I love Zora Bell Boyd's maximalist approach - celebrating richness, decoration, sensuality and fantasy, all underpinned by rigorous design skill and impeccable eco-credentials: fantastic!
- size K
Browse Zora's work here
Meet Zora Bell Boyd Distinguished New Zealand jeweller Zora Bell Boyd maintains trans-Tasman studios in Melbourne, Australia and Bluff, New Zealand, in the far south. A Design graduate specializing in Furniture, Bell Boyd ‘s background also spans fashion and architecture, but it was ultimately jewellery that captured her imagination. Zora specializes in creating bespoke pieces, forming silver and gold around precious stones by hand, seeking to amplify their colour and iridescence, while her designs evoke imagery from nature, mythology, history, religion and a wide variety of other thematic origins.
More from Zora
I believe jewellery is deeply personal. It should be unique and precious while embracing all the natural earth qualities of the materials. The aesthetics of the materials is very important to me both in the metals and the stones. I am passionate about the stones. Stones are valued in many ways. My love for all sorts of stones, new and used, cut and rough is what I think hold my aesthetics and values of the jewellery.
All of my jewellery is hand finished using solid sterling silver, 9ct gold, 10ct gold, 14ct gold,18ct gold and 22ct gold and I ensure that all gold and silver and all stones are sourced ethically and sustainably. Sometimes I do a recycling where I melt down older golds of differing carat to create something quite new, without classification – just its own self, thereby removing these old pieces of jewellery from the exploitation that might have accompanied their extraction from the earth.
My process is to hand pick loose stones for their natural beauty and uniqueness. Collected stones are taken back to the West coast of New Zealand where they are cleansed and loved. Pieces are then created in the magic of the sand, wind, surf and bush of New Zealand and Australia. Many of the pieces are one-off in their shape and design. I try to work with the natural beauty of both the stones and the materials, playing with the designs in a variety of styles and themes from traditional to organic. In addition to precious, semi-precious stones and crystals I use lockets, with findings both antique and new, to create individual one off necklaces, bracelets and rings. Crystal beads and pearls are all knotted by hand using pearl silk. Cast or handmade from start to finish in New Zealand and Australia.
