Former NAJ President David Doyle Dies

By Rob Bates | February 12, 2026

David Doyle, the second-ever president of U.K. trade group the National Association of Jewellers (NAJ), died on Feb. 8. He was 64.

Born in England’s Midlands, Doyle got his first job in the jewelry business at age 17 at a store in Birmingham. He then worked outside the industry but returned seven years later, eventually setting up his own business, Jewellery Brokers, in 1986.

Doyle joined the national committee of the British Jewellers’ Association (BJA) in 1996, and became the BJA’s chairman in 2004. After that organization merged with the National Association of Goldsmiths in 2015, Doyle served five years as president of the combined group, NAJ, from 2018 to 2023.

Doyle also was non-executive director of the British Jewellery, Giftware and Finishing Federation from 1999 to 2016, president of the British Allied Trades Federation in 2008 and 2009, and trade warden of the Birmingham Assay Office from 2010 to 2019.

He was a passionate supporter of the British Jewellery, Giftware and Finishing Federation’s Benevolent Society. As the charity’s vice chair from 2008 to 2022, he took over its fundraising balls, turning them profitable after years in the red. The 2024 Benevolent Ball, which marked the Society’s 100th anniversary, raised £28,000 for people in the industry who were sick or in need.

In 2022, Doyle won the NAJ Chair’s Award. The next year, he was honored for lifetime achievement by the UK Jewellery Awards.

In a statement, NAJ president Gary Williams said Doyle was “an amazing, one-in-a-million character, and in the many roles he undertook, including helping create the NAJ, had an incredibly positive influence on the jewelry trade he loved. He was well respected by all who knew him and held in the highest esteem. David will not be forgotten and will always be greatly missed by me, and his many friends across the industry.”

NAJ chair Adam Jacobs added: “David’s massive contribution to the U.K. jewelry industry cannot be overestimated. Through the British Jewellers’ Association to the National Association of Goldsmiths and ultimately the National Association of Jewellers, he helped shape a stronger sector by putting his hand up and wholeheartedly volunteering in the industry he loved.”

Doyle is survived by his wife, Jan, and two children, Sophie and Dan.

(Photo courtesy of the National Association of Jewellers)