Our Story

How it started

It was 1977 and I hadn't long left High School. I’d already met my future husband Mark, I was studying business at Uni, and to make ends meet (and fund my social life), I landed a job working in Brisbane’s Queens Arcade for John Quinn. ‘Quinny’, as we called him, was considered Brisbane’s most highly regarded Watchmaker who specialised in antique time pieces.

Under Quinny’s expert instruction for the following two years, he would educate me intently on Antique Jewellery, and the fine handcraft of Threading Pearls.

Sadly, Quinny would retire a couple of years later. ‘Damn, I have to find another job!’

In light of the situation, it meant Pearls went on the back burner, and I literally walked across the Queens Arcade road and into Mr Christian Shoes where I asked for a job. (I ended up in Shoes - I was in heaven!).

Quinny would change my life forever…. this is where I got my love of antiques!

Life’s Journey, it’s Serendipitous!

I quit Uni, put my head down at Mr Christian Shoes, had quite a successful period in sales, and before long I was given the opportunity to Manage the Queen’s Arcade Store (Queens Arcade, is now known as the Queen Street Mall).

Mark and I got married (Landed on his feet!), we had two strapping young lads, Michael & James, and as a stay at home mum, I was ready to find myself some employment. It was the 90’s and searching for a job was done by looking through the local paper’s classifieds.

You’re not going to believe this, but while searching for a job in the classifieds, I come across a short request from a lady wanting to know how to String Pearls (I kid you not!). Her husband had passed away, and he had previously owned Nambour Jewellers.

Long story short, she wanted to learn the art of Pearl Stringing, and since I was looking to make myself a few dollars, I jumped at the opportunity! Honestly, I thought to myself, ‘It’s like she put the advert in the paper for me personally’ (What’s the odds…. Serendipity?).

This is where things got weird…. and Serendipity made an appearance!

It leads to a Fine Craft!

This beautifully elegant lady arrived on my door step with 2 of her friends waiting in her car. They were going out to lunch in 20 minutes, and she had made the assumption that learning to String Pearls was a 5 minute course. After a brief chat on my Threading experience… she looked at me and said ‘Jewellers are crying out for someone to string pearls, go find yourself a job!’ I created a business card, approached some local Jewellers, and came home with 4 jobs by days end. I began working privately from home, for the following 10+ years. It didn’t take long and I was threading Pearls for some of Australia’s most upmarket Jewellery stores in Noosa’s famous Hasting Street shopping precinct!

That brings us to today. I then spent the following16 years at the famous Eumundi Markets on QLD’s Sunshine Coast. Mark and I now reside in Emu Park, and with advancements in the efficiencies of technology, we can now reach the world from the comfort of our lounge. With a range of wholesalers offering our Pearls and Antique Jewellery throughout Australia, and with Mark’s help attending 2 local markets per month (Yeppoon and Emu Park), we are semi-retired and I spend my spare time doing what I love, ‘Making Jewellery for the most important person in our business…. YOU!’

Location

P.O.Box 28
Emu Park, QLD, 4710

Contact

josephinepearls@gmail.com
p. +61 401 039 051