A Klustre of brilliance

MARION VAN DIJK/Nelson Mail

INTRIGUED: Sarah Whitelock, left, and Jen Walker, of Britain, admire the jewellery and paintings on show at the Klustre exhibition at Reflections Art Gallery.

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The annual Klustre exhibition has been bringing together jewellers from throughout the region for eight years. Tom Hunt reports on the latest show.

Fifteen jewellers from across the Nelson region, along with two Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology students and two guest painters, have their wares on display at Reflections Gallery.

The original idea for Klustre came from a government Trade and Enterprise scheme of the same name, as an opportunity for jewellers to get together, share ideas and put on group shows, but this has been whittled down to just one show annually.

But now a group of original and new members has decided to re-invigorate the concept, with the Klustre exhibition the first in a new, permanent, albeit still annual, exhibition space.

"If all goes well, this will be an annual show and the apex of the region's jewellery exhibition schedule," the poster for the exhibition promises.

Nelson jeweller Ashley Hilton says the group is a good mix of long-time Nelson jewellers and newcomers but reckons the numbers in Klustre 09 could easily double.

"We are trying to get a following," he says, adding that this will mean that people will be able to come to the exhibitions and get a good taste of what is on offer in Nelson jewellery in just one place.

He says there is no real stipulation about who can become a member of Klustre but there is a preference for people who "at least try" to do jewellery for a living.

It has previously been stated that Nelson is vying for the title of New Zealand's jewellery capital but Hilton says it is a competition that can be overstated.

However, looking around the walls of Klustre, there is no doubt that some fascinating jewellery is being made in the Nelson region, which manages to support an incredible number of fulltime jewellers.

"People are blown away by how many people can make a living from it," Hilton says.

This is helped by the number of tourists who travel through the region and want something easily portable to take home.

If the opening night of Klustre and the number of red dots beside the display cabinets are anything to go by, jewellery continues to pique the interest of people with the money to buy it, and the exhibition looks set to be a permanent fixture.

The painters, Leila Ataya and Jennifer Murphy, were chosen due to their vague links to jewellery.

Ataya's small and intricate works require the viewer to get right up close to it, much like jewellery, while Murphy often features jewellery in her work.

Exhibiting jewellers are Yumi Shinkai, Jenny Ferrow, R Harvey-Smith, Liz Kendrick, Gava Selden, Jens Hansen, Zoe Buchanan, Peter Elsbury, Ashley Hilton, Claire Allain, Nic Wooding, Grant Muir, Geoff Williams, Glen James, Andrea Barton and Mieke Van Dam.

Klustre runs until November 18 at Reflections Gallery in the World or WearableArt complex, Quarantine Rd, Nelson.