The Houndsditch jewellery market

An illustration of a jewellery market in Houndsditch from the book 'Journeys through London, or, byways of modern Babylon' by James Greenwood, undated, c.1873. Greenwood describes visiting some Sunday jewellery markets in Houndsditch. There were five jewellery marts 'all to be found within [an] easy stone's throw' of Houndsditch between Bevis Marks and Cutler Street, two on the Cutler Street side of the thoroughfare, and three close to Duke Street orange market. Greenwood finds the markets taking place in rooms in public houses. In one such market Greenwood describes a wide apartment 'with a line of tables about four feet wide one either side down the whole length of it... Behind the tables and seated on forms, a close row of Jews of every country and complexion ... On the broad tables, on every one of them, and so that they were completely covered, were vessels of gold and of silver, cups and vases, and jugs and goblets, gold chains in great coils while silver chains in heaps, being of small account, kept in the rear along with silver spoons and other articles in the same inferior metal; bracelets flickering with rare topazes, lockets glaring with ruddy opals, crosses and clasps and necklaces rich with great pearls, and looking chaste as snow; coronets brilliant with clustering emeralds, and earrings ablaze with diamonds. Besides these there were gems unset, piled in the corners of the trays like cherrystones, or stowed in common pillboxes.'