JEWELLERS BOUTIQUE BETHLEHEM

Three years ago, after 12 years of owning Bethlehem Jewellers, a full-service village jewellery store, Adrian and Helen Redding identified that, in Helen’s words, “The industry was at a tipping point. There’s a huge amount of change and we were keen to move ahead of it.” Adrian clarifies, “With chain stores becoming more generic, we wanted to take the service back to working on those relationships with people; that’s how we can understand the vision of what they would like created.”

In order to do this, they needed to provide the environment where they could have those conversations, hence a move of premises, a change of focus, and realignment of their business. The dream was to become a bespoke manufacturing jeweller providing “consultation and development of design, from procuring the right gems to creating the piece.” With an existing thriving business, and loyal clientele, Adrian and Helen felt confident to take the next step, and opened a new, exclusive premises in Bethlehem that operates on a combination of restricted opening hours and an appointment basis. A stylish, intimate boutique destination with a workshop on site, here they sell a curated selection of fine jewellery and take on a limited amount of specialist repairs – the real emphasis is on bespoke manufacturing.

A love of the traditions of jewellery making is at the core for Adrian, who, after 29 years in the business, has a deep passion for his craft. He was literally plucked from Otumoetai College, where his skill at engineering, woodwork and metal work had identified him as an emerging talent. He was then offered an apprenticeship as a manufacturer of fine jewellery by respected Tauranga jeweller David Peet. Jewellery making, Helen notes, “is like engineering in miniature form – looking at how to build something so it is strong, durable and will last, and then making it beautiful, so it’s really a combination of engineering and design.” Adrian chimes in: “A fusion of aesthetics to structure.” For the Reddings, the art of designing that treasured custom piece is a skill that has come with experience. The result, is why Adrian is an awardwinning jeweller – because what he creates “is not just unique, it is the perfect balance of proportion, and beauty, custom-designed for the individual to wear every day.”

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