The questions worth asking.

Rovera Plaza, Shop 5, 23 Cotton Tree Parade, Cotton Tree, Maroochydore QLD 4558. The showroom and the workshop are the same premises — the bench is behind the counter, not in another building.

Monday to Friday, 9:30am to 4:00pm. Saturdays are by appointment only and we are closed Sundays. Call 07 5443 1955 to arrange a Saturday time.

Not during the week — walk in any weekday. Book if you want unhurried time with a jeweller for a custom design or an engagement ring, and note that Saturdays and valuations are by arrangement only.

Yes — Rovera Plaza has parking, and there is street parking along Cotton Tree Parade. We are a short walk from the Maroochy River mouth if you are making a morning of it.

Clients come to the Cotton Tree studio from across the region — Maroochydore, Mooloolaba, Alexandra Headland, Buderim, Caloundra, Noosa and the wider Sunshine Coast — as well as interstate for bespoke commissions.

Usually, yes. It is an on-site viewing workshop, and clients are welcome to see work in progress. Ask when you book and we will time your visit for when your piece is on the bench.

The people who make the jewellery. NY2K is family-owned and the jeweller who assesses your piece is generally the one who works on it — Paul New leads the bench, with Rayna and Hayley.

Every piece is quoted individually. The stones, the metal, how much is fabricated by hand and the complexity of the design all move the figure, so a number given before we have seen what you have in mind would be a guess. Consultations are free and come with a written quote before anything begins.

Most commissions take around two weeks from approved design to handover. Sourcing a particular stone, or a design needing extensive hand fabrication, can extend that. You are given an expected timeframe when the piece is quoted.

No. Most people arrive with a feeling, a photo or a box of old jewellery rather than a design. Working out what the piece should be is what the consultation is for.

Natural, earth-mined diamonds are our speciality and what we work with by default. Lab-grown diamonds can be sourced on request. We also work with Australian sapphires, coloured gemstones and certified Argyle pink diamonds.

Yes. Design, fabrication, setting and finishing happen at our Cotton Tree bench rather than being sent to a trade manufacturer or cast offshore. The exception is valuations, which are written by a contracted registered valuer who attends the studio.

Often, yes. Your materials are assessed first, because old jewellery can carry previous repairs, solder and mixed alloys that affect whether the metal can go into a new piece. You are told what can be carried over before work starts.

We can design something in a similar spirit, and will usually suggest improvements to how it is built. We do not reproduce another maker's registered design outright — bring the image in and we will tell you honestly what is possible.

Bring it back for cleaning, a polish and a check of the settings. Catching a worn claw early is the difference between a small repair and a lost stone.

The assessment is free and comes before the quote. A claw re-tip and a full shank rebuild are different jobs on different metals with different stones involved, so the piece needs to be seen before a price means anything.

Many straightforward repairs can be completed within approximately five business days. Restoration work takes longer, particularly if a stone has to be sourced or matched. You are advised of the timeframe at assessment.

Of course. Most repairs we handle were bought elsewhere, including pieces from interstate and overseas.

In most cases. How far a ring can move depends on its design — a plain band has more room than a fully set eternity ring, where resizing may not be possible without reworking the setting.

A repair returns the same piece to sound condition. A remodel turns your materials into a different piece. If you want the ring back as it was, that is a repair; if it no longer suits you, that is remodelling.

Usually. Diamonds are removed, inspected under magnification and reset where they are sound. Coloured stones are judged individually — some are softer or already chipped, and resetting carries more risk.

Sometimes, but not automatically. Owning the stones or the gold removes part of the material cost, not the labour — and a remodel can involve more bench work than making from scratch because existing stones and settings must be worked around.

Rarely, but it happens — usually where a band has worn paper-thin or a setting has been repaired so many times there is little original metal left. In those cases remodelling the stones into something new is the honest recommendation.

Once a year for a ring worn daily, and sooner after a hard knock or if a stone feels like it moves. An inspection takes minutes.

Yes — written valuations for insurance, estate and resale purposes, prepared at the studio by a contracted valuer registered with the National Council of Jewellery Valuers, who attends by arrangement.

A valuation written by the business that sold you the piece carries less weight with an insurer than one from a registered valuer with no stake in it. Registration also means the work follows a recognised standard rather than an opinion on price.

Yes. Unlike repairs, valuations cannot be done while you wait — the valuer attends on arranged days, so a time needs to be booked. Call 07 5443 1955.

No. A certificate grades the stone — colour, clarity, cut, carat. A valuation puts a monetary figure on the finished piece for a stated purpose. Insurers generally want the valuation; the certificate supports it.

Periodically, because replacement cost moves with metal and stone prices. Check what your policy requires, and revalue after any remodelling or significant repair, since the piece itself has changed.

Ask us — this varies by piece and by what the market is doing. A resale or fair-market valuation is the sensible first step so you know what you are holding before deciding anything.