In the most unexpected yet excellent location, Timecraft is located above Country Road, the…read moreentrance is to the right and up in the lift. you exit, and turn right twice, down the hall and then left. I opened the door to reveal a wooden room, with seats and a display table with watchbands and books. I went in and had my watch battery replaced. It was worked on while I waited. I would recommend anybody who would like their watch done by a professional with excellent service. *UPDATE* I've just recently came back to get my watch battery replaced and pressure tested and he remembered the last time he serviced my watch to the date of when he serviced it. That's quality service!

I first went to see Ian (Timecraft Watch Services) on the recommendation of a friend, as I needed a…read moreservice done on one of my automatics. The quality of the work was exceptional and as a result I have been back a number of times since. If you need a watch worked on then do go to see Timecraft. I've seen someone having been told by a jeweller that their quartz watch needed a service for hundreds of dollars, they took it to Ian who was able to tell them all it needed was a new battery and did that on the spot. Ian is one of that disappearing breed of craftsmen who are proud of what they do, and seeing the right thing done by customers. I highly recommend his services.

If you're after a Rolex, then go here. Because that's their principal focus, particularly with…read moreAsian customers. But came here to drop $13K+ on a Panerai and I'm delegated to a gringo Sales Associate who hardly knows anything about the brand or the SKU I'm looking for. I eventually bought the watch I wanted from the Panerai Sydney boutique online. I wouldn't normally do this but it's worked out great so far.

This seems to me to be the only semi-decent jewellery store in West End. Of course a lot of other…read moreshops in the area have nice jewellery, but in terms of specialist jewellery shops, most of them are small enough that you might mistake them to be stolen from the set of The Hobbit. This one is bigger and better than the rest. The size obviously results in a larger selection, but it's still not a place I would highly recommend or drag my unsuspecting boyfriend past while dropping hints. There's some lovely stuff but I just wasn't mouth agape, struggling to decide which of their items I could justify buying.

The selection of jewellary and watches in Hall's are all OK, but I must admit I was a little…read moreunderwhelmed by the range. I was on a hunt for a new pair of earrings but didn't find anything that really tickled my fancy. The shop attendant was busy talking to a friend so I didn't really get any assistance in that respect. In terms of repairs though, Hall's does a good job for a reasonable price. I've had a watch fixed there before as well as a necklace which had broken as a result of the debauchery of a night out. It's an OK little jewellary store, but not the kind of place I would rave about to friends.

I probably go to the Queen Street Mall too often. At some level, I feel lame for not exploring…read moreother options or areas. However, it's just too easy. It's well located and has just about everything one could want. There's food, drinks, movies, food, drinks, clothes, mobile phones, banks, etc, etc, etc. The current construction is a bit annoying, but it's hard to knock improvements being made. The result is a bit of a bottleneck with the huge crowds walking around on weekends. This is a problem when you walk faster than basically any other human in existence and are incredibly impatient. So, it's probably more of a problem just for people like me, which thankfully, I don't believe can be found in abundance. I like that there is often music and the people watching is tremendous.

'Ello chaps! Queen…read moreStreet Mall is a marquee tourist and shopping area of downtown Brisbane. It extends from George Street to Edward Street with more than 700 retailers. Many of them include the kitschy tourist shops. NOTE: Don't assume all of the stores are the same. Some may have the very same products, but even at different prices. It's worth the while to browse around first and then actually make your purchases. Other stores include shoe stores, clothing, jewelry, and odds and ends. It does seem as though Queen Street Mall may have seen better days, although it is buzzing. It's better than a typical American shopping mall, although it is not a five star high end shopping plaza, making it very affordable for most shoppers. Reportedly there were 26 million visitors to Queen Street Mall last year. Overall I give Queen Street Mall four stars out of five.

They sold me a fake rolex band on e bay, when I try to get e bay to step in, I found out it was…read moregoing to cost me more then it was worth. Be very carefull...........There fakes are good

From the owner: Vintage watches, fine & designer jewellery, Designer accessories specialising in Louis Vuitton &…read morecollectables (coins and bank notes, memorabilia, military, australiana etc). Brands incl Rolex, LV, Chanel, Omega, Tag Here, Cartier, Patek Philippe, Bvlgari ..

This is what a small business is all about - excellent customer service. My watch was broken and I…read morewas after something similar. A quick tour of the department stores and some of the bigger jewellers didn't turn up anything of interest. They also showed no interest in me. On the way to my hairdresser I took a punt and dropped into Val Ray. I'm so glad I did. Friendly staff, pleasant attitide, not pushy, full of options. I took a photo of a couple of watches I liked and then whilst getting my haircut, did some online comparisons. Val Ray prices were very competitive so in the end I decided to give them my money rather than some anonymous internet vendor. I also know if there is ever any issues, they will help me out, no problems at all.

I spent two days on the internet looking for a Seiko Sportura. Talk about a minefield. An eight…read morehundred twenty five dollar watch appears for two hundred and fifty dollars, looks identical, only difference. It's a knock off. I rang Val Ray, expecting a similar response from jewellers I had contacted as far afield as Sth Aus. What a difference, the casual helpful attitude in reply to my enquiries was not what I expected. I received a call back within twenty minutes which fully explained why I was having the difficulties I experienced. I had even spoken to Seiko in Sydney, when I mentioned Val Ray it was clear Seiko did a lot of business with them. Consequently I sealed the deal with Val Ray for a genuine Seiko Sportura It was the best price I had received in two wasted days on the web minefield. Definitely a business to give an opportunity to satisfy your needs. Five stars all the way. Roger Davies Gold Coast

Rock collecting is something I've done since I was a pup. I used to collect rocks that looked like…read morehearts, miniature grave stones, or just ones with cool patterns in them. The Rock Shop on Adelaide Street is home to many semi precious stones. Some are for sale, but most of them are actually just on display. It's more like a small museum than a shop. Any person with a minor interest in geology would like to go in here. They've got your unpolished and polished versions of most stones. The malachite and lapis lazuli are particularly enchanting. There's a stone called 'Ribbon Rock' which while not sounding very scientific does represent the rock well. There's rocks that have patterns that make one think of outer space and star dust. Then there's the psychedelic ones. Trippy, star burst kind of stones of all sorts of colours. The staff in store know their stones. They can explain to you why a particular rock will have red in the centre and then change into yellow, and then to green. They'll blind you with their science. They spend most of their time selling rock ornaments and jewellery to people, but they are more than happy to talk rocks with anyone who is interested. If you're like me, you'll just go in to ogle the pretty colours and patterns in the rocks.

When I was but a wee thing I made my mother buy the (now…read moredefunct) fossicker weekly. Each week a new semi-precious gem would be added and before I knew it I was hooked on those mineraloids. Fill of gems and jewels this store would make any fellow rockhead whoop for joy. From garnets and amethysts to tigers eyes, crystals and pearls. The rock shop has you covered. This place also boasts some of the best range of Opals I've seen (Be sure to check out the QLD boulder opal displays) as well as offering up some beautiful jewellery to display them in. So the next time you have an itch for some unpolished gems (or some apology pearls) I highly recommend you pay these guys a visit.