Diamond Design sparkles bright

BUSINESS GEM: John Tulloch and his team at Diamond Design - Julie Aldridge (left), Mr Tulloch's wife Bev Tulloch, Nyree Crawford and Tina Serafin - have been named the supreme winners in the annual "Best Place" Downtown Tauranga promotion. Diamond Design is in State Insurance Arcade.

Winning Downtown Tauranga's "Best Place" award was great recognition for his business and for the CBD, says John Tulloch, owner of Diamond Design.

Mr Tulloch has run the business, which specialises in handmade and bespoke rings, for 30 years.

Based in the State Insurance Arcade, Diamond Design beat all other Mainstreet Tauranga businesses to win the top 10 selection.

"I think these promotions are helpful in bringing more people into the central city," sad Mr Tulloch. "Downtown has had problems over the last few years, but I feel there's been a bit of a pickup this year."

The promotion, which is voted on by customers over a six-week period, encouraged businesses to look at how they did business and engaged with clients, said Mainstreet Tauranga co-ordinator Karena Mattson.

She said the promotion allowed people to vote for a business, a restaurant, a cafe or simply a place in the city centre that made them feel good.

"Whilst the top 10 best places changed a few times over the course of the promotion, Diamond Design came in as the clear leader so they deserve that supreme award," said Ms Mattson.

"This promotion is a unique opportunity to allow the public to share their favourite places in the city centre and is a lovely way for Downtown Tauranga businesses to be acknowledged."

Mr Tulloch did his apprenticeship in Christchurch.

"I trained in the old school where you did things properly or you got it hammered down and had to start again," he said.

For the past 15 years he has been part of the select group of jewellers who are regularly invited to buy directly from a dealer in Antwerp's diamond district, the world's biggest diamond centre.

Also dubbed the Square Mile, the district is a pedestrian-free area covering several blocks in the Belgian city, which is estimated to process about 84 per cent of the world's rough diamonds.

Mr Tulloch visits Antwerp every year in March/April to select cut and polished stones for his jewellery designs.

"You can't just walk into the wholesale dealers and buy, you have to be invited to go there," said Mr Tulloch. "Only people who understand and know how diamonds are graded are allowed to go there, so I'm very privileged."

Antwerp has an estimated 3500 brokers, merchants and diamond cutting specialists.

Mr Tulloch said he usually bought from the same dealer who had a diamond mine in Botswana and imported rough stones directly from there to cut and polish in Antwerp.

"I can choose from a huge selection," he said.

"I make a lot of rings for people who want something really special."
Downtown favourites
- The finalists in Downtown Tauranga's "Best Place" competition were Diamond Design (the winner), Books A Plenty, Heartland Bank, The Phoenix, Cobb & Co, KILT, Pluto, The Med, Spring Street Cafe and the Tauranga Library.

- Louise Old won a voucher from each of the finalists as the winner of the pulic draw od all the votes cast.