Chloe Grey was working in retail when she read of a New Zealand jeweller who lived and worked in New York. It hadn’t occurred to her that such a life was possible, and that she could make it happen right here. Her creative ambitions were kicked into action.

Chloe enrolled in a course at Hungry Creek Art & Craft School in Auckland and went on to complete a three-year Diploma in Jewellery, which included design and manufacturing.

Two children later, she was making jewellery “on the side” when the family moved to Tauranga. Their new property had a garage which served as a studio, enabling Chloe to produce enough work to set up shop at Our Place, the former container village in Tauranga CBD.

Her designs, worked largely in silver, echo Chloe’s love of art deco and antique jewellery. She is also mindful of sustainability when choosing her materials: “I don’t use diamonds; that’s an ethical choice. I do source turquoise directly from a miner in the States who mines his own plot.”

An interest in clay emerged two years ago, but was impeded by Covid and local workshops being booked out. When finally she handled clay, Chloe was hooked. She explains that working with metals requires force and hardness, whereas clay is the opposite. “It’s soft and delicate and I couldn’t love it more if I tried. And when you make a mistake with clay, you just smoosh it over, do it again.” 

Chloe dived headlong into wheel-thrown pottery. “I became obsessive, throwing clay every day. I couldn’t stop.” Jewellery has, for now, taken second place. 

Earlier this year, Chloe renovated her small studio (just 18sqm) to cater for both jewellery and clay workshops, which are proving very popular. “I love teaching,” she says. “People are excited, they bring ideas and energy, they’re like sponges.”

There aren’t really days off in a typical week,  which suits Chloe. “I love this work and am grateful I can do it every day. You have to do what you love, otherwise what’s the point?”

At The Little Big Markets, she likes people to touch and feel her work. Her ceramic pieces are beautiful and functional, made to be used — tumblers with botanical designs, orb-like Moon Vases and lovely planters.

“I’ve only scratched the surface of the possibilities in this medium,” she says. “I’ve so many ideas to explore.”