An eye for right ring
WITH a growing list of clients in the Far North, businesswoman and former Innisfail girl Christina Duddy loves a chance to return home.
The owner of The Diamond Hunter, an online business which helps clients find the perfect engagement ring, works from the Goodiwindi cattle property she shares with husband James and their two sons.
Her parents still live at Innisfail.
Mrs Duddy travels between Goondiwindi and Cairns about six times a year to meet clients and also travels to Brisbane and Sydney for work.
“I have worked with about 10 clients so far, but there is a growing list of clients in Cairns and North Queensland. I love the excuse to travel up to meet with them and also to see my family,” she said.
“I had a brief stint in a jewellery store in Innisfail during high school, which cemented my love for diamonds and jewellery.
“It was then reignited when my husband James proposed with a beautiful ring that he’d picked himself.
“The traditional designs never go out of style and therefore there is always a demand for a classic round brilliant cut, which is always on trend.
“However, clients often want to go ‘outside the box’ and there has been a rise in requests for a halo or a diamond band to give it a more modern feel.”
With about five requests coming in per week, and continually growing, Mrs Duddy believes she will likely need to expand and employ staff in the future.
She said the most expensive ring she had sold to a client so far was for $30,000. She charges a flat rate for the service plus a commission on the stone.
The Diamond Hunter has filled a void in a traditionally conservative industry. But Mrs Duddy does not like being called a diamond ring consultant.
“Making the decision to propose and purchase an engagement ring is a very intimate process. I don’t consult to my clients, I collaborate with them,” she said.
The Diamond Hunter also accommodates those that don’t like surprises, working with couples that both want a say in the dream ring.