Here is an article from The New Zealand Herald about recent auction of some works by NZ silversmith Peter Woods who trained under Jens Hansen.


Don Milne saleroom: Top dollar for local silver
4:00AM Saturday Sep 05, 2009
By Don Milne
New Zealand silversmiths are generally known for their jewellery; Peter Woods is the notable exception.

Born in Eltham in 1952, and trained under the noted Danish-born, long New Zealand-resident silver guru Jens Hansen, he is one of the few New Zealanders to specialise in what experts call hollow-ware - trays, coffee and tea pots, tableware and so on.

His stylish, elegant, beautifully finished work has brought a number of commissions, including the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games baton (now in the Auckland War Memorial Museum collection).

His works seldom come on the auction market. So the small but notable collection offered by Cordy's last month attracted much attention and commensurately high prices.

Top of the list was a suite of table silver comprising tray, coffee pot and teapot with characteristic puriri handles, sugar and cream. The set was illustrated in Helen Schamroth's 1998 book 100 New Zealand Craft Artists; Cordy's estimate was $3500.

So there were gasps when, with spirited bidding, it climbed to $16,500 ($18,820 with premium and GST). There were more gasps when the next four Woods lots - trays and tureens - went for a total of $29,250 ($33,363), against total estimates of $6900.

Read full Herald article here

World Traveller is a 20min show broadcast every Saturday night on the Shanghai Documentary Channel. In Feb-Mar 2009 they visited the Nelson region of New Zealand and saw us at our studio workshop.

Someone has posted a brief clip of the show on YouTube showing the guys in the studio hard at work, with a good session with jeweller Ben Clark as he makes a Movie Ring.

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

We recently posted about Jens Hansen's nephew Jens Winter-Glasgow. Winter-Glasgow started his jewellery training at our Nelson, New Zealand workshop, completed his formal apprenticeship with world renowned Danish jewelers Georg Jensen, and graduated 2nd in the whole of Denmark in 2008.



As a result he was chosen to represent Denmark at the Nordic Jewllery Award championships in August 2008. At the Championships two representatives each from Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark competed to make a set piece. Jens' workmanship was judged best and he won the competition and took home a check for 50,000 Danish Kroner.

We are very proud to report on the recent progress of Nelson born jeweller Jens Winter-Glasgow. Named after his uncle Jens Hansen, Winter-Glasgow started his jewellery career in our workshop. After a few years he left Nelson to retrace his heritage in the ancestral homeland of Denmark. There he was fortunate enough to win a place as an apprentice with the world famous jewelry firm of Georg Jensen at their artisans workshop in the town of Kolding.

Runner Up Goldsmith Apprentice of The Year Denmark 2008

On 14th May 2008 Jens Winter-Glasgow graduated at a ceremony at the Town hall in Copenhagen.




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It was attended by HM the Queen of Denmark, HRH the prince consort and the Major of Copenhagen, as well as a large number of guests.

The ceremony is held once every year for all newly finished tradesmen who achieved good grades.
People who achieve 12(the highest grade achievable) get a silver medal, gold medals don't exist, and people who achieve 10(the second highest grade) get bronze.

Shaking Hands With The Queen of Denmark











The Medal


The tradesmen graduating in 2008 were from 24 different trades, everything from hairdressers to bookbinders. Of the 133 people that received medals, only 4 where goldsmiths. The goldsmiths all received bronze medals, no jeweller has actually received silver medal yet by the way.




The medal says "When seriousness and truth combine/join with diligence the goal is reached"

The english translation of the papers that accompanied the medal said:
"The Copenhagen Association of artisans notifies that the journeyman, Jens Erling Winter-Glasgow, has obtained the certificate of apprenticeship of his trade.
The judging committee of the branch has found his work exceedingly well affected. Upon the proposition of the committee, which has been recommended by the competent organisation of masters in Copenhagen, the association of artisans, wishing to reward the young journeyman's diligence and skill, to acknowledge his good behaviour during his apprenticeship and to encourage him to continual progress, has granted him its bronze medal.