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Kōrero: Crafts and applied arts

Elsie Reeve jewellery, 1920s

Elsie Reeve was one of the first women in New Zealand to work as a professional jeweller and her career was only ended by her untimely death in 1927, aged 42. She worked from a studio in Lambton Quay, Wellington, and then later in Queen Street, Auckland. Reeve's work was often distinguished by her use of wire-work tendrils and fine stones. This necklace and earring set, made from silver and turquoise, is a good example of this aesthetic. Zoom in to explore the details of the work.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Reference: GH011809/1-3

Permission of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārang

Douglas Lloyd Jenkins rāua ko Lucy Hammonds, Crafts and applied arts – Craft from the 1900s to 1920s, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/zoomify/45277/elsie-reeve-jewellery-1920s (accessed 4 June 2026).

He kōrero nā Douglas Lloyd Jenkins rāua ko Lucy Hammonds, i tāngia i te 16 May 2014.