With the ocean her muse and nature her inspiration, trained goldsmith Amanda Hurley creates an eclectic and organic range of jewellery from her home workshop in Whakatāne.

Hurley works in a variety of metals including brass, silver, and gold, and incorporates gemstones into her designs.

One of her favourite everyday pieces is a polished brass bracelet – and amazingly, it looks just like gold.

“I’ve always done commissions and had ranges in shops,” she said.

Her work featured in a downtown pop-up art show last summer, as well as the West End Wiggle art exhibition.

A passionate surfer, Hurley finds her love for the ocean influences her artistic style.

“Working from home is perfect. If there’s surf, I’m out there. I do get jobs out there sometimes,” she laughed.

That connection to nature shines through in her jewellery, which often features organic forms and textures.

“I’m very outdoorsy, and I think that’s why I lean towards those organic, nature-inspired forms.”

She’s found a strong calling in giving old pieces new life.

“The last few commissions I did have been repurposing people’s jewellery.”

One client had a late husband who left a collection of cufflinks.

“I turned greenstone cufflinks into rings for her granddaughters, made another into a ring for her, and a necklace.”

Hurley finds deep satisfaction in this kind of work.

“There’s enough stuff in the world already. That’s what I love about jewellery – you can melt it down and recreate something new.”

Finding that she was not wearing her wedding and engagement rings much, Hurley transformed them into a new ring.

“I thought, why not make it into something I love again?”

The new piece is very original – an 18-carat gold band embedded with a raw diamond that turned black during casting.

“The carbon came out during the casting process, which gave it this amazing look. If I put it in the pickle, it would go clear again – but I’m enjoying the black for now.

“That is another thing about jewellery; it does have an emotional tie, and it is something you can wear and if you are not wearing it how it is, change it.”

She admits jewellery making isn’t an exact science.

“Set casting takes a bit of luck. Especially with raw stones – you might discover an inclusion or a fault line you couldn’t see.”

But that unpredictability is part of the magic.

Hurley’s journey into jewellery began several years ago in a retail jewellery store, where she often gravitated to the back of the store to talk to the jewellery makers.

Inspired by their work, she completed her goldsmith training in 2009 at the Peter Minturn Goldsmith School in Auckland.

“After that I moved to Wellington and moved into a studio space – Workspace Studios – with two other jewellers and began tutoring.

“Wellington was a lot of fun,” she said.

“I did commissions, launched my own ranges, took part in group shows, and a couple of pop-up shops.”

An exciting career moment came when she worked on The Hobbit film trilogy, helping produce jewellery and props for the fantasy series.

“We were making crowns, goblets, necklaces … It was intense – 16-hour days – but so rewarding,” she saids. “And we got to tour the movie sets.”

After Wellington, Hurley shifted her focus to family life, returning to Auckland but continuing to accept commissions.

The next move took her to Mount Maunganui, where she showcased her work in the Tauranga Art Gallery shop. Eventually, her family settled in Whakatāne when her husband took up a teaching role.

Now, six years into Whakatāne life, Hurley, juggles raising two young children with jewellery making, surfing and working two days a week at Renshaws.

“They are lovely there and manufacture as well, so I end up out back talking to the jeweller, so I have come full circle.”

Hurley shares her work occasionally on Instagram under the hashtag #amandahurleyjeweller, though most of her business comes through word of mouth.

Wherever her jewellery is displayed, one thing is certain: each piece carries with it not just craftsmanship, but story, soul, and a little saltwater inspiration.