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/