A small kina, hand-carved in oxidised sterling silver, cradling a freshwater pearl at its centre.
Made in Louise Douglas's Nelson studio using the lost wax casting technique, the Kina charm captures the sea urchin's distinctive pitted surface in miniature — dark and textural against the quiet lustre of the pearl. The Kina is the traditional Māori name for a native sea urchin found in shallow waters all around New Zealand, and particularly prevalent along the Nelson Tasman coastline where Louise's jewellery is made. Small in scale but considered in every detail, these earrings carry something of that place with them.
Oxidised sterling silver, freshwater pearl
Sterling silver hooks
Total length 24mm, Kina charm 10mm diameter
ABOUT the MAKER
Louise Douglas
Louise Douglas works from her studio in Nelson, New Zealand, casting jewellery directly from the natural world — seashells, twigs, leaves, found objects — and from a deep affection for the particular and the remembered. Her pieces are small-batch, made by hand using the lost wax casting technique, and finished in oxidised sterling silver, solid gold, and freshwater pearl. The collection spans botanical drop earrings and delicate necklaces through to bangles and rings — each piece rooted in the same making process, the same sensibility. There is nothing generic in Louise's work. Every form has a source: something picked up on a walk, something held onto. The jewellery carries that quality with it. Explore the Louise Douglas collection at Tessuti.
