Jewellery World Magazine - August 2021

JADE JEWELLERS DEFY
THE ODDS TO CELEBRATE
21ST BIRTHDAY MILESTONE
A CBD turned ghost town, two major robberies and a pandemic would spell the end for most
jewel-lery businesses but not Jade Jewellers. Despite the odds and with a lot of determination,
the Moreton Bay region family-run business is celebrating their 21st birthday in August.
Owners Gary and Laurene Coates have
faced major hurdles throughout
the years but with a wil-lingness to
diversify and understanding the science of
business, they have been able to reach a
noteworthy milestone.
“Our journey started when I bought a
jewellery business in Nundah,” Gary said.
“I was a watchmaker at the time and we
thought it would be a good idea. But we soon
realised we lacked a lot of business knowledge
so it was a steep learning curve.”
Gary and Laurene invested a lot of time to
learn about the industry and implemented
systems and processes that drove success.
They opened a second store in Caboolture but
made the decision to leave Nundah after the
CBD was impacted by a major shopping centre
which reduced foot traffic.
In 2010 and 2012 Jade Jewellers had two
major robberies and Gary and Laurene were
left with a hard decision – to start again or
quit?
“I was taught to never give up,” Gary said.
“We loved our business, our customers and
we were lucky to get to do what we loved
every day. We were told about a jewellery
store in Burpengary that was closing down so
we secured the location, did a small refit and
reopened.”
Gary and Laurene’s daughter Erin Mahar
officially joined the family business in 2013.
“Erin used to work at the Nundah shop on
Saturday mornings when she was 14,” Gary
said.
“We asked Erin if she wanted to join us at the
shop and we were so happy when she said
yes.”
Gary and Laurene were able to diversify in
their market and as well as offering jewellery
and watch repairs they also created one-ofa-kind
masterpieces through their custom
design service.
“One of the key things we learnt is that you
need to stay relevant in today’s market,” Gary
said.
“But above all else it’s our customers that
come first.”
Gary and Laurene both agree their customers
were the best part of their business and enjoy
hearing their stories and why they had come
to them.
Gary takes a closer look at a special Antwerp diamond.
“We have met a lot of different people over
the past 21 years and each and every story
they share with us is special,” Gary said.
“We get to share in secret surprises,
heartbreaking losses and funny innuendos.
Our customers are not just handing over a ring
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jewellery world - August 2021