then helped her create a thriving business with the Worcester shop offering a range of jewellery, specialising in certified diamonds, pearls and rare gemstones as well as bespoke creation and re-modelling.

Her boutique has been selected to stock some of the most exclusive and prestigious jewellery brands, including FOPE and Shaun Leane’s collections.

As well as her design skills, Anja is always creating new and unique pieces using the finest materials.

She has achieved several accolades along the way, including winning the Heart of Gold 2017 in the national Small Business Awards and being highly commended at the National Retail Jeweller Awards 2023.