The Jewel Beetle in Nelsons Crown ?

a somewhat contrived yet catchy header !

Name ? Jewel Beetle (studio of Allison Judge and Yvon Smits)

Occupation ? Manufacturing jeweller and designer

What is Jewel Beetle and where do we find you ? Jewel Beetle is the name of our gallery and studio, we're located on Trafalgar St, Nelson's main shopping street on the first floor next to Whitcoulls.

Why the name Jewel Beetle ? We were struggling to come up with a business name and asked a friend of ours who is a poet to help us, she came up with "jewel beetle." It instantly gave us a logo and a brand to work with. There are over 12,000 different species of jewel beetles worldwide and our logo is an australian beetle (unfortunately there were no native NZ bugs to chose from!) Mmm and i thought those creepy crawlies in the bathroom were from here . You learn something everyday !

Whats your cheapest piece and your most expensive ? At the moment the cheapest piece is a small silver twist charm at $29 and the most expensive is a 18ct seahorse broach with a tahitian mabe pearl and diamonds at $2,699.00 . Please don't show my wife that last one !

What countries do your gemstones originate from ? All over, Australia, South Africa, Madagascar, Sri Lanka .

Ever drop an expensive gem through a crack in the floor type scenario ? It happens often! We spend alot of time on our hands and knees looking for them. They show up in the most unusual places, the soles of your shoes, the turn ups of your trousers and once in my cleavage!!

Who would you most like to see in your shop and and why ? The Sultan of Brunei with his big fat cheque book! Or if he can't make it maybe Richard Branson could give me a few business tips?


People tend to think that one Jewellery shop is much the same as another - why should we come to you ? Well thats definetely not true and maybe if you climbed the stairs you'd see why! There is so much mass produced and cheaply made jewellery available now, it really is affecting the traditional craft of goldsmithing. But if you want something special and unique that is going to stand the test of time then you really have to have it made. We are finding that a lot of people are starting to appreciate our designs and the fact that they can't be found in every high street store.

Whats your favourite item of Jewellery ? It changes often! What i enjoy making is different to what I enjoy wearing. We have recently made a new collection of black pearl jewellery, one particular silver necklace in that collection is my favourite at the moment.

My colleague thinks ' Diamonds really are a girls best friend ' (too much money) whilst another says ' paste ' (glad i'm not hs wife) - Any thoughts ? Diamonds are over-rated! Probably the world biggest conspiracy, they are as common as sugar but have been cleverly marketed over the years. They are great to work with because of their hardness but there are many other rare gemstones I find more appealing, Natural star sapphires for instance.

Are we likely to see your work adorning anybody well known ? Well when I worked in London years ago for a designer, I certainly knew of several famous clients we had done work for, Cher, Tom Hanks to name a couple. But unfortunately New Zealand is a totally different scene. I'm still waiting for my lucky break here....we're a well kept secret!