Professionals Tamborine Mountain 
Tamborine Mountain is the kind of place that has a lot in common with the people who call it home: welcoming, natural, and beautiful. But beauty can mean a lot of different things, and for those looking to accessorise their appearance with some beautiful jewellery, there’s only one place to go. Matthew West owns and operates Tamborine Mountain Jewellery Studio, providing stunning custom jewellery work to customers local and otherwise among a plethora of other services, and he’s happy to share his story and a few unexpected tips of the trade.
by Kyle Hitchmough
How long have you been operating this store?
I’ve been in business since 2001, so 23 years! And I’ve been up here on the mountain since 2009.
How did you get started?
I went to a trade fair in year 10 and there were pamphlets for a jewellery trade course there. It caught my attention so when I finished year 12, I tracked it down, found an apprenticeship and went from there!
Do you do custom pieces?
Yes, lots of that sort of thing, engagement rings, wedding bands, dress rings and things like that. Lots of remodelling things for people, things that they’ve inherited, opals and sapphires that family members have dug up and gotten cut that they don’t know what to do with! Melting down gold, making something new, reusing stones… as well as designing and making things from scratch, of course.
Do you have a specific specialty?
If I specialise in anything, it’s handmade. I don’t do lots of CAD or wax model stuff. The majority of what I do starts off as a bar of gold and gets rolled and shaped into whatever I’m making. Other than that, it’s whatever the customer wants that guides me! And that’s how I like it. If someone has a stone they want to use or styles that they like, I can design to suit what they want.
What are the most popular items you sell?
Rings are the perennial majority of what you do! Rings, pendants and earrings. Brooches are coming back a little bit, I’ve got some nice brooches.
Have you noticed any particular trends in the industry lately?
White metals have been in for decades and continue to be in, but people are starting to mix it up a bit. White gold and rose gold, but also a little bit more yellow gold than I’ve seen in a long time. It’s an unusual time in history where it’s cheaper to make things in platinum than it is in 18-carat white gold! When I started and through most of my career, it’s been twice the price to make something in platinum, and now it’s less expensive!
What goes into the average day here for you?
I’m basically always running the shop except on Wednesdays and Thursday when I’m only open by appointment. But otherwise, seeing customers as they come in and repairing and making things at the bench in between. As well as the designing process, drawing things up for people and coming up with ideas.
You also offer watch repair services, correct?
I’m not a watchmaker, but I do batteries and watchbands and some slightly more complicated things! I don’t repair the actual mechanics of the watch.
And you also do valuations?
If people just want to know what something is and about how much it’s worth, I can do that here and it won’t cost anything. I have a registered valuer I use if they need a written valuation, which is usually $110 an item.
Have you noticed any particular trends in your clientele?
It’s nice to see buses and tourists back on the mountain. It’s women more than men, but we did get a guy up from the UK earlier this year who was very excited to see a strand of pearls and walked out of here with that for himself. You get all sorts!
Are you a local? What’s your opinion on the Tamborine Mountain area and community?
Yes, we’ve lived on the mountain for 14 years. It’s a beautiful place to live. We moved up when the kids were getting into high school age, for the schools and for a good place to move the shop. It’s a lovely community, and very much is a community: you don’t always get that in other places. Everyone seems to like it, care about it, and want to maintain that sense of community. It’s always nice to come home!
What’s your favourite thing to do on the mountain?
I like walking, so the bushwalks or even the streets at nighttime when it’s dark and quiet is nice!
What do you think Tamborine Mountain Jewellery Studio really provides to the area?
We’re the only jewellery store with a jeweller on site for a fair drive in any direction! All the repairs, manufacturing, watch batteries and bands, all those services and plenty of things for gifts too if people are looking for them. We can get plenty of things in, too, as long as people don’t walk in wanting it today.
What do you enjoy most about doing this?
I most enjoy the challenge of coming up with a design for someone, going through the process of making it and seeing them thrilled by a new piece of jewellery at the end of it, something that they’re going to love for decades.
What’s been your most memorable moment in your time here so far?
Probably the most exciting thing I’ve done jewellery-wise is enter a piece of jewellery into a national design competition, where I was a finalist in the top 5! It was a while ago now, but it was very exciting.
Do you have any tips for caring or getting the most out of your jewellery?
Absolutely! Especially with coloured stones because, after a while, they get dirt behind the stones and aren’t as bright and sparkly. Warm water with a little bit of dishwashing liquid and an old toothbrush to get in behind the settings. That will bring up the piece, and a polishing cloth after that. Also, if you take your rings off at the end of the day, you’ll get twice the life out of it looking nice and not needing retipping, especially if you have rings with softer stones. It’s at least worth considering it to get more mileage out of them!
Tamborine Mountain Jewellery Studio
1/110 Long Rd, Tamborine Mountain QLD 4272
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