Short video I shot in our workshop - shows two Newline Cinema authorized movie merchandise One Rings (one from South Africa and one from Australia) compared to the original Jens Hansen Movie Ring. As they say a picture paints a 1000 words!

Labels: jens hansen, lord of the rings, one ring

Just received a note to check out a great blog by a delighted Movie Ring customer who recently added a custom version of our 'ring for Viggo' to their growing Jens Hansen collection

Click here to read the full posting

Click here to view Jens Hansen workshop on Google Maps

or

Click here to view Jens Hansen workshop on Google Earth


Birthplace of the Movie Ring for the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy

For over thirty years at 320 Trafalgar Square, Nelson, NEW ZEALAND
www.jenshansen.com

Labels: lord of the rings

It is a statement of record that for the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings movie trilogy we made we made the One Ring in all its appearances and Vilya, ring of Elrond.

However, it is also true that we did not make any of the other rings and jewelery in the movie. For copyright reasons therefore we have no right to sell a replica of Nenya, the Ring of Water, worn by Galadriel, the Queen of the Elves. The role of Galadriel was played in the movie trilogy by actress Cate Blanchett.

I am pleased to announce that we have just finished working on a custom order for a client based on the description of the ring worn by Cate's character as given in the Lord of the Rings books.

Created in 14ct white gold and with a 1 1/4 carat cubic zirconium our client was delighted and had this to say:

"I just got the ring today and was completely blown away! It is exactly what I was looking for and it fits like a glove ^^ You did a fantastic job and I really appreciate it!

Thanks again and I will be sure to advertise my beautiful ring as the work of top notch jewelers ^_^ cheers!"

If you are interested in more information about "Cate's" ring or would like to commission your own then please email me now at cate@jenshansen.com

Labels: cate blanchett, galadriel, lord of the rings, nenya

Triumphing where many could not, Jens Hansen Contemporary Gold & Silversmith has handcrafted the famous Klein bottle mathematical theory into a silver baby rattle.

Since 1968, Jens Hansen has impressed its New Zealand and international customers with its leading edge Scandinavian designs. The bespoke jewellers are famed for creating the One Ring for Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings film trilogy, and for handcrafting the Super 14 trophy and Air New Zealand Cup this year.

Wellington couple Lolo and Stephen Pike searched the world for someone to make a silver Klein bottle baby rattle for renowned US physicist Brian Greene's newborn son, as Stephen Pike explains.

"Brian Greene did a very kind and noble thing by speaking and participating in our interdisciplinary conference in 1999 in North Carolina" says Pike, "He was warm and wonderful and we gave all the speakers a glass Klein bottle as a gift.

"We kept in close contact after we met, while Brian's fame as a string theorist grew significantly each year," he says. "I am not a physicist and I am not sure that even if I were I could understand the complex mathematical models Brian is playing with.

"We have a great deal of respect for Brian, as much for his kindness as for his brilliance, and we wanted to do something nice for him. So, when we heard of his son's birth, we thought a silver Klein bottle baby rattle would be a perfect gift, and should be no problem to construct," he explains. "We were very naive and have learned much since."

Stephen Pike explains the long and convoluted journey to Jens Hansen Contemporary Gold & Silversmith in Nelson, who made the complicated baby's rattle.

"Our search for someone to make the rattle started with the gentleman who made glass Klein bottles in Berkeley California, but he said a silver version was beyond his skills and he could not recommend anyone who could do the work," says Pike.

"Our search then took us to Ireland and some Celtic style silver workers who thought it over but then sent us on to someone in Scotland who didn't have any idea how to proceed.

"An artist friend in Massachusetts referred us to two people, one who does complex three dimensional mathematical models and prints them on a three dimensional printer but he couldn't work it out in silver, and a silver worker who declined to take on the project," he continues.

"Then we tried some silver workers in Virginia and North Carolina who declined after thinking it through, as did a woman in Seattle and a woman in Colorado, all of whom concluded it was beyond their skills.

