2021 Bespoke Update

Tēnā koe,

As we roll into 2021 (it's February already!) I figure it's time to update you on a few things.  I've been trying to get my head around how to manage all my bespoke orders coming through.  Working 3 days a week with only my own two hands, I can't keep up.  There is simply nothing I can do about that right now,  I want to be with my family the rest of the week and the basic answer would be employ some help right? That is something I am seriously considering in the next couple of years but for now, I still want to take it slow and my studio doesn't allow much room for expansion just yet.

So having said that,  I know we are only 5 weeks into 2021 but I am now officially FULLY BOOKED for bespoke/custom orders for 2021. To be honest, I rolled into this year already full but refused to admit it hah.

If you made it onto this years list, you should have received an email from me by now.  If you haven't heard from me, check your spam folder or feel free to bump your email back through to me to let me know you are still keen and I can keep you on the short (but long) list for if someone pulls out.

A lot of people on my waiting list won't have heard from me and I do apologise if this is you, this does mean I couldn't fit you in.

At this stage I am not taking a waiting list for 2022 as I am not quite sure how I will be planning it but will keep updates coming through my newsletter so if you want to stay in the loop the best way is to sign up. You will find the subscription form at the bottom of my homepage.

As much as I love working on precious bespoke orders I also need to fill my creative cup in other ways so I am hoping to have some other bits and pieces available on my website from time to time. Yay!  Think Coromandel Carnelian, Canterbury Agates and of course, Pounamu jewels.

I am always happy to answer any questions in the meantime.
Life is about balance, so thank you for always being so patient and understanding.

Courtney

Web shop up-date and Bespoke waiting list 2021 details

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Courtney Marama Jewellery Kia ora koutou, As we edge closer to the end of the year (I know, crazy) I wanted to give you a small up-date on what's happening here in my world full of jewels, rocks and a nearly one year old baby. In this letter I will talk about my Bespoke waiting list for 2021, Triangle Pounamu rings (Yes they are back!) and a web shop up-date just in time for Christmas.  2020 Has been a strange year for us all. For me, I was on maternity leave for nearly half of it, learning to be a first time māmā to miss Orla Kōwhai.  Then we had Covid and lockdowns.  I slowly started back at the jewellery bench and have been finding the balance of working and being with my babe. I am lucky to have both myself and my partner, Johnny working from home so she is always at home with us living the creative, country life.   Anywho, as always, thank you for coming along on this wild ride of life and jewels with me. Bespoke Waiting List 2021 If you have joined my bespoke waiting list this year for a custom jewel, you will hear from me in early January.  I will be organising a timeline for custom makes for 2021 and you will be allocated a month.  All other details will be in the email, so hold tight! Looking at my waiting list for 2021 I am thinking I might nearly be fully booked before the year even really begins, exciting and nerve wracking at the same time. Here's hoping this tendonitis in my thumb gets better soon! If you are in my Jan-March block (you will know if you are) you will hear from me in the next few weeks to finalise everything so we are all set to go for 2021. Tapatoru/Triangle Rings Yes they are back! I know lots of you have been patiently waiting for them. After having a baby and now only working part-time I realised I can't do everything myself so I employed the help of a lovely silversmith, Kati.  I carve the triangle stones and send them to her and she fabricates the metal for me! It's such a relief to be able to employ help and continue with my triangles which have been with me since I first ever started my jewellery.  And it gives me the time to focus purely on my bespoke work which I love. These will be available in the web shop update, more about that next. Web shop update My one and only web shop update for the year! It will include a VERY limited number of each:  Tapatoru/Triangle rings, Roimata earrings, Ceremonial Wedding/Engagement rings and maybe a few other bits and pieces. They will be available on my website on DECEMBER 1ST (time to be confirmed) I'm not sure if I will do an early access for subscribers this time around, if I do, you will be the first to know! To be prepared to purchase a ring, I recommend making sure you know your ring size (or the ring size of the person it's for) so you know if the ring will fit as they are all one of a kind.  Re-sizes are available but it's always best to try and get the perfect fitting ring first time around. To get your ring size, head into your local jeweller, let them know you are wanting to get your size and offer to pay them (as it can be somewhat annoying for the retail team to take time out to help you when you are not shopping with them).  If it's not for you, you can take a ring that your special person owns, keeping note of which finger they wear it on, and get that sized.  There are also some different places online you can purchase a ring sizer from.   There will be no holds and only old school laybuy for items over $600 (email me if you want to do laybuy) That's all from me. I hope you had a wonderful weekend! Kia pai tō rā. Courtney Marama x Copyright © 2020 Courtney Marama Jewellery, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: maramajewellery.cj@gmail.com Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

