The story
Kia ora, my name is Alexie! I've called Rotorua home for the past two years, after returning from overseas where me and my partner lived and worked as café owners. Before that, we spent many years living in Auckland, surrounded by the fast pace and energy of city life.
Moving to Rotorua brought a completely different way of living. Being closer to nature, slowing down, and stepping away from the rhythm of big cities have given me space to see things differently. The colours and textures of nature became a big source of inspiration for my designs.
The making
A slower lifestyle has given me the time to make crafts. It began as a personal hobby, but gradually became something more meaningful. I make each jewellery piece thread by thread, bead by bead. Because of this, no two pieces are the same. There may be small imperfections, but I think that's part of what makes handmade work special. In a world filled with mass-produced and generic products, I value individuality — and that's also because none of us are identical either.
I work from a home studio in Rotorua, designing intuitively — each piece takes shape as I go, with no set template. The materials do a lot of the talking.
I source beads from Japan and the Czech Republic, chosen for their quality and colour range. Alongside these, I work with freshwater pearls, semi-precious gemstones, and shells. Metal components are silver or gold-plated, with surgical stainless steel used for earring findings — hypoallergenic and made for everyday wear.
What I believe
I believe jewellery shouldn't be something only few people can enjoy. Jewellery should be beautiful, meaningful, and affordable for everyday people. If you love self-expression through jewellery like me, you should be able to wear them with ease, on all kinds of days, and not just special occasions.
Through crafting, I've come to realise that it's okay not to live the same way as everyone else. Slowing down and looking inward has been an important journey, and making jewellery has become part of that process. Just like people, every piece carries its own character and story.