Kiwi Jewellery Online!

If you're looking for some true blue kiwi couture made by New Zealand artists, you can order some beautiful jewellery, paintings, ceramics and other amazing pieces of art from New Zealand website www.kiwiartz.co.nz.

KiwiArtz was founded by Rhondda Sweetman in 200. The website was started from scratch, with the small website quickly growing into a very popular destination for all kiwi art lovers. If you are shopping for presents or wedding gifts, the website offers free gift wrapping, special delivery options, along with a choice of stylish gift cards and paper.

Meet a couple of the artists on the kiwiartz site:

Ann Ambler
One of the talented artists on the site includes Ann Ambler. In the 1980s she was a member of the Albany Village Pottery Cooperative and President of The Auckland Studio Potters. Later she was asked to start a ceramic project on the island of Lombok in Indonesia. When that contract ended she designed textiles and silver jewellery.

Ann's jewellery designs have a strong New Zealand and Pacific influence. She works with sterling silver, New Zealand paua, New Zealand jade, pearls, bone and semi-precious stones. Sarah Ambler, Ann's daughter, was born and grew up in New Zealand, she moved to Indonesia in 1993 where she represented a number of American wholesalers facilitating the designing of textiles and clothing manufacture until 2002.

After this the Mother and daughter team decided to join together to design and make jewellery. Ann loves the bold designs however according to the kiwiartz website: "Sarah's latest range 'Seafloor and Gardens' is a feminine and dainty collection of sterling silver seashells and flowers, inspired by the Pacific Ocean and gardens. She is also works with brass and recycled glass".

Rick and Jenny - Pacific Treasures
Rick is a qualified jeweller, specializing in mounting diamonds and precious stones; he has been in the jewellery trade for over 35 years. His wife Jenny has always had a keen interest in art and loves colour and design. Together they make a great team.

The jewellery they make has been inspired by the surrounding native forests, coasts and unique New Zealand plant, bird and animal life. They also combine Maori designs into their work. The pair loves to combine some of the standard jewellery designs with semi precious stones, natural pearl and paua shells which complement each other.

The necklet range came about through Jenny's skill with colour, using Paua shell with semi-precious stones.

They also design and manufacture a range of jewellery using different themes. The Matakana Valley is becoming an established grape growing region so they are incorporating jewellery made to look like leaves, grapes and vines.

If you want a part of New Zealand to wear with that new dress or you have someone special you know in your life who would love a little slice of home, you can check out these amazing artists along with over a hundred others on the website. Check out: www.kiwiartz.co.nz or www.fromnz.co.nz.

By Lucy Mullinger - Auckland