Meet the designer

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

My story isn't mysterious at all: I grew up watching The Antiques Roadshow and simply fell in love with the jewellery segment. The colours! The beauty! The shocked gasps! I just couldn't fathom how these mad, intense, yet carefully structured beauties came from the earth. 

Growing up however, a lot of commercial gemstone jewellery was too flashy, too 'perfect', and too restrictive for my day-to-day, laid back yet functional style, so I didn't consider jewellery design as a career – it just wasn't my taste.

Fast forward to 2021 and following a 15-year successful, yet pretty unfulfilling career in the ad industry, I welcomed LUUM Workshop. 

I was excited to create understated yet elegant gemstone jewellery, designed to be thrown on and loved everyday – not just special occasions. I make each piece by hand using precious and semi-precious gems like emeralds, rubies, citrine, sapphires, pearls, opals, garnets and lapis lazuli, using the stones themselves as inspiration. 

It's an exhilarating yet grounding process. 

LUUM is my interpretation of the latin root word ‘lum’, which means light. Think to words like illuminate, luminescence, luminary etc. The name is inspired by my granny Maureen – warm, perceptive, and with a helluva glint in her eye. She worked hard and was prepared to take some risks – one of life's true gems.

So all that said, LUUM has a seize-the-day-ish, joyful kind of vibe – wear the jewels and wear 'em everyday. Enjoy. 

Much love x