Ringwood Jewellers - Award winners

When Peter and Pam Beever started Ringwood Jewellers, they did not set out to win business awards and acclaim. But by “doing that little bit extra”, recognition has come their way. Winning the Best Micro Business in last year’s Maroondah City Council’s Business Excellence Awards was very satisfying. “We were humbled and thrilled to accept the award in recognition of our hard work.” They won the award after a panel of judges reviewed all the nominees in many areas of business and community involvement. Added to this, in recognition of 30 years in the retail sector, Peter was asked to join the Board of the Jewellers’ Association of Australia and is now the Victorian and Tasmanian president.

After many years in the jewellery industry, Peter and Pam recognised an opportunity to get into retailing by doing things differently. As Peter says, “not just discounting, but by putting the emphasis on personal service. We like to think that we’re making a difference”. So almost four years ago, they established Ringwood Jewellers.

Peter originally started in jewellery retailing at 16, working in a small family business for about 10 years. He married Pam, a third generation jeweller following in the footsteps of her parents and grandparents, who also worked in the business. Peter left to become Sales Manager for an organisation distributing Omega and Swatch watches in Australia. But after several years, they realised the chance to get into a different side of retailing, placing the emphasis on service. Restorations, repairs and remodelling of antique clocks, watches and jewellery accounts for a significant part of their business. “These are often items that have great sentimental value”, says Peter. “We love to be able to help people in an area that is becoming increasingly difficult in which to find good service.”

Peter and Pam’s desire is to use their business to serve the community, both locally and world-wide. Donations of prizes and sponsorships to local schools and a high degree of involvement in their church sees them playing a significant role locally. But with a passion to help in the third world, they decided to donate 10% of all their takings in March last year to the World Vision Adopt-a-Well project. With the Federal Government matching contributions 3 to 1, they raised over $14,000 dollars to establish a well that delivers clean, fresh drinking water to the Ahanta people of south-west Ghana. The impact of this project became clear to Peter recently when he met a man from Ghana. The man was reduced to tears after Peter told him the story of building the well, understanding the incredible impact that this would have on the lives of thousands. Peter and Pam are very keen to do more in the provision of fresh water in the third world. Ringwood Jewellers’ association with Saward Dawson goes back to before the business began. "Saward Dawson has been such an enormous help with business advice. Whilst I don’t always understand the full implications and reasons behind the advice I receive, it is all about trust. Our clients have to trust us when we recommend that their diamond needs re-making or re-setting and the same applies to our dealings with Saward Dawson."

Saward Dawson is proud to be of service to Ringwood Jewellers. There can be no doubt that they are impacting the world around them.

Visit the Ringwood Jewellers website

Published : 14 March 2005