About Yvon

My training

I was trained as a goldsmith at the Vakschool Schoonhoven in the Netherlands. After some work experiences at workshops in Germany and Holland I decided to open my first studio/ workshop in Venlo in 1988

Adventure called in 1994 and I moved with my family to New Zealand where I opened a studio/ workshop on Nile Street in 1995. This set up allowed me to keep on working while my children were young.

A goldsmith friend from my Schoonhoven College days had been working with Allison in London; she was the connection that brought the two of us together. After six months of sharing a workshop, we decided to create Jewel Beetle in April 2004.

My plan had always been to move the business into town when the children were older. It all happened a bit earlier than I had planned. Fortunately I still manage to juggle time off during school holidays to spend with my family and basically catch my breath!

People often ask us why we are called jewel beetle. The idea came from my neighbour Margo - who is a poet. We were struggling to come up with a name for our new business. We asked Margo to help and after some thought she suggested “jewel beetle”. At first we were unsure, but the concept soon grew on us. We could instantly see the possibilities of building a brand and having a memorable logo. Jewel beetles are beautiful little creatures and apparently there are over 12,000 different species around the world.

We often sit together to design a new collection and although we are both traditionally trained we have very different ideas about how to approach the manufacturing process. I feel this is one of the main ingredients of Jewel Beetle’s success. I thoroughly enjoy manufacturing jewellery at Jewel Beetle and it has certainly widened my horizons over the past few years.