Adele and Alan

This is a love story featuring handmade engagement rings and surprise proposals, forged in our jewellery classes!

Alan had the idea to secretly make an engagement ring himself in our jewellery classes, he told Adele he was going to football on Monday nights so she thought, maybe I'll take a jewellery class on Monday nights then, and signed herself up. When Alan found out he got in touch with us and we had to tell a lie (a white lie Adele, and we're sorry) that we'd oversold the class so she had to attend Wednesday night classes instead.

8 weeks of secrecy followed with our tutors co-conspiritors and Alan working hard on this beautiful ring.

Together they hiked to the top of Queenstown Hill and Alan proposed, and with that kind of craftmanship how could she say no!?!

He created a delicate Celtic braid band to represent their Irish roots and a Pounamu cabochon for the life they are building together in Āotearoa. Pretty impressive for a complete beginner right?

Part of the beauty of jewellery is the story it tells and the meaning we can imbue in it, it becomes more than just the sum of its parts and can symbolise a person, a time, a feeling.

Our tutors find joy in helping others create stories of their own.

Sometimes a piece you make represents personal triumph, sometimes when you look at it all you remember was how many times you had to re solder that join, but the work put in is what makes these pieces special.

Congratulations Adele and Alan, we're all so thrilled for you xxx

Kia hora te marino

May peace be widespread

Kia whakapapa pounamu te moana

May the sea be like greenstone

He huarahi mā tatou i te rangi nei

A pathway for us all this day

Aroha atu, aroha mai

Let us show respect for each other

Hui e! Tāike e!

Bind us all together!