Manufacturing

Our pieces are designed and made by people not machines, using practical tools to craft each piece. Some StoneArrow designs are cast for us in Auckland and hand-finished by us.

Our small workshop in Tākaka is tucked behind the gallery. When you come here you're welcome to see it in action and meet our team. Or take a virtual tour around our gallery and workshop.

Up-cycled Glass

Our up-cycled glass jewellery range is our signature product line and we continue to expand our idea of what is possible. Our reused glass is sourced from bottles taken from the waste stream. We also utilise some old windows, which opens up the possibilities with the colour range.

Creation

We've had to invent a range of ways of working with the glass to create the designs we do, which includes getting creative with the kiln, the grinding processes and sandblaster designs.

StoneArrow lays claim to being the world's most sophisticated up-cycled glass jewellery manufacturer in the world (feel free to let us know if you can find anyone you think does it better).

Another use for gin!

We’re always on the lookout for coloured glass, particularly Jägermeister bottles and the right coloured green bubbly bottles! If you have bottles, windows, etc that you think we might use then please bring them to the Tākaka gallery - bottles can be empty or full :)

Etching Glass Manufacturing Process

Making a pair of Glass Fern Frond Earrings with the design etched in wine bottle glass.

  • How do we make these glass etched designs?

    How do we make these glass etched designs?

  • Sandblast resist stickers are put on the blanks cut from a wine bottle.

    Sandblast resist stickers are put on the blanks cut from a wine bottle.

  • The sandblasting cabinet where we etch away only the area not masked by the sticker.

    The sandblasting cabinet where we etch away only the area not masked by the sticker.

  • The finished design is very detailed.

    The finished design is very detailed.

Up-cycled Glass Manufacturing Process

In this video Nick shows the process the team have developed and refined over the years for making a pair of Hydrangea Earrings from a Bombay Sapphire Gin bottle.