In 2017, we could already see that things were tightening in the NZQA landscape. That’s when we knew we needed to diversify. We decided to expand into the repair, design and project space, because Peter (Chris’s father) had already retired, we stepped in and picked up where he left off.
But then when Covid hit, we found we needed to pivot again. It was in that space where we thought, right, we’ve done our non-trade time, we should fill a void that had occurred as a direct result of Covid. So it was actually timing that allowed the collective to emerge.
Your most popular class is learning how to make a silver ring, what else do you do?
So the silver ring has a very basic shape, but it covers some very fundamental techniques. In the beginner class, we take those fundamentals and bring them into a fundamental space so you can expose yourself to the processes of jewelry making.
We do a project in the beginner class that introduces really key elements of the craft. Then, with jewelry classes on Wednesdays and Thursdays, you take those fundamental elements and then incorporate them into your own designs.
It’s about translating and learning from what you know and developing a skill base.
Is it difficult to become a jeweler?
I think if you are a student, it is very difficult to get a placement. Entry routes, which would normally be through apprenticeships or formal training through a private company, are also quite limited.
I know that the people who bought the Goldsmith School later sold it, but the people who currently own it are looking to continue all the forms of learning that they bought or inherited, so that reduces that form of learning. entrance to the trade.
Commercial and technological jewelry can be accessed through CAD and through what we call a tabletop jewelry box, but for other forms of jewelry, it is quite difficult to enter the trade. It is also a very saturated trade.
When we had the big school, I would say at least 90% of the students were women. That’s definitely changed since my dad was training in the ’50s, it was all male, you know, so there was a big change there.
What does it take to make a good piece of jewelry?
I think Minturn is quite known for being perhaps a little heavier than other forms of commercial fine jewelry, and that’s deliberate, then we look at how the piece should function. That’s something we’ve learned through the influences of Peter and other jewelers we know and craftsmen we’ve commissioned to do some of the work we need.
It’s about having an aesthetic and representing it in the pieces we make. We also make very commercial pieces, but most people who come to us tend to want something that’s a little different than the average offering.
What would be your advice to other budding entrepreneurs?
I think the most important thing they could do is really look at what they want to offer and how they think they could do it. Creating a business plan that really refines what you think you can offer and where that fits in the industry you want to enter is really important because you can identify gaps.
You need to go out and talk to people, but start, that’s the most important thing: start.
Tom Raynel is a multimedia business journalist for the Herald covering small business and retail.