About us

We design, produce and distribute innovative and distinctive products which are beautiful and, or, amusing; Life is too short to wear anything that isn’t.

The founder of the company was buying Mexican fire opal in Magdalena, Jalisco and selling the cabochons on Hollywood Blvd in L.A. in 1968. He was trading Greek ceramic jewellery in the UK 1972 but only started using the name Joe Cool in 1978. At that time the bulk of the business was in Greek chokers, heishi necklaces, millefiori chips and liquid silver earrings. Initially it was conducted mostly on the road but a derelict tenement in Buccleuch Street, Edinburgh, served as a base and in time as a bead shop and then as an earring shop ” Ear This “. It was the time the earring gun came to the UK and the demand for earrings was soaring. Soon the first floor of the tenement was colonised to create a small workshop making liquid silver and semi-precious stone earrings. Later there was the fishing fly earring and, the first import, from Taiwan, the fan earring. Given the lackadaisical management the business grew relatively quickly and was soon selling to shops all over the UK.

Over the years the styles, the materials, the sources, the destinations and the types of customer have changed. Most of our products are now made in China, India or Indonesia and we supply retailers and wholesalers either from our warehouse in Scotland or directly from Asia. Our designs are sold around the world in jewellery, gift and fashion shops, in museums and theme parks and by web based and catalogue mail order companies.

We exhibit at trade shows in Birmingham, Canton, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Madrid, Milan, and Paris, and publish a catalogue each year. We have agents in Belgium, France, Spain and Hong Kong to facilitate the processing of customer orders. Our range is also shown and sold on line. It is extensive and as diverse as our customers and it still incorporates unusual and attractive materials and components. It features many new and exciting designs each year and includes items which have proved to be enduring great sellers thus enabling our customers to enhance their collections and increase their sales.
A full complement of counter and floor standing displays are available and we are able to card, code and pack our products to customers specification.

Our prices are competitive and it is our policy to trade fairly and honourably both when sourcing and selling. We are environmentally conscientious in our business procedures and in the use of materials and resources.
The success of our customers is the foundation of our business and the focus of our efforts. We understand that information is essential and we are always keen to hear the opinions of our customers, to know what works best, to learn, and to share our knowledge.
If you retail jewellery or gifts and are not stocking our products then you are making less money than you could and so are we, please contact us at your earliest convenience to fulfil your potential.

About us 11th March 2015