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Roimata Earrings

Kia Ora,

After lots of interest and my recent collection of Roimata Earrings selling out in under an hour I've decided to do another small collection before Christmas.

Because my custom work keeps me so busy and is booked out so far in advance it's not often I have pieces for sale.  That is something I am slowly changing and you will hopefully see more small collections of jewels being released in between my bespoke work.

The best way to stay in touch, so you know first, is to sign up to my newsletter (subscription form at the bottom of my homepage here on my website). I promise I don’t spam!

As always, thank you for your continued support.

Courtney

Bespoke Waiting List

EDIT - Please note October-December is fully booked.

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View this email in your browser COURTNEY MARAMA JEWELLERY My bespoke pieces are an important part of my work because having something custom made just for you is an investment. I believe that if you are going to wear a piece of jewellery forever it needs to become a part of you, the type that you feel naked without.  When it is custom made, it is made to fit you perfectly so it's comfortable, it's customised so you become a part of the process and it becomes a part of you.   Bespoke Waiting List Details Over the last couple of months I have been inundated with requests for custom orders so I have decided to do some rearranging and organising to make this process easier for us all, so no-one misses out (fingers crossed).   I will be breaking the year up into x4, 3 month blocks and you will get placed into a block depending on the date you:  a) contacted me and b) the date you need it by.  This way, I can confirm you will have your piece/s ready by the end of your allocated block and in time for your special event. The first two blocks to fill will be October-December and January-March 2021.  Yay, no more waiting for me to say "Open for Bespoke Orders" and crossing your fingers you get in before I shut them again.  But please bear with me while I iron out any crinkles as I navigate this new part-time work life.  I have more orders than ever before and less time than ever before (nervous laugh). So, to jump in the waiting list please email me with the following details:   -  If we have chatted via email before, please reply on the same email thread so all the details are kept in one place. -  If you haven't made contact before, you can simply reply to this email.   -  Just a simple "Waiting list please" and the date you need it by (if you have a wedding date or proposal to organise etc) - And any details/images of what you were wanting   I can then add you to the appropriate waiting list block and we can arrange the details of your order. Sound good? Of course, let me know if you have any questions, would like further information or quotes. I look forward to crafting all your precious pieces for you. Arohanui, Courtney Marama Copyright © COURTNEYMARAMAJEWELLERY2020, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: maramajewellery.cj@gmail.com Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

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Kia Ora My Friends, Bespoke Orders Are Now Open

I understand this email comes at an unprecedented time, so before I carry on with the original purpose of my letter I would like to acknowledge these rapidly changing and unusual times we are currently living through.  It's not how any of us had planned to start our year and I, like many of you, had travel and other plans that are no longer taking place, which now seem so insignificant.

Instead, we are staying home for the safety of others and watching the world change right in-front of us. It's scary, it's the unknown but the sun continues to rise every morning and a new day greets us.

Bespoke Orders Now Open
I know so many of you have been waiting for this!

Please email me with your requests.

Here's what to include in your custom request, as the more information you can include the easier it is. I am only back part-time as I have my 4 month old baby so I'm not too sure how much work I can take on but I will see how I go with orders.

Please include:

• Images of designs you are interested in

• The date of when you need it by (if you have one)

• Ring size

• Stone colour preference

• Any other information you think would help

• And if we have already discussed your order, please email via the same email thread we already have so I can see all our discussions.

