ashhilton
Announcement Thanks for supporting our family business! We make each piece by hand, to order out of ethical New Zealand gold and recycled precious metals.
Announcement
Thanks for supporting our family business! We make each piece by hand, to order out of ethical New Zealand gold and recycled precious metals.
Items
Featured items
All Items
Reviews
-
![]()
Jas on Jun 17, 2022
5 out of 5 starsI got these as a bridal gift since the couple got their engagement rings from the same company. She absolutely loved them!
-
![]()
Kate on Jun 15, 2022
5 out of 5 starsUntil I saw the finished ring, I thought fine engraving was a lost art, and was resigned to accepting rather clunky machine work. The engraving done for this piece was truly exquisite. I am so appreciative of your talent. Thank you!
-
![]()
Kate on Jun 15, 2022
5 out of 5 starsThe ring and the engraving exceeded my expectations in every way ~ beautifully, solidly made with exquisite engraving. I'll treasure the ring for years to come. Many, many thanks.
-
![]()
Hannah on Jun 7, 2022
5 out of 5 starsWhat a beautiful ring! I was able to receive this order even on a short deadline with the owners who were going to be unavailable for awhile. They squeezed in my order so I could have this ring as my wedding band for my June wedding. Thank you so much!
-
![]()
Jaime on Apr 28, 2022
5 out of 5 starsI absolutely love my ring from this shop and would recommend them to anyone. The shipping was fast and the work is beautiful.
-
![]()
kebus on Apr 26, 2022
5 out of 5 starsThank you for making a pair of these earrings which I literally have watched for years. They are beautiful -- and they have such a fine, special quality, I wish I could express it more clearly. Regardless, they more than justified my continuing to watch for them for years. You are true craftspeople. Highest recommendation.
-
![]()
sarah on Apr 22, 2022
5 out of 5 starsThe ring is gorgeous, as expected! Tamsin worked with me to create a mockup of the item with some modifications and was so incredibly responsive and thoughtful. She even took videos of the item to better capture the color when the still photos just weren't doing the trick. So incredibly thankful for you all and for making this piece that I will treasure forever. <3
-
![]()
Erin on Mar 29, 2022
5 out of 5 starsMy fiance loves the ring. It is exactly what he was looking for.
-
![]()
About ashhilton
-
![]()
Ash at his bench, doing what he does best. -
![]()
This is the team in our workshop! -
![]()
Ash and Siggy, our resident jewellery team. They're also brother and Sister and BFF's. -
![]()
Action shot! This is the whole team at work at our hq in Nelson, New Zealand. -
![]()
This is me! I'm Laurel, Ash's wife and runner of all things businessy. And lover of floral prints.
A family business making ethical jewelry.
Hi! Ash started making Jewellery in 2003 after years of slogging away as a chef in kitchens in New Zealand and on yachts overseas. His Mum recommended a Jewellery course as a distraction and Ash took to it immediately. Loving the way materials influenced the design and the design influenced the materials, Ash finally found a way to express all those good ideas he had floating around his head while whisking hollandaise.
With lots of help and advice from his galleries, Ash was able to quit his day job and work on Jewellery full-time in 2005. Around this time, he started training up his Sister Siggy to do finishing work and she’s been in the workshop ever since (taking time out to have 3 beautiful boys along the way).
Also around this time, a young gal from Texas found her way to the very deep South and was introduced to Ash by her sweet Kiwi Cousin. Luckily, Ash took to her immediately. That gal is me, Laurel. In 2009, I was able to quit my day job and become a partner in the business. Also in 2009, we welcomed our first son, Henry Hilton. Our second little boy, Truman Mossyburn Hilton joined us in January 2012.
We couldn’t be happier that we get to have a true family business and both get to see our boys grow up alongside our daily work-whether they’re stealing Ash’s pliers from the workshop or demanding to be fed with one hand while Laurel types with the other. We split out time pretty equally between work and the kids which is awesome for two reasons: 1) It is so awesome to hang out with your kids all day, and 2) It is so awesome not to have to hang out with your kids all day.
