Our Story
Looking out over spectacular cliff-top views, Isle of Wight Pearl and the beloved Pearl Café have grown into our World of Wonderful, where we love to get stuck into island life and share our wonderful world of pearls with all our visitors while enjoying the views and delights of the island.
Steeped in History
During World War One the Isle of Wight Pearl premises were used to lodge officers when their original billet, ‘Sea Breeze’, was bombed. Then during the 1930s the building became a private residence for Lord Jeffery John Archer Amherst below, who was described as a pilot, businessman, journalist and author.
In June 1955, the house and land were sold to Alexander Robert Humphrey for £5,000. He converted it into Chilton Chine Holiday Camp which was the first holiday camp in the UK to offer self-catering chalets over summer. There were 74 small self-catering chalets, many along the side of the main building, and only one 6-bedroom chalet that had a toilet and a shower – the rest shared the communal block. In 1987 the premises was acquired again, this time by Isle of Wight Pearl.
We opened our doors
On our first day the car park was full of coaches and a queue stretched from the front door, all the way out to the Military Road!
Fred’s vision had become reality, and it was clear early on that people loved it. Fred not only sought out and hand-picked the pearls he believed were truly special, but he also created a memorable place that helped people treasure holiday spent time together.
Today...
More than 30 million people have visited our store since 1988, and around 10 million people can open their jewellery boxes, see our crown, and be reminded of a special time in their lives with their pearls.
Our Sustainability Work
We have taken great care over recent years to reduce our carbon footprint and a big part of this has been reducing our packaging and making it recyclable. All our packaging is now made from 100% recycled and recyclable paper. Our boxes are thinner than they used to be which means less volume and energy is being used for production and shipping.
Our World of Wonderful is dear to many – from the pearl farmers whose care and skill produces nature’s most beautiful organic gems, to the designers and artisans who create our beautiful jewellery.
