| Private Company | |
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1917, Australia |
| Headquarters | |
Area served | Sydney Brisbane Melbourne Perth |
| Products | Jewellery, timepieces and decorative arts |
| Website | Official website |
Wallace Bishop is a specialty retailer of fine jewellery, timepieces and decorative arts in Australia. [1] [2] In 2019, the company was inducted into the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame in recognition of its sustained leadership in jewellery making and retailing for over 100 years. [3]
Jewellery or jewelry consists of small decorative items worn for personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the clothes. From a western perspective, the term is restricted to durable ornaments, excluding flowers for example. For many centuries metal, often combined with gemstones, has been the normal material for jewellery, but other materials such as shells and other plant materials may be used. It is one of the oldest type of archaeological artefact – with 100,000-year-old beads made from Nassarius shells thought to be the oldest known jewellery. The basic forms of jewellery vary between cultures but are often extremely long-lived; in European cultures the most common forms of jewellery listed above have persisted since ancient times, while other forms such as adornments for the nose or ankle, important in other cultures, are much less common.
A watch is a timepiece intended to be carried or worn by a person. It is designed to keep working despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is designed to be worn around the wrist, attached by a watch strap or other type of bracelet. A pocket watch is designed for a person to carry in a pocket. The study of timekeeping is known as horology.
The decorative arts are arts or crafts whose object is the design and manufacture of objects that are both beautiful and functional. It includes interior design, but not usually architecture. The decorative arts are often categorized in distinction to the "fine arts", namely painting, drawing, photography, and large-scale sculpture, which generally produce objects solely for their aesthetic quality and capacity to stimulate the intellect.
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The jeweller Wallace Bishop arrived in Queensland, Australia in 1909 having already established an impressive reputation for jewellery craftsmanship and goldsmithing in England in the late 19th century. He was initially employed by jewellers in Queen Street in Brisbane, Queensland. Bishop established his own manufacturing business in 1917 laying the foundation for an enterprise now in its 5th generation. Design and manufacturing excellence which characterised the business from the beginning, continue to be at the heart of its modern day success. [4]
Queensland is the second-largest and third-most populous state in the Commonwealth of Australia. Situated in the north-east of the country, it is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean. To its north is the Torres Strait, with Papua New Guinea located less than 200 km across it from the mainland. The state is the world's sixth-largest sub-national entity, with an area of 1,852,642 square kilometres (715,309 sq mi).
Queen Street is the main street of Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia. It is named after Victoria of the United Kingdom.
Brisbane Or otherwise known as ‘Brisse’ or ‘Bris Vegas’ by the locals, is the capital of and the most populated city in the Australian state of Queensland, and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of approximately 2.5 million, and the South East Queensland metropolitan region, centred on Brisbane, encompasses a population of more than 3.6 million.
In 1934, Wallace Bishop's son, Carl Bishop, designed the now famous Wallace Bishop Loyal watch which continues to be marketed successfully today and which gave rise to the familiar advertising slogan – “The time by Wallace Bishop watch is …” [4]
Opening of its iconic Wallace Bishop Arcade in King George Square coincided with the day World War II commenced in 1939, becoming a landmark business location in the city for 75 years. Wallace Bishop junior, known as Wal, joined the business in 1950, straight from school, later becoming chief executive officer in 1976. He drove strong growth in the business coinciding with the construction of major shopping malls across Queensland. Upon becoming chairman in 2010, Wal’s son Stuart became CEO, a position he presently occupies while younger family from the 5th generation are employed in the business in preparation for their roles as future leaders. [4]
King George Square is a public square located between Adelaide Street and Ann Street in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Brisbane City Hall is adjacent to the square.
World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all the great powers—eventually formed 3 opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis and the Vikings. A state of total war emerged, directly involving more than 7 Billion people from more than 365 countries. The major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 70 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease, and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.
With over 50 stores and more than 500 employees, Wallace Bishop is one of Australia’s oldest and most successful family businesses. In 1997, it acquired Hardy Brothers Jewellers, a 166 years old business, which now operates 7 stores across Australia. It provided the opportunity to manufacture and market high-end jewellery products, and, significantly, the Melbourne Cup, which was hand-crafted in Brisbane for 17 years. [4]
The Melbourne Cup is Australia's most famous annual Thoroughbred horse race. It is a 3200-metre race for three-year-olds and over, conducted by the Victoria Racing Club on the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria as part of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival. It is the richest "two-mile" handicap in the world, and one of the richest turf races. The event starts at 3 pm on the first Tuesday of November and is known locally as "the race that stops the nation".
As of 2019, much of the company’s success lies in designing and manufacturing quality and customized jewellery pieces, especially diamond rings in its Newstead headquarters in Brisbane. Accompanying this are repair and manufacturing facilities unmatched in Australia. Together with a relentless focus on customer service the company continues to thrive in the face of the online shopping revolution and the changing role of shopping malls, under the successful leadership of Stuart Bishop and the wise guidance of Chairman, Wallace Bishop AM. [4]
Newstead is a riverside suburb of the city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is situated 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) north of the Brisbane central business district.
For over 100 years, this proud Queensland business has led the jewellery manufacturing and retailing industries in Queensland and continues to be one of the leading businesses of its kind in Australia. [4]
