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Gem expert Brett Grimwood loves the fact his customers
Brett, who owns RoCS jewellers in
Richmond, says the most popular
request across the counter at his
Queen Street shop is for “something
different”. He says he enjoys designing
“weird funky stuff” and loves using
less common stones such as citrine,
sunstone and rhodolite.
“With the amount of bespoke pieces
we are making, it shows people are
more aware that they don’t have to
buy the mass-produced stuff that’s
available from chain stores nowadays,”
Brett says.
His two qualified jewellers - Michael
Gregory, who has about 50 years'
experience and Sarah Neale, with
about 10 - do make more traditional
diamond engagement rings but as a
rule, the RoCS customer base tends to
be older and so the requests are more
varied. He shows me a big chunky ring
they are making for a 25th wedding
anniversary, as an example.
“Diamonds are still a girl’s best friend
but there’s some amazing coloured
stuff out there. We like to give our
customers more of an option. We
import lots of unusual stones that
most New Zealanders would have
never heard about," says Brett. These
include iolite, quartz, tourmaline, and
Zultanite (bought in from Turkey) and
brown diamonds from the Kimberley
Mines in Western Australia.
Brett started out as a registered
jewellery valuer, and valuing is still
a significant part of the business, but
he decided to set up a retail premises
in 2002.
“I like the contact with people and the
design aspect. We’re the only ones
in the Top of the South that have two
New Zealand qualified jewellers as well
as a full gemology testing facility and
are registered valuers.”
Re-working treasured - but perhaps
dated - jewellery that people have
238a Queen Street . Richmond . NEL