Etsy

Our family and our business have grown! In September, my partner Laurel and I welcomed a baby, Henry, to our lives. Over the past year, the jewellery business has gotten busier and busier, which is great. In order to allow me to have more time in the workshop and for Laurel to be able to work from home and spend more time with Henry, she will now be answering convos and emails. We're very excited to be a family business and feel enormous gratitude for your support which allows us to work together everyday.

Here's a little more about Ash:

Well...I guess like most people on etsy, I started making things when I was very young. I spent hours designing and making things of all sorts and twice that many hours protecting them from the hands of my little sisters.

When I grew up I was a chef. After a few years I figured out that although I loved to cook, I hated doing it as a job. My Mum suggested I take a jewellery course, and I did. Pretty quickly I realized that not only would jewellery making allow me to put my design skills to good use, it would give me the perfect excuse to buy all kinds of awesome tools and spend many hours tinkering away.

Five years later, I've got lots of tools, my own workshop and stock about 15 galleries throughout New Zealand. I spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to do what I love in the most efficient and low-impact way possible. I use every single scrap of sand paper and recycle everything I can.

I've done a lot of research into the potentially devastating effects of irresponsible mining practices. I was really scared at first that I'd be forced to give up what I love doing so much. Finally it occurred to me that I had the perfect solution at my fingertips.

My Dad has been a gold prospector for years and I remembered that he had done a couple seasons work as part of a two-man operation right here on the west coast of New Zealand. He and his mate used a vacuum device to collect beach gold. No huge pit mines, no gallons of cyanide dumped on the ground, no exploitation of communities, just two guys and washed-up gold.

I’m currently learning how to fabricate this gold so that there is a closed loop of production-from beach to me to you-so that you can be 100% sure that the ring you’re wearing is made in the most ethical way possible. This will also allow me to make new jewellery recycled from old pieces.


You can also find me at http://www.ashhilton.com

*******************THE NITTY GRITTY*************************

MADE FROM SCRATCH

I hand make each piece you order especially for you, so please allow 3-4 weeks for International orders and 2 week for New Zealand orders. This could change slightly if I have to order materials especially for your pieces.