Q&A

We specialise in the design and creation of beautiful, handmade pieces. This means that every component has been formed by hand by our master jewellers i.e. hammered, filed, drilled and work-hardened, before it is constructed and set with precision. We do not default to casting our jewellery as we believe in the quality that is produced using the best of both traditional and modern jewellery-making techniques. The end result is a piece that is incredibly beautiful, unique and finished to absolute perfection.

Our busiest time of the year is aligned with the wedding season which runs from around October to April. If you're considering having a piece made with us during this time, we recommend getting in touch a few months before you require your piece of jewellery, however, the more notice you are able to provide us with, the better. For something like an engagement ring, it's likely we may need to source gemstones and/or diamonds. Some gemstones and particular fancy cuts can be trickier to source than others, so can addon additional time. Once we have found the perfect gemstone and/or diamond for you, we can then prepare your pricing, before moving on to the design & refining process. Once everything is finalised, we can move your job to the workshop for production.

Ideally yes! We love to meet all of our customers if possible, this gives us the chance to get to know you. Consultations are very comprehensive and you'll get to meet with the jewellers themselves who'll guide you through the options that are available. At the meeting, we can show you examples of gemstones, discuss metal types, explore design ideas, we can also take any measurements and finger sizes. However, we do regularly work with customers from around the world and understand it's not always possible for our customers to meet with us at the workshop. We are pleased to offer virtual consultations as an alternative, we can easily keep in touch via email and send you detailed progress photos and media as required.

We highly recommend making a booking in advance if possible, this way we can ensure our jewellers will be available to meet with you. If you're wanting to pop in for a short visit, just give us a quick call or email a few hours earlier and we can let you know of any pre-booked consultations ahead of your visit. 

Nigel Wong has been designing and creating jewellery for 50 years. He is also an award-winning jeweller. We're so pleased to have Nigel with us and he has been creating exceptionally beautiful and unique pieces of jewellery to the highest standards for our customers.

Jan Bekker is our Senior Jeweller Goldsmith. Jan has been designing and creating jewellery for 22 years. He has an exceptional eye for detail and is passionate about jewellery making, design, and art in general. Jan brings a wide skill set to The Rolling Mill; hand engraving, precious metal sculpture, carving and textural elements, as well as delivering a fresh new take with fine jewellery designs.

Nick Hensman is the director, and jeweller at The Rolling Mill and has been designing and creating fine jewellery for over 17 years, completing an apprenticeship in Jewellery Manufacturing. Nick has received awards for his work at the New Zealand Jewellery Awards.

The Rolling Mill has also received awards for Design, taking a Silver medal at the Best Design awards for our diamond ring titled ‘Sacred Volcanoes’.

Consultation times vary depending on what you are after, i.e. wedding rings are usually around 20-30 minutes, consultations for engagement rings and all other pieces are usually around 45 minutes, but up to an hour if you need a little more time.

Note: our private consultations are free of charge. Our jewellers take time away from the bench to meet with you, so we recommend making the most of your time with the jeweller.

Absolutely! It’s a great idea to have a chat about your budget prior to, or during your private consultation, this way we can seek-out and offer options that work as close to your ideal price range as possible. If you have flexibility in your budget, you may find desirable improvements in the quality of the precious materials, or complexity of design, that we can offer you. Contact us for more information on pricing.

We work with all of the precious metals; all three Golds; yellow, rose and white, from 9 karat upwards, and also Platinum. We may be able to offer Titanium and Damascus in customised styles, these are best suited to straight band and wedding ring styles.

We offer private and exclusive consultation with our master jewellers from our Cuba Street workshop. We are on Level 1, above the busy bustling street below. When you book your appointment, we will supply all information you will need to access The Rolling Mill, and what to expect when you meet with your jeweller.

Your partner will love that you’ve put a lot of thought in to having a ring custom made especially for them. We'd love to work with you to create a ring with your partner in mind. We have a few tips and tricks up our sleeves to guide you through the design and gemstone selection process, some detective work may be required!

Another option you may like to consider is purchasing a gemstone or diamond and proposing with this. Then working together with your partner on the design.

It’s also common for couples to worrk with us to finalise a design, with a proposal to come later on, which can still be a lovely surprise!

It's now very common for couples to work together on a custom made engagement ring and contribute to a final design that you'll both love. Note: If you're unsure about whether or not to include your partner in the engagement ring-making process, please feel free to reach out to us and we can discuss the requirements.

We appreciate all queries regarding the diamond and gemstone trade. We have excellent relationships with our sources and we regularly ask important questions regarding ethical factors involved in the sourcing our diamonds and gemstones.

For some of our natural gems, we regularly work directly with the individuals that have hand dug the rough gemstones and work with their local gem cutters.

We also work closely with our suppliers to offer a number of modern and exciting alternatives to be considered. Please feel free to get in touch to discuss the options available.

Our passion really lies in the sourcing of beautiful gemstones and diamonds, building unique specifications, followed by the design and creation of truly unique, one-of-a-kind pieces that are made especially for you!

At your private consultation, once we've had a chance to get to know a bit more about you or your loved one, we can rough a few sketches together and have a chat about the details. We then take some quiet, creative time away from the jewellers bench, to sketch a design we think will work best for you based on the brief, from there the design can be refined if required. Once you're completely happy with the design, we then move your job to the workshop. We will keep you posted with the creation progress and we’ll invite you back to view and collect your new piece of jewellery.

If you have any other questions, we welcome you to contact us directly, and we’ll be happy to help. 

We look forward to hearing from you.

The Rolling Mill