The founder of Joseph Sterling
Lewis Malka, the owner and founder of Joseph Sterling, is one of London’s foremost jewellery talents and a renowned diamond expert (he was recently voted onto the council of the London Diamond Bourse).

In 1990, aged 16, Lewis embarked on a 3-year apprentice in Hatton Garden, which involved attending the Sir John Cass School of Arts, a college with an international reputation for jewellery design and silversmithing. By 2000 he felt he was ready to set up on his own and founded Joseph Sterling.

His vision was of a bespoke, exceptionally personal service, bringing together his outstanding design ability with his love of traditional craftsmanship. To this day Lewis sees every Joseph Sterling client personally (by appointment only), then creates a design shaped by each person’s individual requirements, and makes every piece of bespoke jewellery himself.

Passionate about jewellery – and people

Lewis’ designs range from striking contemporary jewellery, often with an innovative twist, through to timelessly classic pieces. His work has been described as having a “quiet glamour”. And his design ethos is to let the beauty of the gems shine through, avoiding the overly ostentatious or vulgar.

One aspect of his work Lewis really enjoys is talking through design ideas with clients. He will then suggest options based on their preferences, lifestyle and budget. Lewis’ experience, empathy and patience, mean he has an uncanny knack of delivering exactly what a client imagined – and often more.

Joseph Sterling’s growing reputation means Lewis’ clientele now includes premier league footballers, and film and TV actors. But he gets the same satisfaction restoring a sentimental piece of jewellery, as he does creating a £150,000 ring.

A champion of the handmade and unique

In an age when jewellery making is becoming ‘production line’, with jewellers using short cuts like computer aided design (CAD) and wax casts to churn out hundreds of identical pieces, Lewis champions traditional skills. Happiest sitting at his jeweller’s bench and making something with his own hands, every piece Lewis creates is unique. Having studied period jewellery, he particularly loves working with old jewellery.

Lewis’ other loves include marathon running and football. He lives in north west London with his wife, three children and their dog. His wife looks at all his pieces and is his biggest critic – and his benchmark. Rest assured Lewis wouldn’t give anything to a client that his wife wouldn’t wear.