HIGH-CLASS JEWELLERY IN SHORT SUPPLY

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5325, 11 February 1947, Page 2

HIGH-CLASS JEWELLERY IN SHORT SUPPLY

NEW ZKAI.AN'D PRODUiCTS NOT YET l'l» TO STANOARO. ' ' I J ewellers in Rotorua, ih common with jewellers all over tho coUhtry, are finding stocks increasingly difficult to obtain. Patticuiarly hard, and jn fact almost impossible, are stocks of ladies' and gentlemen's watches from Switzerland. One jcwellet yesterday reported that he had this' year received three men's watches and one lady's. He did not know when he would receive any more. The import restrictions at the moment, he stated, were imposed- in order to favour the New Zealand-made product, which co'uld not hope to compete with the oveiseas article. Plated butter knives, for instance, with mothe'r-of-pearl handies imported from overseas, could be retailed cheaper to the public than could the die-stamped," New Zea-land-made article. The only New Zealand-made jewellery which was in plentiful supply and which sold reasonably well were paua, shell necklaces and pendants, but the demand for these was now on. the wane. The selection of rings, apart from plain gold wedding. rings and signet rings, was also very poor. The standard of New Zealand stone-set-ting was, however, improving greatly and some really fine work had been turned out by New Zealand craftsmen. . The trade, it appears, in common with many other businesses in the present post-war period; is suffering from too great a demand for lines which too few craftsmen are trying to meet. Although Switzerland has always been the main source of supply for first-class watches, and although this country was perhaps least affected by the war, there appears to be some internal trouble there, for the goods are not being exported in as great a quantity as before.