I am not often in need of expensive jewellery (ok, never) but this time I'm willing to spend a…read morelittle bit more than I would usually (still not a fortune though) as hopefully I will only ever wear one wedding ring in my life-time! After having dragged my husband-to-be to around 5 jewellery stores in the Albany Mall trying to source the best deal and getting increasingly annoyed with all those oh-so-friendly and could-they-possibly-be-even-pushier sales people I thought I should give the Takapuna Michael Hill branch one last go (by myself) as it is after all just one block from the beach where me and my daughter run around daily. It's a small, narrow store that doesn't look particularly inviting but I have to say that my shopping experience was definitely and by far the best out of them all. Maybe the fact that this is the only store where I was consulted by someone male helped (namely by a middle-aged and genuinely helpful chap called Peter) or the fact that my screaming and running-around toddler was taken care of by the other friendly shop assistants (even behind the other side of the counter). In any case, I felt very comfortable here and was impressed with their service and knowledge on diamonds etc. Price-wise this store worked out a bit better for us than the competitors even though GST can only be exempted if you spend at least $2000 (it's $500 with Walker&Hall). Tip: It's probably safe to assume that you will always be given a discount (at any time of the year) on any higher priced items.

My father in law has a jewellery business and he says a lot of the jewellery at Michael Hill is of…read morepoor quality. I am no expert but I have browsed in their shops and it looks fairly decent to me. I bought a nice silver heart necklace as gift three years ago and it has lasted well. On that occasion the staff were friendly and put it in a nice gift box. I went back there recently and it was a different story - a rather pushy woman was trying to sell me a bracelet even though I just told her I was just browsing. She started talking about the good credit terms she could give me and in the end I just left. I guess it's good they offer credit if you don't have much money to spend but I found it all rather pushy and I ended up buying my gift somewhere else.

We bought my engagement ring and our wedding rings from David and it was the most wonderful…read moreexperience. David and his team provide customer service with a capital C! We are pretty indecisive people at the best of times and it's always hard when you're buying something you would like to wear everyday for the rest of your life but David made the experience so easy and really made us feel like valued customers. When we finally chose our rings, David and his team boxed them up in front of us and sent them off to the airport so we could collect them duty free. He also gave us a bottle of bubbles to celebrate with. I don't think I would want to go anywhere else to buy jewelry now!

Wow... nice to hear the previous reviewer had a good experience. I've found them to be too pushy…read moreand patronising. When one of the staff exaggerated the quality and value to me of one of their rings, and I corrected her, she got really shitty. My family have all worked in the jewellery industry for years. I know the mark up on jewellery is astounding. It would shock unwitting buyers. You only need to look at the price of second hand diamond rings on trade me to get a picture of what jewellery is really worth.So, yeah I'm a bit wary with Michael Hill's pushy sales tactics and lack of sincerity. If you are buying high priced jewellery do your homework. Look on trade me and eBay too. Don't trust what they tell you in jewellery shops. The mark up is 250% plus. Valuations are not to be taken as gospel either. MHJ in St Luke's may be friendly but only if they think you don't know any better.

The staff in this store are very friendly, helpful, and a real asset to their employer…read more I've had several opportunities to deal with them and I always am extremely happy with the service. Today I asked a jeweler across the way how much it would cost to resize my Medic Alert bracelet, and I was told it would be $60. When I asked at Micheal Hill's, they said it was free. Can't find a better example than that.

Wayne Jeffers is a manufacturing jeweller and during the day you can see his beautiful designs in…read morethe window. The pieces all seem to have an Art Deco aesthetic which is just my style so when I needed my wedding set fitted and resized I thought I'd give this place a go. The price was what I'd expected to pay (if not a bit less) and the work took only a few days. I expressed my concerns regarding the stability of my antique engagement ring and Wayne really knew his stuff and put my mind at rest. Well mostly - he told me that occasionally old rubies explode under pressure which just can't be helped. Eek. My ruby was fine. Phew. The end result was perfect and I would highly recommend this jeweller to anyone, whether you're after a custom-made unique piece or just a repair or refit, this place has the kind of old school local values that are so rare these days.