"Some months later, having almost given up, we were in Nelson at Jens Hansen Contemporary Gold & Silversmith, famous for the Lord of the Rings One Ring, and we spoke with Halfdan Hansen.

Hansen said that like the other silversmiths he wasn't optimistic that Jens Hansen could complete the project - at first.

"It was certainly one of the most unusual projects we'd been asked to do, but we thought it a fantastic opportunity," says Hansen. "I was touched by the story and believed the challenge of translating the Klein bottle into silver was important to solve for Lolo and Stephen, who had made incredible efforts to find someone to make this special gift."

To make the rattle, the Jens Hansen silversmiths started by using the latest technology to create a 3D computer model of the shape. Typically a wax model maker would be used to 'print' an object in 3D and then the ancient LostWax casting process would be used to make it in silver. However, because the Klein bottle is strictly speaking a 4D object that doubles back on itself, it could not be printed in one piece, so it had to be broken into three separate sections - the bottle body, the curved neck and the neck extension that doubles back inside the bottle body. Each individual piece was then wax printed, cast in silver and joined together. After polishing it was hand engraved with the child's name and date of birth.

"We thoroughly enjoyed the involved process of making the Klein bottle rattle for the Greene family, but we knew it wouldn't be complete unless it actually rattled," says Hansen. "To make the sound, we poured small silver granules in the bottle base, and inserted a tiny perforated plate across the opening, to stop the granules falling out," Hansen says. "It worked really well. So, not only does it look lovely, it makes a sweet rattle sound."

"Brian Greene received the Klein bottle rattle at the end of November, and thinks it is exquisite.

"I am thrilled with the heroic efforts undertaken to make our son this beautiful work," says Greene. "It was incredibly thoughtful of Lolo and Stephen to attempt to translate the Klein bottle into a cherished keepsake for our son.

"I thank my good friends for searching and finding Jens Hansen," he says. "The rattle is just beautiful, and incredibly similar to the Klein bottle. We look forward to traveling to New Zealand in the not so distant future so we can thank everyone involved in person".

About Brian Greene:

Brian Greene (born February 9, 1963), is a physicist and one of the best-known string theorists.

Since 1996 he has been a professor at Columbia University. Born in New York City, Greene was a prodigy in mathematics. His skill in mathematics was such that by the time he was twelve years old, he was being privately tutored in mathematics by a Columbia University professor because he had surpassed the high-school math level. His father, Alan, was a one-time vaudeville performer and high school dropout who later worked as a voice coach and composer.

In 1980, Brian Greene entered Harvard to major in physics, and with his bachelor's degree, Greene went to Oxford University in England, as a Rhodes Scholar.

He is a prolific writer, with his book The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory (1999), a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in nonfiction, and winner of The Aventis Prizes for Science Books in 2000.

Brian Greene also dabbles in acting; he helped John Lithgow with scientific dialogue for the television series 3rd Rock from the Sun, and he had a cameo role in the film Frequency.

About the Klein bottle:

The Klein bottle was first described in 1882 by the German mathematician Felix Klein.

In mathematics, the Klein bottle is a certain non-orientable surface, i.e., a surface (a two-dimensional topological space) with no distinction between the "inside" and "outside" surfaces.

Picture a bottle with a hole in the bottom. Now extend the neck. Curve the neck back on itself, insert it through the side of the bottle without touching the surface (an act which is impossible in three-dimensional space), and extend the neck down inside the bottle until it joins the hole in the bottom. A true Klein bottle in four dimensions does not intersect itself where it crosses the side.

