Our story

Named for the moon

Lua is the Portuguese word for moon — for soft light, for quiet storytelling, for the kind of beauty that doesn't need to announce itself.

It started at a workbench

LUA began in 2018, in Tauranga, with a simple conviction: jewellery should mean something. Not a logo, not a trend — a story. The necklace you wore the day everything changed. The gift that said what words couldn't.

Seven years and more than five thousand handcrafted pieces later, that conviction hasn't moved an inch. Everything we make is still shaped by hand at the bench in our Tauranga studio, blending traditional artisan techniques with modern design. We work slowly, in small numbers, and we don't make the same piece twice. When a necklace finds you, it's yours alone.

We'll be honest about what we are: a small Tauranga studio. Every piece is made by hand, one at a time, never in a run — so there's no warehouse behind us, and no second chance once a design is gone.

Druzy pendant necklace with honey agate beads on a warm cream background, handmade in Tauranga
Druzy Pendant & Honey Agate Beads

Jewellery should mean something. Not a logo, not a trend — a story.

Made with intention

Materials we can stand behind

Beauty shouldn't cost the earth — literally. We choose every material with the same care we give the making:

  • Recycled gold & silver

    Ethically sourced precious metals given a second life, without new mining.

  • Conflict-free gemstones

    Natural stones with their own colour, character, and quiet imperfections. We think of them as fingerprints.

  • Sustainable freshwater pearls

    Responsibly farmed, with the moonlit lustre our name was made for.

At the bench

Slow, by design

  • Shaped by hand

    Every piece is formed at the bench, not on a production line — traditional artisan techniques meeting modern design.

  • Small numbers, never twice

    We work in small batches and never repeat a design. Each piece is one of one — the moment it leaves the bench, it's the only one in the world. Why one of one matters →

  • Finished with care

    A piece isn't done when it's assembled; it's done when it's ready to be worn for a lifetime — and then passed on, with its stories attached.

The scarf necklace

Our signature. Part jewellery, part textile, entirely a conversation starter — a category we shaped ourselves because nobody else was making it. If you've never worn one, start there. If you have, you already know.

Explore scarf necklaces
Bohemian blue scarf necklace draped on a warm cream background, handmade in Tauranga
Bohemian Blue Scarf Necklace

Each piece tells a story — designed to transcend trends.

Vintage-Style Long Glass Bead Necklace — handcrafted by LUA Jewellery
Vintage-Style Long Glass Bead Necklace

Designed to transcend trends

We don't chase seasons. A LUA piece is designed to be worn for a lifetime — and then passed on, with its stories attached. That's the quiet promise behind everything that leaves our studio: made slowly, made honestly, made to last.

From our hands in Tauranga to wherever your story takes you — thank you for wearing it with us.

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