The Best New Jewellery Brands: 5 Rising Creatives To Watch Right Now

These designers are forging (and handcrafting) distinct aesthetics, right here in Aotearoa.

It’s easy to become attached to jewellery. Often gifted, or worn close to our skin on an everyday basis, these pieces are ones we feel close to – they are precious and symbolic of something romantic.

These pieces, crafted by young designers with distinct design aesthetics, immediately reveal themselves to be something special. All are crafted, cast or beaded in Aotearoa, with care and a fresh perspective.

Investing in a piece crafted by local makers might make you feel a little closer to craft on your special occasions (and will certainly help to support a talented scene of makers).

Chills

This local label is known for its glinting and simple embellishments, constructed in a studio at the Bijoux Gallery on Ponsonby Road. Chyna-Lily Tjauw Rawlinson, the designer behind the project, is a multi-hyphenate creative – she’s worked with photography, sculpture, painting, videos and exhibitions (including Toi Pōneke’s Sailing Lanterns, which featured another local accessory crafter, Grace Ko). Chyna-Lily is also a fourth-generation jeweller – the creation of Chills has seen intergenerational influence from her dad and grandfather.

Founded in 2022, the label has recently showcased an exciting collaboration – working with Caitlin Snell, another influential accessory designer within New Zealand’s fashion scene (if you’ve seen a hairbow clipped in someone’s hair, it was probably from Caitlin Snell).

With Chills, Chyna-Lily creates everyday ‘staples’ (available to shop all the time) and also works with customers to manufacture custom, one-of-a-kind pieces. Commonly, motifs for Chills’ silver jewellery are influenced by organic shapes, including water droplets, spider webs, stars and twinkly flares.

Stocked: Bijoux Gallery, Monty’s, Uncommon and Chilljewellery.com

Gabebe’s

Gabbie De Baron is the creative behind the (nick)name sake accessory label Gabebe’s.

In describing the label, Gabbie says it is “about exploring my inner child, girlhood, Filipino-Chinese heritage, through my love for tactile crafts, like jewellery making and crochet.”

The designer (who works as a graphic designer and illustrator by day) first made the venture into accessories with strings of pearls and charm-stacking necklaces.

Some have a cartoonish vibrancy, like the butterfly pendants and resin-set charms, while others are more subtle (like the ‘Ortigas’ necklace made from Philippine freshwater pearls). Gabbie’s approach to accessorisation is joyful and nostalgic, and will suit those drawn to dopamine dressing.

The blooming ‘El Bimbo’ piece (the flowery accessory comes in five colourways and is a more recent addition to the Gabebe’s brand), which can be worn as a necklace or belt, has been particularly embraced by fashion fans and stylists. This week, Gabbie has also made the formal announcement that Gabebe’s will be winding down over the next few months – if you want to add some to your collection, it’s best to get in quick!

Viva loves: The bokchoker necklace.

Rose Pickernell

Wellington-based creative Rose Pickernell has a distinct design aesthetic. The pieces, constructed from sterling silver, are raw and have a visual weight. They often create a fine balance between rough textures and delicate compositions.

In blurbs about the brand, Rose recounts tutoring by her dad, who works as a blacksmith. The pieces do evoke that industriousness – textured metals and flattened bands conjure up images of medieval welding and hammering.

Common motifs within Rose’s work include knots, studs, chain links and flattened bands. More experimental pieces see Rose working with building materials – think bolts, carabiners and even rusty dyes. This playful referencing of construction-specific techniques and materials is an interesting and locally-driven approach to jewellery that makes Rose’s work stand out.

Viva loves: The flat knot rings.

Stocked: Hello Monty’s and Sully’s.

Bebe Mae

Bebe James is a self-taught jeweller, who crafts pendants that appear to be dripping with shimmering chrome.

The designer says that the playful pieces are inspired by childhood and “a daydream of liquid stars” – clearly referenced with butterflies, angels and celestial shapes.

These pieces are made using a lost-wax casting technique, which sees molten metals poured into wax moulds. Bebe utilises the technique to produce really delicate, organic shapes. The result is quite romantic, as the metal seems to freeze in motion.

All of the pieces from Bebe’s workshop are made to order and the designer also works in collaboration with customers to produce custom pieces in her style.

Viva loves: The butterfly pendant.

Stocked: Crushes, Company of Strangers, The Service Depot, Uncommon, Bebemae.com

MothMade Jewels

Lily Wenmoth is the artist behind MothMade Jewels, a small-scale label that’s slowly been making its way into Aotearoa’s best shops of curated independent designers.

Throughout the process of creation, Lily has been sustainably minded, casting with recycled silver and adorning the accessories with secondhand pearls, and lab-grown stones.

This earthy influence clearly affects the aesthetic of the label too – those stones are encased in silver as they would be if they came from rock.

The jeweller is based in Ōtautahi and cites influence in the landscape of Aotearoa. This is evident in the naming of some of the designs, from Taupō forest to the Wakaroa boulders. Custom orders are open for those with a specific brief.

Right now, from August 11 to 18, the artist is also features in Play Nice, an exhibition at the Rice Pudding Gallery in Newtown, Wellington.

Viva loves: The riverbed sleepers.

Stocked: Uncommon, Bizarre Bazaar, Volta, Mothmadejewelsnz.com

More accessories

From local makers to expert guidance.

Grace Ko, Where’d You Get That Glossy Pendant? The designer, artist and entrepreneur shares the ethos behind Baobei — her deeply affirming, bimbo-core label.

Rising Designer Laurence Sabrine On How Vivienne Westwood & Filipino Folklore Shape Their Style. Laurence Sabrine is a Pōneke-based designer and stylist with a unique fashion sensibility.

Declaring Your State Of Independence With A Divorce Ring? These Local Jewellers Have Options. If you like it, then you should definitely put a divorce ring on it, says Dan Ahwa.

Wardrobe 101: How To Clean & Store Your Jewellery At Home. We’ve tried and tested these top tips, and they do work.