While I understand weddings have been postponed, jobs have been lost etc please don't worry if you were planning to get something crafted and can no longer at this stage. I will still be here when things return to (semi) normal and you are back in a position to do so.

And as we are also still in stage 4 lockdown here in New Zealand it means I won't actually be able to complete any orders until we are out of lockdown but I think it's a good time to get them put in place and ready to go.
Please allow a couple of days for a reply (mum life).
Email: maramajewellery.cj@gmail.com

Thank you for your continued support and I look forward to working with you and getting back to my jewellery bench.
Don't forget to wash your hands!
Much love,
Courtney Marama

Maternity Leave + New One Of a Kind Rings

If you have been following along on my social media pages you will know I am pregnant and have recently gone on maternity leave, if you have just found me, well, now you know!

As of 1st November 2019 I am ‘officially’ on leave which means I won’t be taking on any bespoke custom orders but I will still be here however to chat to you.

BESPOKE/CUSTOM ORDERS

I don’t have a specific set date that I will be back taking orders yet as this is my first baby I am wanting to leave it open so I don’t feel I need to rush back to work. The ease of it is, my studio is at home so i’m picturing baby in tow in the studio (call me crazy). So I am not currently taking bookings for 2020 but I am looking at starting to pick back up some custom orders around March. So please don’t hesitate to contact me in the new year to discuss your jewels. I will also still be here at the other end of the computer to answer your emails and give you quotes in the mean time.

ONE OF A KIND JEWELS TO PURCHASE

I am currently (as I write this) up loading some One Of a Kind rings on the website which will be available to purchase directly. They will be shipped out within 72 hours of purchase (I’m giving myself a couple of days because…baby) . As they are all One Offs they only come in one size, each one is a different size so please be aware of the size as I won’t be able to re-size it for you.

Sizing is best done at you local jewellers (even at The Warehouse at the jewellery section) they will be able to accurately size your finger, or a ring of yours or your partners to get the correct ring size. Then you will know what size you are needing. Getting the correct ring size is always really important.

The One Of a Kind Rings will be online and available to purchase from Monday 18th November at 9am NZ time. Available for NZ and International shipping.

Thank you for your unconditional support as I start a new chapter in my life.

Much love,

Courtney Marama

The Creation of a Precious Ring

Marcus got in touch with me wanting to get a bespoke ring crafted for his wife for their 5th wedding anniversary. We discussed options and he emailed through images of what he thought his wife may like. We quickly recognised the Fancy Cut Pounamu was a favourite and then decided on a setting option, he liked the full bezel around the stone which is a really safe and sturdy design. The clean lines on the smooth, plain ring band married with the same sleek, clean lines of the faceted Pounamu and full bezel were an instant winner.

I wanted to create something special for them so I chose a piece of Pounamu that was really unique. This particular piece of Pounamu is from the Takaka river in Nelson. Pounamu from that region is quite rare, especially in that lovely light green colour with pale blue streaks/veins running through it. So that was perfect for what I wanted.

I start off with by cutting my piece of Pounamu and glueing it to my dopping stick.

Using industrial diamond gear to cut the Pounamu I then pre form it, getting it into the shape I want.

After that I add each facet, one by one, slowly.

I then use a much higher grit to get the final top table and to polish them perfectly, all of this is done on my faceting machine.

After the final polish it is ready to have a ring made for it to sit in.

Now I hand fabricate the 9k Gold ring to go with the custom cut stone. All hand fabricated in my studio in the Waikato. A lot of measuring, sawing, bending, filing, soldering and sanding goes into the fabrication process…its a lengthy process and each piece needs to be absolutely perfect right, down to the 0.1 of a millimetre otherwise the stone wont fit or the ring band will be to big.

I start with gold wire and sheet, measuring, bending, soldering and hammering the ring band into shape. And measuring, cutting and filing the pieces for the bezel around the stone so it can fit perfectly in place.

The bezel soldered together and the stone fits like a glove!

Its then soldered to its base, some more sawing, sanding and filing to get it into shape and ready to be soldered to the ring shank.

