How McClurgs Has Remained A Cut Above for Over 100 Years

In 1914, a young watchmaker named Leonard McClurg stepped off a ship in Napier and into a story that would span generations. He was searching for adventure, a new life, a new beginning. But ultimately, what he created was a legacy. McClurgs began as a modest shop on Hastings Street, but for more than a century it has continued to thrive, weathering every storm and rising to establish itself as a name that many in New Zealand and beyond have entrusted with their most precious pieces — from engagements to milestones and future heirlooms.

Today, McClurgs is far more than a jeweller. It is a custodian of memory. The family has always understood that jewellery is as much about a moment as it is about precious metals and stones. “Our clients always walk away with a story to tell,” says fourth-generation Director, Hamish McClurg.

The McClurg family story is itself underscored by an air of resilience and reinvention. Leonard’s son Alan abandoned his career as an optician in London to take over the business when his father fell ill. Alan’s son, David, may not have been a natural with the bench tools, but he had a rare instinct for people. His gift for listening, for knowing when to guide and when to simply hold space for a customer, helped shape McClurgs into a house defined as much by its service as its craft. David has now spent over fifty years on the shop floor, a figure so constant that generations of families have come to him with their milestones. And waiting in the wings was Hamish, who had travelled the world, worked the mines, studied design and gemology, and now, has returned home to carry the family name forward into a new era.

"I feel very proud to continue McClurg’s legacy,” Hamish says. “It’s a privilege to carry on what Leonard, Alan and David have built and contribute to a legacy that’s deeply rooted in Hawke’s Bay. Growing up around the store and workshop, I was immersed in the trade from a young age, so in many ways, it feels natural to be here.” He pauses, “even while I explored other avenues, I think I always knew I’d return to McClurgs.”

Hamish’s perspective, shaped by his time away from New Zealand, is that jewellery today must carry as much weight in its story as its stone. “Consumers now would like an experience around their purchases,” he explains. “We can see that in the ways people are leaning more towards small, independently-owned businesses. “ He continues, “we can give them exceptional quality but also, foster meaningful, long-term relationships.” In a market awash with mass-produced jewellery and global chains, McClurgs rises above by leaning into its history, its craft and the deeply human story that lies at the heart of all it does as a brand. Pieces are designed and manufactured in-house, and McClurgs even now offer alluvial gold sourced from New Zealand’s West Coast." There is no pretence, no intimidating sales floor, just a quiet confidence that has been honed (and earned) over 111 years.

“There’s something really beautiful about an engagement ring, it is one of the biggest milestones of someone’s life.”

In many ways, McClurgs balances two identities at once. Its history of resilience and its award-winning Art Deco home on Hastings Street have made it a hallowed name in jewellery. But at the same time, it is the small gestures — the late-night door opened for a love-struck couple, the personal stories shared across the counter — that keep it grounded and have made it an integral part of the community. “The joy we have for doing everything and nothing together,” Hamish says of both his personal life and the ethos of McClurgs, “that’s what makes it work.”

To speak with Hamish is to sense both reverence and momentum. He talks often about trust, about making clients feel like family, about crafting jewellery that is as much about the sentiment it will hold as the design itself. His vision for the future is ambitious — expanding McClurgs’ reputation across New Zealand and beyond, strengthening its workshop and creative team, and establishing new spaces for consultation and storytelling. Yet at its core, the promise is unchanged.

Because McClurgs is not simply a place to buy jewellery. It is a place where love stories are given form. Since its inception it has borne witness to surprise proposals, wedding vows, milestone anniversaries and heirlooms passed down and reimagined one generation to the next. In every diamond, in every swathe of gold, in every careful setting is imbued a tale of devotion, commitment and history. “There’s something really beautiful about an engagement ring,” Hamish says, “it is one of the biggest milestones of someone’s life.”

McClurgs might be one of New Zealand’s oldest family-owned jewellery houses, but it is also one of the most contemporary in spirit. It inherently understands the gravity of the promises exchanged when a ring is slipped onto a finger or a necklace fastened around a neck. To entrust McClurgs with an engagement ring, a wedding band or an anniversary gift, is to weave your story into theirs — one that has endured for 110 years, and will continue to do so for many more.