Meet our Staff – Greg John our Master Jeweller

​Greg began his apprenticeship in 1970, trained in the highly respected workshop of LW Designers under the keen eye of Master Jewellers, Kurt Lenk and Herbert Wiesboech. This was a period when the Melbourne jewellery industry was flourishing and Greg was fortunate to have the opportunity to learn a wide range of hand-making skills and manufacturing techniques.

It quickly became apparent to those who mixed with Greg in these formative years that here was a rare talent, eager to learn but also to think though processes and experiment with design. A shrewd observer, David Bird, was amongst those who became one of Greg’s major customers, opening up a market for his earliest designs on diamond and coloured stone rings to retail jewellers around Australia.

After some years running his own manufacturing retail businesses in Bentleigh and Mornington, Greg travelled to Queensland where he established and ran a large jewellery manufacturing facility in the rich gemstone area of Emerald in central Queensland.

Even at this distance, contact remained with the Bird business as Greg continued to produce jewellery for distribution to the Australian retail sector.

For family reasons Greg returned to Melbourne in 1988 and was eagerly recruited by highly respected jewellers, Precious Metals, and later, Makers Mark, where he established the workshop in the Collins street gallery. As evidence of how frequently paths cross in our industry, Greg for some time ran the jewellery workshop of Fred Robert Abrecht.

Greg has added to his hand-skills by enthusiastically studying all aspects of our industry, he is fascinated by gemstones and holds diplomas in both gemmology and diamond technology and is a qualified jewellery valuer.

Greg’s unique talent will gain wide recognition in years to come and many clients will proudly declare that their individual design bears his distinct makers mark as seen below.