Iconic New Zealand jewellery brand Silvermoon has been given a second chance, thanks to a familiar face. 

The founder of Silvermoon sold his jewellery chain to an Auckland based company in 2017. In March this year the business went into liquidation. Today, it has been revealed that the original owner, Christchurch based businessman Simon Thwaites, has bought back Silvermoon from the liquidator.  

Simon Thwaites says his strong connection to Silvermoon pushed him to see it return.

“I have been out of the jewellery business for almost seven years, and I have missed it. I was saddened to hear that the business had gone into liquidation, so I reached out to some of my former staff and suppliers to gauge their interest in a relaunch. They were all excited, and we quickly took the plunge. All key job roles will be brought back to Christchurch, and we will look to successfully relaunch the brand on the 21st of August. Silvermoon is an iconic brand, with loyal customers, and we are excited to see where the journey will take us next,” he says. 

Thwaites believes that retail has changed dramatically in the past decade and while he will have physical stores, his focus will be on delivering a world class website for customers.

“At this stage, we are launching two retail stores in Christchurch. The first will open at the Riverside Market in late August and the second will open in our old space at the Hub Hornby shopping mall. We anticipate that the bulk of our business will take place online through our new website, alongside a strong social media presence,” he shares.

Thwaites has faith that the fantastic Silvermoon customer base will be back.

“So many Kiwis hold many fond memories of 21st birthday presents, anniversary celebrations and Christmas gifts purchased at Silvermoon. Although the retail environment is challenging at present, we have confidence in the Silvermoon brand and customer base. We will be stocking the jewellery designers our customers love, including Karen Walker, Stolen girlfriends club, Meadowlark, Boh Runga, Kirstin Ash, Evolve and much more,” says Thwaites.

The Silvermoon website will be relaunched on the 21st of August. The Riverside store is located in the Cashel Street laneway at the Riverside Market and will open on the 24th of August. The Hub Hornby store will re-open on the 1st of November.