Our premium corporate accessories are handcrafted in our workshop by our professional, qualified jewellers. Our award-winning team will work with you to develop a beautiful representation of your brand, which can be worn and treasured forever.

Get in touch with the team at Benjamin Black Goldsmiths to talk about creating accessories for your organisation.

A collaboration between two Kiwi brands means unwanted silver is being re-purposed into hand-made jewellery.

Benjamin Black Goldsmiths were approached by Christchurch-based company Untouched World about creating a line of jewellery made solely from recycled materials.

Jeweller Benjamin Clark said the brand were keen to collaborate so the two worked together to create a series of different designs.

Unwanted silver was purchased from customers and when enough had been collected, it was melted down and repurposed into handmade rings, earrings and necklaces bearing the Untouched World logo, in the shape of a Maori kite.

Untouched World was launched in 1995 and creates garments made from natural fibres including wool, possum fur, soyabean and linen.

As well as making jewellery for Untouched World, Benjamin Black Goldsmiths also made custom pieces using a customer's own metal. Creating new pieces from unworn jewellery was now a core part of their business.

"We have a lot of people coming in with heirloom jewellery they will never wear and melting it to reuse it becomes part of the story, it's not just another piece of jewellery."

Co-owner Amy Cunningham said Untouched World had a strong focus on sustainable, New Zealand-made products which aligned with their philosophy.

"I think businesses are looking at what they can do and we are just really aware of that, what we can reuse.

"Consumers are becoming more mindful when they are purchasing something, is this going to last and where is it going to go?"
BRADEN FASTIER/STUFF
Benjamin Black Goldsmiths jeweller Joel Whitwell melts recycled silver to 900 degrees Celsius to be re-used to create a new jewellery line for Untouched World.

She said they had always encouraged customers to bring in their old silver.

"Quite often people will have silver sitting there that they just want to get rid of, they don't wear it."

"People are now becoming far more aware that they actually can re-use it, which is a really encouraging trend."

While Untouched World could have chosen to have its jewellery manufactured from new materials elsewhere, it was nice that they had put out a range that was made locally, Cunningham said.

"The fact that they see the value in it and their customers see the value in it is pretty cool."

When it comes to choosing the perfect wedding band for a Bride-to-be, we love talking about your vision. Whether you're seeking a ring to match your engagement ring perfectly, or something dramatic that represents both a wedding and engagement ring, at Benjamin Black Goldsmiths our talented jewellers can create whatever you imagine.

For the groom, there are now plenty of options to choose from. From a classic wedding band, to a signet ring infused with meaning, or something a little outside the box, like this hexagonal ring we created with diamonds.

For bridal jewellery, elegant earrings or a simple flattering pendant will add a beautiful finishing touch. Our gold Ribbon Earrings are a timeless classic, which you can wear on the day and for many years to come.

What wedding trends are you noticing for 2019?

Talk to our talented jewellers about creating your wedding jewellery - made by hand and made to last.

At Benjamin Black Goldsmiths it is an honour to help people continue their family legacy through the creation of custom made signet rings.

Using family jewellery in a design is always a privilege and the creation of this ring was no different. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our client for the privilege of creating this meaningful signet ring. An expression of his love and commitment to his 'wife-to-be', and symbol of their unique love story, infused with his family's precious memories.

"I come from a military family which originates in Spain and Portugal. The gold used in this ring was from a chain gifted to my mother from my grandfather moments before he passed away. He was well and truely the patriarch of the family and was/is my hero growing up. He was a generous, honest, disciplined man who worked hard and sacrificed a lot for our family. People like him are hard to find nowadays.

My mother has safeguarded this for me since I joined the military. She gifted it back to me with one of her rings when I set a wedding date. I did not want to risk losing it while wearing it around my neck so decided to have it created into this ring. The G is for my last name and the crest is the original family crest from Spain."

Read the full article here.

Benjamin's business partner, Amy Cunningham, received the award on his behalf (in Benjamin's absence), at the annual Nelson Tasman Chamber of Commerce Business Awards last Friday night.

Benjamin would like to thank the people of Nelson, our wonderful clients, and his fantastic team - Amber, Joel, Bernie and Amy - for all your support over the last five years. We also would like to acknowledge the other finalists, who are all exceptional business people, making this award all the more humbling to receive.

Hope is like a glimmer, a flicker of brightness, a faint yet powerful light that illuminates us from the depths of our souls. For there is always hope. On the darkest of days and the longest of nights, hope is a seed planted deep within us, where it has always been and will always be. It is a glimmer in the rock.

Glimmer in the Rock is a unique collection of inspired jewellery works, symbolising hope and power during life's challenging times.

Signet rings were traditionally a symbol of family heritage. Featuring a family crest, or coat of arms, signet rings of this type were engraved in reverse so they could be pressed into clay or wax. It was ultimately a form of identification, also known as a 'seal ring'. This type of engraving is still a popular option today. At Benjamin Black Goldsmiths, we work with a professional hand engraver to ensure engravings such as these are meticulously and masterfully brought to life.

Monograms are also a popular choice; a creative design combining two or more initials. We love coming up with monogram designs for our clients, which are then either hand engraved onto the top of a signet ring, or cut out of gold and overlaid on top of a gemstone such as onyx.

Alternatively you can opt for a signet ring without any engraving in classic solid gold.

Considering creating your own personalised piece? Contact us to talk about creating your bespoke signet ring.

Garth Wilson has family connections with pounamu spanning hundreds of years, to the Maori tribes Ngati Mahaki and Ngati Waewae, the original traders of pounamu on the West Coast.

Pounamu was the God Stone of the Maori people, and was very important to pre-European Maori. It is an extremely hard stone, with the tensile strength of steel. Made of interwoven fibres, it will actually bend before breaking and holds a sharp edge.

Garth says a special Karakia (prayer) over the pounamu before he removes it from the River, which has been passed down from his elders, along with a blessing that he says over the piece when it is finished.

"We just take pounamu from the rivers and mountain sides that has been gifted to us by the land. We never cut the pounamu from the source.  Part of the Karakia is to say thank you for the pounamu," says Garth.

Here are just a few of the beautiful pieces we have made with pounamu. To enquire about having a custom jewellery piece made, please get in touch with us.