About Lisa

Lisa studied business studies after leaving school, before heading over to Austria where she was based while she biked through over 20 countries and spent most of her time tramping, kayaking, mountain biking and running.

In 1998 Lisa went into business exporting Natural Paua pearls to Europe. Being extremely rare and beautiful these pearls created a lot of attention and Lisa exhibited at the biggest jewellery trade fair in the world - the Basel Jewellery and Watch fair and was then invited by a Japanese pearl company to exhibit in Japan. The exhibition show-cased top Austrian goldsmith craftsmanship and artistry with these rare Paua pearls, and sold stock to Mikimoto Pearl Company the largest in the world. Lisa also exhibited a number of times at the prestigious Vicenza Jewellery Fair in Italy, which she says is the home of the finest jewellery designers in the world.

After learning more about the jewellery industry Lisa decided she wanted to be a Goldsmith and studied under the Viennese Master Goldsmith Michael Eippeldauer for 3 years, learning the trade from scratch and studying at the same time at the Viennese Goldsmith Institute.

In 2001 Lisa branched out on her own and opened her first shop in St Pölten, an hour outside Vienna where she specialised in designer jewellery and paua and Tahitian pearls. Lisa then expanded in 2005 into wholesaling in Austria before opening her second jewellery shop in conjunction with her mother in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

In 2006 Lisa was awarded 3rd prize in the prestigious International Tahitian Pearl Jewellery competition with a pendant titled "Fire under the ice"- an amazing achievement in Austria, the capital of master goldsmiths.

In 2007 Lisa decided to return to New Zealand (there's no place like home) and sold her business in Austria. She now runs the shop in New Plymouth with her mother and has expanded the business by purchasing an opal cutting and polishing business and her boutique shop is now home to one of the largest opal collections in New Zealand. Her shop also features artwork by her talented artist Father Cyril Tamati and a small range of designer clothing.

In her spare time Lisa runs deserts and extreme ultramarathons..........