Freshly soldered at the soldering station and is almost camouflaged into the soldering board and borax. It now needs to be cleaned, every edge, corner and flat needs to be sanded and polished to prepare it for the stone setting.

Nearly ready.

The ring is put in the setting goo to support it so I am able to use both my hands to set the stone with precision.

All set! Now to take it out, give it one more final polish and its ready!

There are so many more steps in between all of this, but I had to narrow it down. You get the idea. A lot of love, time and effort goes into creating a bespoke ring. From the precision faceting of the stone to the fabrication of the ring. It’s all worth while to have a result as stunning as this.

Once the ring was complete I contacted Marcus and gave him his information about the ring, including that I had chosen a piece of Pounamu from the Nelson region, Takaka River. It turns out, they both grew up in Nelson and have shared many memories together around Takaka. So in the end, that piece of Pounamu was far more perfect than I had ever imagined.

Thank you Marcus for trusting me to craft such a precious ring for your wife, I hope she loves it.

Courtney Marama

Open Studio + Pop Up Shop

I am excited to do have another public event this year at my studio in Cambridge. I will be having an open day, open to shop my jewels along with my partners lovely stone carvings - Johnathan Percy Stone Art. You can come and chat, shop or just look. No appointment necessary, just rock on up! We will be open for the 3 Saturdays leading up to Christmas.

SATURDAY 8TH DECEMBER 10am - 4pm

SATURDAY 15TH DECEMBER 10am - 4pm

SATURDAY 22ND DECEMBER 10am - 4pm

Cash and eftpos will be available and many special pieces that aren’t available online or anywhere else.

We would love to meet you!

Faceting New Zealand Gemstones

New Zealand has some lovely gemstones other than Pounamu that aren’t well known or even used in jewellery. Creating jewellery not only using ONLY New Zealand gemstones but also cutting my own New Zealand gemstones was a dream of mine since I first started making jewellery when I was studying back in 2000. I never really thought it was possible, I thought it would be too hard to source them and cut each and every single piece. I could never really imagine how I could do it, for at that time I was only learning silversmithing not stone cutting. Fast forward 8 years to now and I have done it…I have persevered through times when I didn’t know if people would appreciate my ethos and desire to restrict myself to New Zealands small treasures. Many people said it wasn’t possible and thought it easier to just purchase ready made gems from all over the world, because they were popular. It is something I feel very strongly about from many different facets of view points, not only being able to showcase New Zealands gemstones in a modern and different way but also ethically gems that come from New Zealand have not been heavily mined for. So no child labour, no un-safe working conditions, no low wages, no chemicals leaching into the earth, no large scale scars in the earth from mining. I can pretty much trace back every gem I use to its region. Depending on the stone here in NZ they are often dug up from hobbyists going on field trips or found in rivers and beaches. In the near future (2019) you will see more and more NZ gemstones other than Pounamu and I cannot wait to start sharing them with you. In the following images I am sharing with you small snippets of my progress when faceting my gemstones.

From left to right - Carnelian (Coromandel), Pounamu (Marsden), Pounamu (West coast), Pounamu (Nelson)

Using industrial diamond cutting gear I start off by selecting high quality pieces of material and cut them roughly enough to my shape to get started.

They then get the exterior shaped, using the shape of the stone and creating as little waste as possible.

Their first facets are cut and their top table is taken down to the correct level. Everything has to be so precise otherwise the finish wont be as clean.

They are all done on my faceting machine, using different diamond grits from 220grit all the way up to 3000grit plus polishing. Slowly, each facet it cut, one by one.

There is actually more levels of facets than these pictures show, which if you get to see one in real life you will notice. Pounamu is more of an Opaque stone which means the light bounces off the surface and they hold their rich colour. With a final polish they are complete. In this final picture if you were wondering, yes, there is one missing, that one will be in another blog post soon complete with its fabricated ring process. There are many more steps involved in the process but this gives you an idea of how it is done. Thank you for viewing my first blog post and I hope you appreciate how much effort goes into each of my pieces as much as I do. There will be plenty more blog posts in 2019!

Courtney Marama