For Media Enquiries Contact:
Halfdan Hansen
03 548 0640
021 299 3380
www.jenshansen.com

The Dominion Post Jan 4th 2007
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominionpost/3917517a6479.html

The Press Jan 4th 2007
http://www.stuff.co.nz/3917611a19719.html

Earlier this month two astronauts carried out a spacewalk to complete repairs on the International Space Station. They just happened to be passing by New Zealand at the time and the city of Nelson, home of Jens Hansen Contemporary Gold & Silversmith and birthplace of the Movie Ring, can clearly be seen. My sincerest apologies to NASA for superimposing the Ring but it can't be made out from space without a little help :-)

Click for Video Clip

New Zealand's new domestic rugby showpiece - the Air New Zealand Cup - was officially launched in grand style on Thursday.

A new trophy was unveiled, along with the launch of a comprehensive new advertising campaign and New Zealand rugby's biggest ever press conference.

The launch was held at Auckland's Mt Smart Stadium - home this year to the Counties Manukau Steelers. In launching the new competition, New Zealand Rugby Union Deputy Chief Executive Steve Tew told the audience this year would be a very special season of provincial rugby.

"It is a new chapter in the long and colourful history of provincial rugby in New Zealand," said Tew.

"Over the next 13 weeks, we will see well over 300 of New Zealand's best players from the 14 Air New Zealand Cup provinces carry the honour of their provinces out onto the rugby field," he said.

In a New Zealand first, the biggest ever rugby press conference, held at the launch, brought together players and coaches from each of the Air New Zealand Cup provinces - Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, Counties Manukau, Hawke's Bay, Manawatu, North Harbour, Northland, Otago, Southland, Taranaki, Tasman, Waikato and Wellington.

The competition's new sterling silver trophy, the Air New Zealand Cup, made by famed Lord of the Rings 'One Ring' designers, Jens Hansen of Nelson, was also unveiled at the launch. The trophy is modelled on the Air New Zealand Cup logo.

The Air New Zealand Cup competition kicks off on Friday 28 July when Hawke's Bay, making their return to the top-flight domestic competition, hosts Canterbury in Napier.

The first weekend also sees the other three new teams - Counties Manukau, Manawatu and Tasman - in action at home. The final will be played on 21 October.

Click for Video Clip
Source: ONE Sport

2:24 PM, 13 Jul 2006

New Zealand rugby has its newest trophy and the new symbol of provincial rugby supremacy - the Air New Zealand Cup.

The stunning new trophy was unveiled by New Zealand Rugby Union Deputy Chief Executive Steve Tew and Air New Zealand Chief Executive Rob Fyfe at the official launch of the Air New Zealand Cup competition in Auckland today.

Handcrafted from 2.7 kilograms of sterling silver and sitting on a basalt base, the Air New Zealand Cup is a contemporary interpretation of a traditional rugby trophy and is based on the Air New Zealand Cup logo which represents a winged ball in flight.

The trophy is the second rugby trophy made this year by leading New Zealand gold and silversmith workshop Jens Hansen Gold and Silversmith, from Nelson. The workshop, which made the famous 'One Ring' for Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings film trilogy, also made the Rebel Sport Super 14 trophy.

Mr Fyfe said the new trophy was a testament to local workmanship.

"Once again, Jens Hansen Gold and Silversmith has done an outstanding job in crafting a trophy that any captain would be proud to raise above his head. The artful incorporation of 'wings' into the trophy's handles serves a practical purpose, while figuratively highlighting the winning team's 'flight' and Air New Zealand's sponsorship of the competition," he said.

Mr Tew said the new trophy could proudly stand alongside New Zealand's other coveted trophies and will be fiercely contested by the 14 Provincial Unions in the inaugural year of the Air New Zealand Cup.

"We have a brand new competition and now a striking new Cup to go with it, with the shape suggesting the pace, movement and physical nature of the provincial game. It will be a fantastic addition to the trophy cabinet of one of the 14 Air New Zealand Cup teams," he said.

Jens Hansen silversmith Thorkild Hansen said they had spent three months working on the Cup and had worked in close partnership with the NZRU and Wellington design company DNA Designed Communications who developed the Air New Zealand Cup logo as well as the Cup's shape and detailing.

