Your Business: Jewellers - Julian Bartrom

Julian Bartrom, founder of Julian Bartrom Designer Goldsmith. Photo / Chris Loufte

Julian Bartrom is the founder of Ellerslie-based business Julian Bartrom Designer Goldsmith.

When and why did you became a jeweller?

When I was 16 I was given a gold chain by a close friend of the family in recognition of some achievement at school and it made a big impression on me. When I was 17, I started taking night classes at Peter Minturn Goldsmith School, and when I left high school I started as an apprentice at a mass production jewellery manufacturer here in Auckland.

I found that really wasn't what I wanted to do, so the following year I started at Peter Minturn Goldsmith School full time. After three years there and getting experience at other jewellery workshops I started calling myself a jeweller. But it wasn't until I'd trained with the Gemmological Institute of America in grading diamonds and coloured stones that I really started to become confident in my field.

What were your ambitions when you first started your own business?

At the time I didn't think starting on my own would be the best thing to do, but members of my family and some established jewellers encouraged me to start a business. I'm really thankful for that advice because now I can see that's been the best option for me. I started by working as a contractor for some of the higher-end custom design jewellery shops around Auckland and as time went by my name got out and I started to do work for clients directly.

Winning the People's Choice Award in the New Zealand Jewellery Design Competition in 2011 was a big boost to my business and now everything I do is custom designed for my own clientele, direct from a small residential studio in Ellerslie. I've always felt I had high ambitions, looking up to Harry Winston and Boucheron and Graff Diamonds as role models, and from the time I started I've worked to offer a high end product.

I never wanted it to be like a job that I had to do and even now I work reasonably long hours and enjoy every moment of it.

What have been the challenges of building your own business in this industry?

I think slow and steady wins the race and the higher the value your product, the more considerate and deliberate you have to be. Establishing trade relationships, finding trusted gem suppliers, building the website, finding the right tools - it all took a lot of time.

When I started on my own I didn't know anything about business and I found out pretty quickly that producing quality jewellery wasn't enough. I also had to become an entrepreneur, accounts manager, marketing director, clientele manager and materials purchaser and it was a bit of a wakeup call. One thing that helped was being given a book called The E-Myth by an accountant, and this helped set me in the right direction. For the first three years nearly all the profits were kept in the business and spent on materials and equipment.

I've been really lucky to have had some great jewellery mentors, some of whom worked in top London workshops. If I ever had a question, I just had to ask. Many of the techniques we use in making an item of jewellery are time tested and proven to work effectively; everything's been done before and it certainly helps knowing who to ask.

What do you love about having your own business in this line of work?

More than anything I love the product and I love sharing this with clients. I love showing people pieces that I've made and showing gemstones, which are sometimes so rare they might not ever see anything like it again.

We're working and competing largely in a global market. I'm always on the phone to my diamond suppliers in New York and Mumbai and it's a great industry to work in because no matter which part of the world you're dealing with, most people share the same enthusiasm for jewellery and love sharing what they know.

And, of course, a design-and-make experience is really memorable for the client and I've always felt privileged to be a part of people's most special occasions.

What are some of your plans for the future?

I'll soon be finishing my training as a gemmologist with the Gemmological Institute of America and I'm looking forward to incorporating that training even more into the business. As a small community service I've also got plans to make a limited line of diamond earring studs and matching pendant sets where the profits are donated to charities. Any future marketing budgets will be going into developing our website further, because I think that's been the most successful channel for us in terms of gaining customers.

Coming up in Your Business: Social media has made it easier than ever for customers to rate and comment on products and services online. What are small business owners doing to keep on top of this side of their operations? If you've got a story to share about handling customer reviews, drop me a note: nzhsmallbusiness@gmail.com