Wayne Jeffers, owner of Mt Eden Jewellers, in Mt Eden Village.
Please describe your business and how long you have been running it by yourself.
Mt Eden Jewellers is a manufacturing jewellery shop with a workshop in the store where you can see your jewellery being made or repaired as well as a showroom of my work and other retail jewellers items. I try to be of service to all my customers, repairing and making jewellery as well as watches, valuations and insurance work. I was a full time jeweller in the city but was working part time for Mt Eden Jewellers for 10 years , working out the back one day a week. The previous owners wanted to retire so I bought the business and I have now owned it for three and a half years.
Have you always been a jeweller?
I'm very lucky in that my last day of school in the morning, I didn't know what I wanted to do for a career and by the end of the day I started my jewellery apprenticeship. I was very good at art but didn't know how to use that in my career. Someone suggested I become a jeweller so after school I took my art folio to the local jewellers and they signed me up for a jewellery apprenticeship. I have been making jewellery for the past 26 years, which I love.