"Designing a Cup for hand forging rather than casting is not a simple task. So the team in Wellington worked closely with us to make sure the design was do-able using our traditional processes. We thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of taking the concept through to completion," Mr Hansen said.

The Air New Zealand Cup will go on public display for the first time at the opening match of the Air New Zealand Cup competition, when Hawke's Bay hosts Canterbury in Napier on Friday 28 July.

The Air New Zealand Cup - key facts

Standing 45cm tall and weighing 3.9 kilograms, the Air New Zealand Cup was hand forged from 2.7 kilograms of sterling silver by master silversmith Thorkild Hansen. The inside of the cup is gilded with gold. Waihi stone carver Jeff Beckwith handcrafted the polished stone base from black basalt quarried from the Bombay Hills.

ENDS

Sunday-Star Times Newspaper
09 July 2006 By TIM HUNTER
PRECIOUS PIECE: Halfdan Hansen's company, which is building on the fame of making rings for Lord of the Rings, is now working on the new NPC trophy.
EVAN BARNES/Sunday Star-Times







It will hold three litres of liquid and have wings that double as handles - such are the specifications of the new NPC rugby trophy to be unveiled this week.

The winning team in the Air New Zealand Cup will no doubt take full advantage of those features - a more functional design than the Super 14 trophy won by the Crusaders in May.

Both pieces of silverware are the product of Nelson gold and silversmith Jens Hansen, maker of the famous gold ring featured in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

The firm is now owned by the late Jens Hansen's sons, Thorkild and Halfdan.

Thorkild is the craftsman, Halfdan the businessman - an electrical engineer who returned from a career overseas with oil industry giant Schlumberger to run the commercial side of the business.

The commission for the Air NZ Cup began a year ago and late last week the silver chalice was still undergoing the finishing touches. It's a big project for Jens Hansen, but the money is not the motivation.

"These trophies for the rugby union, they are well into five figures but they are very labour intensive. It's more for the prestige."

The Hansens know the value of a good reputation.

Their father was a long-time friend of jeweller Michael Hill and sold some products through the retail chain. "The guys here worked really hard producing volume," Halfdan said, "but the margins were low".

Greater rewards were in producing hand-crafted quality products, sold through the family shop in Nelson.

And then there was the commission for Lord of the Rings, bringing such fame that a Google search for Jens Hansen brings them up as number one, despite the name being the Danish equivalent of John Smith.

"I don't know that we want to become the people known as the trophy makers or the movie prop people," Halfdan said. "But why fight it? We made the world's most famous ring. It gives instant credibility."


Along with the movie came a lively market in replica rings, particularly from overseas. "The peak would have been a year or two ago," Halfdan said. "It would be fair to say our turnover tripled or quadrupled and it's all gone to the bottom line, which has allowed us to invest in equipment and advertising."

The worry was that business would sag as the Rings frenzy died away, but the high plateau has been maintained with special commissions and higher priced items.

Now the brothers are thinking about how to expand without compromising the craftsman ethic. Halfdan sees scope for a bigger shop in Nelson, or a second shop in another location within two years. "We'd like to be in Queenstown," he said.

Here is a great photograph which was taken by a senior photographer from the National Business Review magazine in Auckland, New Zealand on the day I made my recent Breakfast TV appearance to showcase some just commissioned trophies from the Jens Hansen Contemporary Gold & Silversmith workshop. The photographer was fantastic and had an amazing story to share - as a child growing up in Oxford, England he was a next door neighbour of The Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien. It was only when he was much older that he realised how famous the 'gentleman from next door' was!



Halfdan Hansen with Rebel Sport Super 14, and
Telecom Virtual Rugby Trophies and a replica of
a 6" diameter ring we made for Peter Jackson's
Lord of the Rings movies.
Photo Copyright National Business Review