We absolutely couldn't do this without help from the amazing Tamsin, our lovely friend that joined our business in 2017 and is the nicest, funniest and most capable point of contact for people getting in touch with us. You should send us an email even if you don't want to buy any jewellery, she's just fun to talk to.
Since joining the Etsy community, we've found a real niche working with couples to design their perfect wedding bands and engagement rings. It's a process that we love and we feel so honored to be involved in creating something that people will wear everyday for the rest of their lives. We think people really appreciate our use of ethical materials and practices, something we incorporate into our whole life-both business and personal.
Please read our info about the ethical materials we use: https://www.ashhilton.com/pages/ethics
We are very lucky to have been featured on several blogs. Here are a few:
http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/226024/eco-friendly-jewelry-sources
http://www.treehugger.com/style/5-designers-making-stunning-jewelry-from-recycled-metals.html
http://www.creaturecomfortsblog.com/home/2008/2/27/wearable-sweetness.html
http://greenweddingshoes.com/modern-custom-wedding-bands/
Shop members
-
Ash
Owner, Maker, Designer
Ash makes and designs all the jewelry in our shop. He also looks after the boys while Laurel works in the office, makes dinner almost every night and is chief kindling chopper and gardener.
-
Laurel
Owner, Keyboards, Customer Service
Laurel is the runner of all the behind-the-scenes magic!
-
Siggy
Production Assistant, Sandpaperer, Maker Of Black Fingerprints On The Walls
Siggy is Ash's bad ass sister that has been in the workshop since very nearly the beginning of it all. She's got incredible style, three beautiful boys and is the one we call when we have a crisis of mathematics. Siggy for president!
-
Tamsin
Customer Service, Shipper, Assistant
Tamsin is amazing!!! She is so nice and super talented and really just the best ever. She's here to answer all your questions and help you with custom designs.
-
Shannon
Maker
Shannon!! Shannon is our newest teammate. She's the ultimate detail-oriented finisher and sander and box maker. She checks each order to make sure they're perfect before they're on their way to you!
Shop policies
Shipping
Customs and import taxes
Payment options
Returns & exchanges
I gladly accept returns and exchanges
I don't accept cancellations
I accept returns I do not accept returns
I accept exchanges I do not accept exchanges
I accept cancellations I do not accept cancellations
Because of the nature of these items, unless they arrive damaged or defective, I can't accept returns for:
Privacy policy
More information
Frequently asked questions
Custom and personalized orders
We are happy to accept custom and personlized orders, from inside engraving to custom designed outside engravings to adding additional gemstones or changing the type of metal used for the piece. Just get in touch via Convo. Please note, free resizing does not apply to custom orders as the pieces will need to be remade, there will be a $100 remake fee. We do offer a test ring to insure you have the correct size.
Sizing details
The best way to get your finger size is to visit a jewelry store in person. We will do the first resize free of charge*, but if you use the method below, you can hopefully avoid the hassle of sending your rings back to us.
• Decide what width you want your ring to be.
• Find a ring that is that width and fits your finger.
• Have the jeweler measure that ring on a sizing mandrel to the leading edge of the ring (they will know what that means).
You can also purchase a plastic ring-sizer such as this: http://tinyurl.com/gqqxkzj
*Please note that rings with multiple stones and custom designs usually can't be resized and will need to be remade which costs $100. We do offer free test rings (deposit refunded upon ring's return).
Care instructions
Over time, matte finished jewellery will be come more shiny and shiny jewellery will become more matte. You can always return your matte jewellery back to it's original finish by buffing it lightly with a green 3M type dish scrubber or super-fine sandpaper. Be careful to avoid any set stones and the engraving/etching.
We are always happy to re-etch and blacken outside engravings/etchings for the cost of postage only.
Gift wrapping and packaging
We purposefully use as minimal packaging as possible, we think it's really important to make as little environmental impact as possible. As much of our packaging as possible is made from recycled and recyclable materials, so please do recycle the mailers.
All orders over $1000 are packaged in a handmade wooden ring box made from sustainably harvested New Zealand hardwood. This are available for purchase for all other orders as well.
We are happy to gift wrap, just drop us a line and we'll make it happen!