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John Calleija is a proud Gold Coaster with a passion for precious gems.
WORDS RHONDA OXNAM WALKING INTO THE CALLEIJA BOUTIQUE at Marina Mirage is like entering Aladdin’s Cave. Precious gems shimmer under the spotlights, priceless jewels spin in their glass cabinets and stunning pink diamonds take pride of place among the treasures. And at the heart of it all is John Calleija – master jeweller, award-winning designer, proud Gold Coaster and all-round nice guy. But it was luck, literally, that led John to establish his very successful business here on the Coast. As a young up-and-coming jeweller, he decided to chase sunnier skies, so he jumped in his 1986 Jaguar and drove up from Sydney to see what opportunities were available. “When I arrived I dropped into the newsagency at Sanctuary Cove and purchased a multi-week lotto ticket,” John recalls. "The first week, I won $6.66, the second I won $666, the third another $6.66 and the final week a further $666. “I’m still waiting for the big win, but shortly after that I was introduced to my beautiful wife, Noni, and decided that fate was telling me I was exactly where I need to be.” He went on to create the Calleija brand – a name synonymous with beautiful jewellery right around the world. “Calleija is an international award-winning, renowned Australian brand with 30 years of luxury jewellery expertise and one of very few Argyle Pink Diamond Select Ateliers in the world,” John says. “We are a design house guided by my artistry and passion for unique design. “We have state-of-the-art workshops located in-house in our Australian and London boutiques, with our flagship boutique right here on the Gold Coast. “Our timeless jewellery and bespoke pieces are created by a wonderful team of experienced designers and master jewellers.” Many of John’s pieces feature the highly sought-after Argyle Pink Diamonds, a commodity that has become even more precious given the recent closure of the Western Australian mine. “Argyle Pink Diamonds are 1.6 billion-year-old gifts of nature,” John says. “The Argyle Pink Diamond mine started nearly 40 years ago and has produced phenomenal pink, blue and red diamonds, with colour saturation and quality like no other diamond mine in the world. “However, even as the world’s largest and only consistent source of pink diamonds, these magnificent gems are incredibly rare – an entire year’s collection over one carat would barely fill the palm of your hand.
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– Issue 85
