Facing Blue Inc across the entrance to Selbourne Walk at No.46 Selbourne Walk is H Samuel. (Tel 0208 5212242).

Legend has it that H Samuel had it's first retail store in Preston in 1890, but the group as it now exists was really founded in 1957. It was a family business. Gerald Ratner joined it in 1966. His philosophy of business was based on his experiences as a boy in Petticoat Lane Market. He observed that "the people who shouted the loudest and appeared to give the best offers sold the most." On this basis he built up an extremely successful chain of jewelers during the 1980s, of which he was chief executive. At that time it was called the Ratner Group.

Ratner made a famous gaffe when he gave a speech at an Institute of Directors gathering in the Royal Albert Hall in April 1991. Discussing his company's products he joked:

'We also do cut-glass sherry decanters complete with six glasses on a silver-plated tray that your butler can serve you drinks on, all for £4.95. People say, "How can you sell this for such a low price?" I say, because it's total crap.'

He then went on to unfavourably compare some of the Company's earings with a 99p Marks and Spencer prawn sandwich.

His remarks were gleefully reported by the media, and consumers subsequently avoided the Ratner branded stores. New management (led by James McAdam) was brought in to run the group and Mr Ratner was sacked 18 months later. Nearly 300 stores were closed between January 1992 and May 1994. The Ratner name was expunged from the company and it was renamed as Signet Group plc in September 1993 as the group went through a financial restructuring.

H Samuel is the largest speciality retail jewelry brand in the UK with a market share of some 9% of the total jewelry market. Its advertising efforts are ridiculed often, best by this comment about Caveboy:

http://www.reallyannoyingshit.com/78/hsamuel.html

This jeweler's shop in Walthamstow has a vast floorspace compared to the amount of stock it holds. The so-called collectibles are not collectible and the bling is cheap, but it still represents poor value for money. There were no sherry decanters on trays in stock when I last visited. Go to a proper jewelers like St George's or Fish Brothers.