Leah Firth

Leah Firth crafts captivating artisan jewellery, featuring vibrant man-made sapphires in every shade of the rainbow. Each playful, one-of-a-kind piece is set in fluid, organically shaped silver, turning gemstones into wearable art. We caught up with Leah to gain more insight into her artistic process of making...

You work in a range of joyously coloured stones. Have you always been attracted to colour as a creative starting point?

No actually. My first pieces were very gritty. If there were any stones they were mute or tonal. Maybe I’m getting happier and lighter, that’s a nice thought.

When did you first begin dabbling in the art of jewellery making, and what drew you to this practice?

When my children were wee, I took an evening jewellery course with Workshop 6 just to have something for me, and I never turned back. I do recall loving metal work in middle school as well. Maybe it was always meant to be.

When did you first begin dabbling in the art of jewellery making, and what drew you to this practice?

When my children were wee, I took an evening jewellery course with Workshop 6 just to have something for me, and I never turned back. I do recall loving metal work in middle school as well. Maybe it was always meant to be.

You utilise lab grown sapphires, which is a more ethical way of sourcing gemstones. Tell us a bit about this.

The technology around making gemstones is so advanced now and there are so many different methods. All of which basically copy natural formation so that the molecular structure of the stone is exactly the same. No mountains need to be blown up, no scars in the land. In fact, now they are even trying to add the inclusions that make natural stones so beautiful to the lab grown stones, such as another mineral or crystal present, the growth lines, colour variations etc. I’m excited about this because I love a twist. Perfection gets a bit dull after a while I reckon.

Your jewellery works are beautifully organic in style. You often create clusters of colourful stones nestled among silver. Do you decide upon the design from the get go or experiment with what works well together as you create?

I did start off with fabrication and setting the stones just so but it never really thrilled me. It all seemed so contrived. Then I discovered the process of cast-not-set (where stones are placed in a mold before the metal is cast, resulting in the stone being encased in the metal), along with different types of wax and design techniques. It is very much process driven design, as I can set it up as much as I like but it’s the molten metal poured directly onto the stones that will decide the final outcome.

Really the design comes from within to be honest. Imperfection, bumps and turns, stones askew, being ok with it all. Being big and bold, or not, subtle is allowed. Acceptance. It’s a metaphor I suppose.

Your jewellery works are beautifully organic in style. You often create clusters of colourful stones nestled among silver. Do you decide upon the design from the get go or experiment with what works well together as you create?

I did start off with fabrication and setting the stones just so but it never really thrilled me. It all seemed so contrived. Then I discovered the process of cast-not-set (where stones are placed in a mold before the metal is cast, resulting in the stone being encased in the metal), along with different types of wax and design techniques. It is very much process driven design, as I can set it up as much as I like but it’s the molten metal poured directly onto the stones that will decide the final outcome.

Really the design comes from within to be honest. Imperfection, bumps and turns, stones askew, being ok with it all. Being big and bold, or not, subtle is allowed. Acceptance. It’s a metaphor I suppose.

I noted that the names you have chosen for your pieces are equally joyous; ’Stars’, ‘Play’, ‘Beaming’ and ‘Comet’ for example. Did the names follow the designs or vice versa?

This is going to sound a bit woo woo but I intuitively name the pieces once they are complete.

You note that you are inspired by the concept of ‘Wabi-Sabi’. What inspiration drives your design?

My design inspiration is very Japanese in concept. It’s a vibe. A mysterious almost abstract quality that suggests rather than being obvious. Irregularity not uniformity. I would rather be subtle and show the natural beauty of the materials plainly rather than distract the wearer with decorations. The ’sabi’ part means perishable. Things change and that’s ok. More acceptance. I don’t file away every crack or mark… the wearer will do this over time. The colour of the metal may change. Through wear more of a gemstone may become visible.

You note that you are inspired by the concept of ‘Wabi-Sabi’. What inspiration drives your design?

My design inspiration is very Japanese in concept. It’s a vibe. A mysterious almost abstract quality that suggests rather than being obvious. Irregularity not uniformity. I would rather be subtle and show the natural beauty of the materials plainly rather than distract the wearer with decorations. The ’sabi’ part means perishable. Things change and that’s ok. More acceptance. I don’t file away every crack or mark… the wearer will do this over time. The colour of the metal may change. Through wear more of a gemstone may become visible.

What does a typical day within your studio look like?

Cup of tea. Morning is checking emails and analytics. Admin stuff. More tea. I like to block out time when I actually get to the bench because I go into the zone and I might not come out for a bit. At the minute I’m listening to ‘My Therapist Ghosted Me’ podcast (it’s hilarious) while I work. Talking is ok but not music, weird eh. It’s usually a combination of sawing, filing etc lots of sand casting and lost-wax casting every other week. I have a very small set up in my studio for that. You may even find me sneaking off to the studio again in the evening (it’s at the front of my house) to get a couple more things finished off.

If you could meet any jeweller, who would it be and why?

That would have to be Rosa Maria, a Lebanese lady who has a studio in Beirut. She makes very chunky organic pieces that are way outside the mainstream. Apparently when she first started her jewellery journey she was meet with great resistance but she stuck to her vision. Plus she has both Muslim and Christian workers which says to me that she is open-minded.

Do you have a favourite piece you love to design, and method used to produce your jewellery?

Oh, that would have to be rings. You can also tell a story in a pendant or a brooch but a ring, maybe it’s the circle, I do love a circle. If I hand make the wax mould and hand cast and hand pour I’ll pretty much be guaranteed some asymmetry.

Do you have a favourite piece you love to design, and method used to produce your jewellery?

Oh, that would have to be rings. You can also tell a story in a pendant or a brooch but a ring, maybe it’s the circle, I do love a circle. If I hand make the wax mould and hand cast and hand pour I’ll pretty much be guaranteed some asymmetry.

Lastly, do you have a favourite part of Aotearoa, either local to you or nationally that is dear to your heart, and why?

I am so lucky to be a kiwi. I’ve been to the tippy top and the very bottom (and yes I really enjoyed my trip to Bluff, those weather worn houses are fabulous). I did miss out on Stewart Island as I didn’t book the ferry, next time. Favourite…. That’s tough! I’m going to say my local beach, Kohimarama, ‘cos it’s got everything. Water, Rangitoto, grass verge and just the one cafe.