Joshua. Stop using businesses to provide services so you can…read morebuy online. This guy is a manufacturing jeweller. You are not his customer - just looking for something for nothing. I suppose you go to a shoe shop and try on shoes and then buy them online. Good one Mate

ZABOL - four stars,but only just... A unique store I have…read morevisited a few times. Each time I am instantly drawn in by the shop window items, middle eastern treasures of brass ornaments and detailed exotic rugs, beautiful and traditional. Although the venue is small they also stock some traditional pottery with unique geometric designs, also stunning in my opinion. Think Moroccan. Lanterns, jewellery, a few bits and pieces but mostly rugs/kilims, which was my particular purchase aim. I have honestly however walked out empty handed each time, they are far beyond my price range. I will consider this a high end art gallery I guess, beautiful items to be admired only. They have an amusing sign on the front door regarding the opening hours. Lets just say their hours of trade are 'subject to change' regularly, and I can attest that this is very true! Weekdays are likely to be between noon till 5pm, but no guarantee's they will actually be there either. RING first! They are also happy to have you come visit/buy outside of these times but once again call and ask. They staff are very friendly and happy to help where they can.

I bet that you won't find a long list of male names when you compile the people who actually enjoy…read moregift shopping, I know I don't, and you are more than welcome to remove my name from any such lists. I don't mind receiving gifts, I don't even mind giving gifts, it is just the shopping process I detest. Fortunately Elements at the Glenfield Mall is the perfect place to buy gifts, as they have something for everyone, and the price falls into the affordable category. From cups with your name on it, to T-Shirts and barbeque aprons. This is a quick stop, get-your-gift-and-go kind of store, and even the most reluctant shopper will find something here.

So many great things to feast my eyes on. At first I thought this was a shop I'd enjoy looking…read morethrough but would probably come to find a lot of the stuff I've seen elsewhere or just a lot of generic stuff. This was sort of true for the first part of my exploration, but I soon discovered a unique corner, which spiked my interest. It was like a medi-evil nook filled with dragons and darkness. There were lamps covered in dragons, big statues, HUGE wall ornaments and little baby dragonet figurines. I grabbed one of the small dragons for my boyfriend. I thought he'd appreciate the little guy, and he did! I also got a little plaque for my mom. It had some special words on the front and was only $15. I just couldn't resist!

We had made an appointment. This was a new kind of shopping for me... actually having to book a…read moretime to look at clothes. But I guess that does make sense, these aren't just your average every day clothes these are very expensive and crazy beautiful wedding gowns. I wasn't the one getting married so I was there to give my opinion and input. But once I walked in and got a glimpse of all the stunning gowns I was captivated. I don't have plans to marry anytime soon but here I was looking longingly at the dresses and wondering what I would look like wearing them. It's kind of embarrassing to admit now but at the time I was like a moth to a flame. My sister, who actually got to try the dresses on, thought they were just as beautiful as I did. She tried on a huge number of dresses and figured out which parts she likes and which she didn't. Then, after trying on every possible dress style you could find, a sketch was drawn up including all the aspects of the dresses she liked. This created her own "ultimate dress". Very cool I thought. Obviously the idea was to then pay a huge amount of money to have that dress specially made. It didn't get quite that far because it was quite pricey, but the experience was a damn good one!

After the service I received I just had to write about this place! I wanted shoes and my style of…read moreshopping is in and out. I don't usually shop in retail stores but needed shoes today so it had to be brick and mortar. I went in, was greeted by a lovely shop assistant named Melody who informed me of what was on special in store. When I asked to try on a pair of shoes, she got them for me which was nice. I put one foot in decided I wanted them and said I'd take them and it was almost as if she felt she needed to do the features and benefits thing on me anyway. I was already sold but I was impressed by her product knowledge none the less. Melody then signed me up to be a Mimco member and I had a pleasant conversation with her about shades of grey, clothing that is, not the book. Wonderful service, the shoes are great and I will definitely be back.