Ernesto Ovalle is originally from Bogota, Colombia. He moved to New Zealand in the late 90’s and found it quite an ‘environmental shock’ for someone who grew up in the concrete jungle of Bogota. Ernesto comes from a family of Jewellers and Watch Makers. His grandfather and uncles were all jewellers and the knowledge, experience and expertise of working with different metals has been passed to Ernesto.

Ernesto added to his family training with a Master of Fine Arts in Bogota and he has also studied alongside Peter Minturn in New Zealand. Ernesto works with New Zealand sourced pounamu (greenstone) which comes from the West Coast of the South Island. With each piece he makes, Ernesto strives to honour traditional Maori carving methods and iwi (tribe) values. All carvings are unique and finishes are 100% handcrafted. He offers a range of contemporary Silver works and Pounamu works specialising in Toki, Koru and Hei Matau.