The Studio
Laura Ward Studio is a one-woman bench in rural North Canterbury. I make jewellery to order, sandcast from New Zealand alluvial gold and from recycled precious materials my clients bring to me - an old wedding ring, an inherited chain, gold from the past with a history worth carrying forward.
Each piece begins with a sketch, carefully modelled to proportions before being cast in the studio and hand-finished using traditional techniques. The subtle variations arising from the sandcasting technique are what make each piece uniquely yours.
The studio, North Canterbury
The Material
Alluvial gold is gold found in rivers and streams, naturally carried by water over millions of years as mountains slowly weather and erode. It is my primary material - not only for its beauty but because it can be gathered with minimal disturbance to the natural landscape.
To me, gold carries the energy of the places it has been. In the same way that an inherited piece carries the essence of the person who wore it, alluvial gold carries something of the land in which it has rested for millennia.
The alluvial gold I use is sourced from the rivers and streams of New Zealand’s West Coast and refined locally in Greymouth by Awa Gold. Cast by hand using the ancient technique of sandcasting, it retains a warmth and softness that is rarely found in mass-produced jewellery.
THE ORIGIN OF THE GOLD: NZ WEST COAST RIVERS AND STREAMS
The Making
- Idea
- A concept, a form, a feeling.
- Sketch
- The idea is drawn by hand with size and proportions considered.
- Model
- he sketch becomes a precise digital model, true to your custom size and providing an indication of the approximate amount of gold required for casting and cost.
- Prototype
- A resin prototype is created and can be provided to you so the form can be tried on and the proportions considered.
- Casting
- The piece is sandcast using either NZ alluvial gold, or melting down your existing gold.
- Finishing
- Hand-finishing of the piece using traditional techniques and in according to the desired finish: polished, satin or textured.
Boxed in New Zealand timber
Presentation
Each ring arrives in a wooden presentation box made here in New Zealand using sustainably sourced NZ beech timber and natural linen, engraved with the studio mark.
Every shipment is packed in recyclable cardboard and paper packaging.
Complimentary NZ-wide shipping.