Cityscape Christmas 2019

BRIGHT SHINY THINGS
I think about getting into jewellery
because of the small sculptural
objects I was making. I started
experimenting after graduating,
and after a while of being
self-taught and doing the
occasional evening class, I decided
that this is what I want to do. So I
did a further two years of study,
refined my technical skills and
completed a Diploma in Jewellery
Design. That was a few years ago,
and I’ve been making jewellery
full-time since then. What’s the
best thing about the job?
Definitely the people – all of my
clients are the loveliest. I love
hearing the stories behind the
pieces people are giving. My
absolute favourite is hearing
proposal stories! It’s so amazing to
think something that I have made
is a part of that. Also, buying gems
– I’m a bit of a magpie and can’t
resist a beautiful sapphire. Any
pieces you are particularly fond
of? I made myself a ring last year,
as a sort of ‘engaged to my
business’ ring. It’s 18 carat yellow
gold and one of my signature bezel
designs, with lots of hand-carved
texture. It took me about eight
months to finally settle on the
stone, which is a 1.8 carat
Queensland sapphire that looks so
different depending on the light it’s
in. I still can’t stop looking at it and
it’s pretty cool to understand what
my customers are feeling when
they say ‘I can’t stop looking at it’!
What was the last piece you made
that you couldn’t bear to part
with? There’s a ring I finished the
other day called the Hestia ring. It’s
a really simple organic band with a
few tiny recycled white diamonds
set in. I love that it’s so understated,
with subtle little details. I was
wearing it to take some photos for
the website and really, really
wanted to keep it on my finger. It
hasn’t sold yet, so who knows?
How does it feel when you are out
and you see someone wearing
your work? Pretty amazing! Who
would you love to see wearing
one of your pieces? I’m always
really flattered whenever anyone
chooses to wear one of my pieces.
It’s so great to see when people
find a piece that resonates with
them, especially if it’s an
engagement ring or something
that celebrates a significant
milestone. Describe the process
for making a custom-made piece.
Every piece is different and the
process can vary quite a bit, but we
usually start with a consultation to
brainstorm ideas for the general
design. This can be looking at
pictures of past pieces I’ve made,
trying on pieces in my gallery, and
finding out which elements the
client is drawn to – colours,
‘I’m a bit of a magpie
and can’t resist a
beautiful sapphire’
textures, setting styles, gems. It’s
great if we can meet in person, but
I’ve made pieces for people further
afield too by communicating via
email, with lots of pictures to make
sure we’re on the same page. Once
we have a good idea of what it’s
going to look like, I create wax
models of the piece, which can be
adjusted until it’s exactly how we
want it to look. Once it’s just right,
the wax model is cast in metal
using the traditional lost-wax
technique, which is then refined
and polished to create the final
piece. The whole process can take
from two weeks to two months,
depending on the design, but the
more time we can allow the better
– I’m a one-woman show so extra
time is always appreciated to get it
all looking perfect (or perfectly
imperfect, as is more the case with
my pieces!). Some tips for
maintaining and storing jewellery.
To keep jewellery looking its best,
it’s always a good idea to remove it
before bed or before anything
where it’s likely to come into
contact with dirt or solvents.
Swimming (especially in
chlorinated pools), cleaning,
gardening and cooking are the big
ones. I have a little dish in the
kitchen and bathroom to pop rings
in so they don’t go astray. Most
pieces can be cleaned once a week
with just soapy water and a
toothbrush. When you are not
making beautiful jewellery, what
do you love to do? Jewellery is my
passion so it’s hard to stop but I like
a bit of work/life balance by
getting out into nature, visiting
other art galleries and trying my
hand at various other crafts – I tried
wood carving not long ago, and
would love to have a go at pottery
some time.
sophiedivettjewellery.co.nz
67 CITYSCAPE.CO.NZ Christmas 19