Meet the maker

Hi there, I’m Cristin Waite – jewellery designer-maker based in Ōtepoti-Dunedin, New Zealand, and founder of LUUM Workshop. Kia ora and welcome x

Gemstones blow my mind. Our earth creates these vibrant and carefully structured beauties, they're just phenomenal – somehow both exhilarating and grounding. Growing up with The Antiques Roadshow jewellery segment was total magic, but truth-be-told, traditional gemstone jewellery is way too elegant, too restrictive, and too 'special' somehow for my day-to-day, more laid back style. More about this shortly...

I spent most of my high school years in the art room, got a Bachelor of Arts in Design from The University of Otago, went on to explore fashion and graphic design – then promptly lost my creative nerve in the real world. I built a 15 year career in the advertising industry instead, watching the creative stuff from the sidelines. And then various milestones, losses and clichés howled, "Life is brief, get on with it". So in 2022, I canned the ad career and welcomed LUUM Workshop.

As LUUM Workshop I create understated gemstone jewellery, designed to be thrown on and loved everyday – not just special occasions. Each piece is made by hand using precious and semi-precious gems like emerald, ruby, citrine, sapphire, pearl, opal, garnet – handpicked by myself, using the stones themselves as inspiration.

LUUM is my interpretation of the latin root word ‘lum’, which means light. Think illuminate, luminous etc. The name is inspired by my granny Maureen – warm, perceptive, hardworking – and with a helluva glint in her eye. She really went for the stuff she wanted in her life – even a tattoo at age 85, the minx – and was prepared to take some risks. One of life's true gems.

So all that said, LUUM has a seize-the-day-ish kind of vibe – wear the jewels, wear 'em everyday, do whatever lights you up. Get on with it.

Enjoy. Much love x