Taranaki woman following in jewellery-loving father’s footsteps

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Abby Shephard has started GemPro - following in her father’s steps and becoming the only qualified jewellery valuer in Taranaki.

After spending her life surrounded by jewellery, a Taranaki mother has decided to follow in her father’s footsteps.

Abby Shephard has started her own jewellery valuing business called GemPro, and she will be the first qualified gemologist to service the region in decades.

But, Shephard is no novice when it comes to rings and necklaces, stones and metals.

SIMON O’CONNOR/Stuff Abby Shephard has grown up around jewellery, as her father, Rob Wright, has been making it longer than she’s been alive.

Her father, Rob Wright, owns Ringcraft Moana and has been making jewellery for more than half a century, so she has spent her entire life around it – having a turn at making her own at times too.

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“Dad’s great for me to pick on his expert knowledge,” the mother-of-two said. “His expertise is just invaluable.”

A registered nurse by trade, Shephard had a few reasons to get into gemology, one was “obviously Dad being a jeweller”.

“It’s kind of more of a life dream,” Shephard said. “And Taranaki, for a long time, has been sending all their jewellery away to be valued.”

This discouraged many to even bother getting jewellery valued, she said.

“They don’t want to send nan’s ring away.”

SIMON O’CONNOR/Stuff The mother-of-two is a registered nurse, but has taken the leap to start her own business.

Shephard started studying when she was pregnant with her son, about seven years ago, through the Gemmological Association of Great Britain.

She admits it was a “juggle” with working as a nurse and being a new mum, but she managed it and finally took the big leap of starting out on her own earlier this year.

A lot goes into valuing, and Shephard said she has already seen “all sorts” of different pieces.

“Sometimes you’ve got to tell people you can’t put a price on it.”

While she admits business has been a “little bit slow”, it is starting to pick up now.

SIMON O’CONNOR/Stuff The pair work well as a team and Wright’s decades of knowledge are coming in handy with valuations.

The most common work at the moment is for insurance purposes, which Shephard said a lot of people didn’t realise they should do.

Wright started out in the jewellery business when he was 15, and has been nothing but supportive of his daughter’s next step.

“I’m very proud of her,” the 69-year-old said.

Plus, his years of experience mean he can help her, too.

“You can look at it and see where it’s come from.”

Mumbai: Owner dead in shooting at Dahisar jewellery store

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Mumbai: Thieves caught fleeing scene after robbery at Dahisar jewellery store

MUMBAI: One person was shot dead in what is suspected to be a robbery at a Dahisar based jewellery store on Wednesday morning.Joint commissioner, law and order, Vishwas Nangre Patil visited the crime scene and spoke to the victim’s kin. A hunt is on for the assailants The incident was reported at Om Sai Raj Jewellers in Dahisar’s Gawde Nagar. Around 10.45 am, three men arrived on a scooter. They entered the shop where one of them fired a shot at the owner. The assailants then picked up two heavy trolley bags and left.Their images have been captured on CCTVs in the vicinity as they were riding away. The victim was rushed to the ICCU of a local hospital, where he was declared dead.Police said the assailants were wearing masks. The scooter rider was dressed in a white kurta and blue denims. One of his aides was dressed in a full sleeved blue shirt. The number plate of the two wheeler was damaged. Police are recording statements of eyewitnesses. The crime branch is carrying out a parallel probe.

Philipp Plein signs licensing agreement with Worldtime Watches & Jewelry

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Philipp Plein International AG and WorldTime Watches & Jewelry SA have signed a licensing agreement for the development, production and distribution of Philipp Plein watches and jewelry. The watch collections will be officially presented in July 2021 to debut in the market starting from winter 2021 in Philipp Plein boutiques, online, and at selected authorized retailers, while extended multibrand distribution will follow in spring 2022.

The maximalist aesthetics that made Philipp Plein famous will inspire the new line of watches, whose designs will see the Philipp Plein logos and symbols in great prominence on the dial, bezel, case, straps, and bracelets. All the distinctive stylistic elements of the brand – the crystals, the studs, the multicolor platings, the military patterns and the innovative combination of precious and refined materials – will alternate around Philipp Plein’s signature $kull motif, in three-dimensional and faceted versions, and the embossed crossbones. The jewelry collection, will be presented in January 2022 to be marketed soon after, will also be strongly characterized by the use of Philipp Plein distinctive traits, such as the lettering, the $kull, the double PP, the hexagon, and the monogram pattern.

“I am thrilled with the debut of these new lines of watches and jewelry, which enrich our collections with key elements of the men’s and women’s look,” said Philipp Plein, founder & CEO of Philipp Plein International AG, in a statement. “I am sure that the collaboration with WorldTime Watches & Jewelry will be an opportunity to push the boundaries of our luxurious and iconic vision even further.”

For the watch and jewelry development, production and distribution WorldTime Watches & Jewelry will leverage its long collaboration with Timex Group, which boasts over 150 years of experience in the watch industry.

“We are particularly proud of this agreement and look forward to combining our experience in the world of watch and jewelry with Philipp Plein’s image, to make available to consumers around the world collections that express the unique brand’s aesthetics and its idea of contemporary luxury” said Paolo Marai, Timex Group Luxury’s CEO, in a statement.