The Person... Behind The Company...

I am the Director and owner of Surfsands Pty. Ltd.

I have been in the Gemstone and Jewellery industry since arriving in Australia in 1963.

(That’s 1/2 Century of uninterrupted Jewellery trading!)

During those 50 years I have, through one or another of my companies, been involved in most aspects of the industry, including Sapphire mining in Australia.

In the mid 1960’s I pioneered the export of Australian rough Sapphires to Thailand.

Within a few years, by 1970, one of my companies, Gem Exports Pty. Ltd., was the second largest sapphire dealer and exporter of rough Sapphires from Australia.

In the 1980’s I was possible the first to ever brand and promote an Australian gemstone under the slogan; “Reddestone Creek Sapphires - Mined, Cut and Polished in Australia”.

The export of these Sapphires, cut here in Australia, was very successful.

In fact, quite substantial parcels of these stones, that were cut on a multi stone automatic machine and that were superior to Thai cutting in those days, were exported to Thailand!!!

(That’s a bit like exporting chopsticks to China!)

Marketing within Australia was primarily done through other gemstone wholesalers.

Over the years I have been involved in the import of cut stones and Jewellery, export of rough and cut stones, jewellery manufacturing, Opal cutting factory, chain of retail outlets and wholesale of both Jewellery and Gemstones throughout Australia.

I believe that the most valuable intangible asset a person, and a company, can possess in our industry is REPUTATION… of the POSITIVE kind!

That is something that can’t be bought, but has to be earned, and can only be earned over time.

In that regard; I believe that both Surfsands Pty. Ltd. over more than 30 years, and I over the last 50+ years, have been doing some earning.

Surfsands Pty. Ltd. - was established in 1987.

It is a wholesale supplier to the jewellery industry.

It’s main activity these days, is the supply of loose gemstones to the Australian jewellery industry; Designers, Manufacturers, Wholesalers and Retailers.

One important ingredient for any segment of the Jewellery industry to succeed is the reliability of supply.

It is vital for a retailer or manufacturer to be able to source whatever a customer have requested.

Even more so these days when, in general, manufacturers and retailers no longer purchase, and have on hand, numerous unset stones themselves.

Surfsands do not have “everything”, but it does have a reasonable variety of Gemstones.

The company carry a quite comprehensive Sapphire range, but even so; not “everything”.

An indication of Surfsands’ “stability”, in today’s ever-changing world, is perhaps the fact that in the decades of continuous trading, the company has only moved offices twice and that was due to circumstances beyond its control.

Even the post office box address is today still the same as when Surfsands was established.

(That box has, in fact, been held by an associate company, Gem Exports Pty. Ltd., since 1966!)

Surfsands carry a very diverse range of products.

This is due to the many areas of the Jewellery industry that the owner has been and/or is currently involved in.

The current Director/owner have been with the company since it’s inception.