NZ DESIGNER: KEVIN THORNE JEWELLERY

Highlighting New Zealand Designers: Kevin Thorne Jewellery.

Resident jeweller Kevin Thorne recently collaborated with The Shelter brand Symetria on a new jewellery line, Xuān, inspired by the brands' collection PART 09, which will arrive at The Shelter early next year.

To learn a little bit more about Kevin and his journey head to our journal Introducing // Kevin Thorne.

Each piece is handmade in the studio space by Kevin, bespoke to the customer and their story. We sat down with Kevin to talk about his new collection, and how he’s finding his new studio space!

Tell us a little bit about your space at The Shelter

My studio is nestled at the back of the shop, next to the garden. I have my jewellery bench on site, so I make jewellery everyday there. The greenery and natural light is so peaceful, which makes it so easy to get into the making flow. More importantly, I love meeting my customers in this space. For me, I draw inspiration from people I meet and stories I hear. Since I moved into The Shelter, my mind is always stimulated by meeting people from all different walks of life. It is very healthy for me as a designer - it’s my happy place!

Why The Shelter? What drew you to the space?

Not to mention how beautiful the space is but, The Shelter is also an inspirational space beyond a retail store. I met many talented New Zealand designers here - listening to their stories and talking about design. It is a hub for many talented designers to learn from each other. The thing that drew me to the space the most is what I call the ‘Shelter Experience.’ Quite often I see customers become relaxed in the space, feeling safe to open up, to play and explore. At the end, it becomes more and more like a ‘friendship’, I love that.

It seems unconventional to be making jewellery in the middle of a shop. Why did you decide this was the best practice for you?

Haha, I love that! ‘Unconventional’ is one of my signatures. I mostly follow my instincts. There is nothing more satisfying than being able to pull out the touch and make a piece when you are struck by an idea. Also, it allows me to adjust my work to fit customers. The right person at the right time, having the right piece of jewellery is an experience that cannot be missed.

You collaborated with one of our designers, Symetria, for your most recent collection. Xuān. What was this process like?

It was a pleasure to collaborate with New Zealand brand Symetria. The collaboration stated early on, sharing the very same inspirations and concept, and then interpreted with different media - fabric and silver. The concept is linear and strong - panels are joined together to make shapes and volume. I took inspiration from that and simplified it into a pure binary relationship between two planes - curved, straight, OVERLAID and separated. The Xuān Collection was born. It is fascinating how one concept can be interpreted with different materials and in different disciplines. The collection is online and in-store. I cannot wait to introduce you to them.

You run workshops during the day in the space! Tell us about them, what would you expect to make and learn?

I signed up for a jewellery making workshop six years ago, and that’s the beginning of Kevin Thorne. I still have the very first copper ring I made on my bench, reminding me where I started. I like the share my experiences with more people, so I host jewellery making workshops every week. You don’t need any jewellery making background, just simply turn up, everything is supplied. Two hours later, you can walk away with a silver ring you made yourself! There is nothing that can replace the joy of making something by hand - it is so mindful. I love seeing daughter and dad, mother and son coming in for the workshop, spending time together, making a piece with love and full of memories. I think that is what jewellery is supposed to be. It is sentimental.

The idea was to pay it forward to the community, and share the experience I have gained over the years. In the Ring Making Introductory Workshop you’ll learn fundamental techniques on how to form a ring from a silver bar and solder it. I’m currently developing a necklace workshop so stay tuned!

Shop Kevin Thorne online, and in-store at The Shelter