When jeweller Stewart Simmons took on a bigger premises to cope with booming trade he handed over the remaining lease of the old store to his wife.

Within months she had turned her costume jewellery shop, All That Glitters, into a gold mine.

Now Angela, who has lived in Brighton for more than 25 years, has signed up for a 16-year lease in her own name and is on the brink of opening a second store in Chichester.

She said: "I'm amazed at how successful it has been - it's like the run up to Christmas in here every day."

The glittering success story began a year ago.

Stewart, who runs SL Simmons in Meeting House Lane, Brighton, decided to move to a bigger outlet a couple of doors down.

With six months' rent paid on his old shop he suggested his wife use the end of the lease to start her own business.

So mother-of-two Angela, 44, stocked up on shimmering paste and costume jewellery, a far cry from the gold and diamonds her husband sells for thousands of pounds, and opened All That Glitters.

She said: "I was working full time for friends who run a business but had never done anything like this myself.

"However, when Stewart moved last November the rent was paid on the old shop until March so I had nothing to lose.

"As the place was already kitted out to display jewellery it made sense to go into that line but I didn't want to be in competition with my husband.

"I think our shops work well together because they are similar but different.

"My jewellery may be a fraction of the price but it is beautifully made and unusual."

The Moulin Rouge-style chokers and shimmering hair accessories and necklaces are flown in from around the world.

Display cabinets boast Austrian quartz and glittering necklaces from Prague.

Mrs Simmons said the shop gave her a new lease of life after her son James, 18, finished at Brighton College and allowed her to keep up with the glamorous career of daughter Lucy, 22, a dress designer in Italy.

The second All That Glitters will open on November 16, almost to the day Angela opened her original shop.

She said: "I chose Chichester, partly because the right property came up at the right time and because the cobbled streets in the centre are like the Lanes, which I love. It seemed to suit this type of shop."

Angela said the secret of her success was the personal touch.

She and sales assistant Jan Stanford prided themselves on offering help and advice.

She said: "People often come in with wedding dresses, or the outfit they're wearing for a special party, to match jewellery to the clothes.

"They get changed in the back before trying on different things as it is so important to be able to see the jewellery with the outfit.

"Mind you, we frequently find women fall in love with one unusual piece and then have to scour the shops for a dress to match."