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

Halfdan Hansen


Thu, 16 Jul 2009 1:14p.m.


In the 1950s Jens Hansen brought a style of jewellery design from his native Denmark to Auckland and wowed the fashionistas.

He later moved to Nelson and most recently found new fame when he was commissioned to make the rings for the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Since his death in 1999 his sons have been running the business and for the first time in 40 years Halfdan has bought Jens Hansen jewellery back to the city where it all began.

Halfdan Hansen showed New Zealand Television TV3 Sunrise show some fine examples of his father's designs.

Watch Video

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

TV3 Nightline News

Four decades ago Danish gold and silversmith Jens Hansen set up a Nelson workshop.

Now nine years after his death his sons are continuing the legacy.

"I'd like to think he'd be proud that we're keeping it going," says Halfdan Hansen. "We've got apprentices working for us now so we're keeping it alive for the future."

To celebrate the 40th anniversary a collection of designs - which have not been made or sold since Jens Hansen originally designed them - has been re-launched.

Watch video or read rest of news story here TV3 Nightline News Story

Labels: halfdan hansen, jens hansen, jens hansen halfdan hansen lord of the rings nelson new zealand sbs danish radio, jens hansen halfdan one ring lord of rings nelson new zealand pippa tvnz tv

Here's an excerpt and photo of a nice article about Nelson which featured in today's Dominion Post newspaper. Please click the link to read the full story.

Nelson's world of sustainable arts

The once-wacky art scene in the sun-drenched South Island town of Nelson is not only alive and well, it's getting stronger

ELLEN BROOK - The Dominion Post | Tuesday, 11 November 2008

HOME AND AWAY: Nelson artist Anna Leary and Phillip Thomas in a Wellington Airport artists' studio, built to show off Nelson Arts. The Ring in the foreground is a full size replica of the big Jens Hansen One Ring used in the Lord of the Ring's movies.

Nelson has its fingers in a lot of pies. It wants to be the sustainable city, the solar city, the heritage city and the arts city, says the mayor.

..

The area is becoming known for its woodworking, as well as ceramics and jewellery, including the studio of Jens Hansen jewellers, which helped put Nelson on the map as the place where a certain gold ring that featured in a certain movie was made.

Yes, I know you thought it was forged in the mines of Mordor, but it was actually in a little workshop just by the cathedral.

.....

please click link to read the full story

Labels: halfdan hansen, jens hansen, jens hansen halfdan one ring lord of rings nelson new zealand pippa tvnz tv

Our local Nelson paper did a great article today on the launch of the 40th Anniversary Collection.

Please check it out at http://www.stuff.co.nz/nelsonmail/4750994a19257.html

Photo with a poster of Jens in the background shows Halfdan with one of the rings from the collection, and its original workshop production card.

Labels: halfdan hansen, jens hansen

Jens Hansen Gold & Silversmith was very proud to be co-sponsor of 'The Sitting Room' at the Nelson Arts Festival for the 3rd year running.

The show was a sellout and more than 450 people had a fantastic time dancing to the eclectic musical picks of award winner music journalist Grant Smithies.

Check out these Two Different Reviews From The Nelson mail
http://www.stuff.co.nz/nelsonmail/4746807a27875.html
http://www.stuff.co.nz/nelsonmail/blogs/artofnelson/2008/10/26/just-the-music/

See photos from the night at our sponsorship partner's blog
http://netmaestro.co.nz/blog/mid/103/full/blog/28/the-sitting-room--sellout.aspx

The Sitting Room

Labels: grant smithies, jens hansen, the sitting room

Saturday, November 1, 2008


Jens Hansen 40th Anniversary Collection Released

The Jens Hansen 40th Anniversary Collection is being released today, to mark the Nelson jeweller's 40 years of Scandinavian-inspired design.

The anniversary collection is made up of classic experimental Jens pieces with the constant undercurrent of Danish architectural simplicity. They are outstanding designs that have both endured the decades, and defy fashion.

Each collection piece will be made-to-order using Jens' original goldsmithing techniques. Each piece will also come with a replica of its original workshop production card, and will bear a special edition hallmark, authenticating it as a 40th anniversary collectable.

The exclusive collection is available for viewing at our Selwyn Place workshop in Nelson, or on our website. 40th Anniversary Collection

Anniversary Background

Jens Hansen, his wife Gurli and son Halfdan moved from Auckland to Nelson in August 1968 and opened their first workshop in November the same year. Son Thorkild was born the following year.

Word of Jens' unique style soon spread. He was gregarious and outspoken and people loved his edgy, experimental work. As his works' popularity increased, both locally and nationally, the workshop was moved to Hardy St, where Jens started to take on apprentices in the traditional goldsmith manner. The jewellers had moved to the current Selwyn Place/Trafalgar Square workshop in Nelson by 1971.

Over the past four decades, Jens Hansen Contemporary Gold & Silversmith has become recognised the world over for classically designed jewellery with true spirit and timeless style, with works celebrated in the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa's permanent collection and in literature showcasing New Zealand art and design.

Jens' legacy includes his reputation as one of the founders of New Zealand contemporary jewelley design and his celebrity as the designer of the Lord of the Rings One Ring. He received a Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council travel grant to work at the Goldsmiths High School, Copenhagen in 1975, was the founding member of Details - the Jewellers, Bone and Stone Carvers of New Zealand, and helped establish Nelson Polytechnic jewellery classes. He passed away in 1999 leaving Thorkild Hansen as the Chief Jeweller.

Today, under the management of Jens' son Halfdan Hansen, Jens Hansen Contemporary Gold & Silversmith continues to offer a beautiful range of diamonds and gems set in contemporary and classic gold, silver and platinum rings, necklaces, brooches, cufflinks, earrings and bracelets.

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Juliette Fox, designer for Jens Hansen Gold & Silversmith, is one of 15 contemporary jewellers showing at this year's Klustre exhibition.

Showcasing new work from the Nelson region's contemporary jewellers, the exhibition runs from October 22nd to November 18th 2008 at the Reflections Art Gallery at the World of WearableArt & Classic Cars in Nelson.

Labels: jens hansen, juliette fox, klustre 2008

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