Studio 66 Jewellery is the work of designer Helena Andersson, based in Gisborne, New Zealand. Helena creates unique, individually made pieces in small editions, working in precious and semi-precious metals combined with natural materials such as pearls, shells, feathers, wood, bone, and precious, semi-precious and beach stones.
Helena studied at the University of Design and Art in Stockholm, graduating with an MFA in Metal Design in 2000, before migrating to New Zealand. She worked with Auckland stone sculptor John Edgar for two years and taught jewellery design at Hungry Creek Art and Craft School, before moving to Gisborne in 2004 and starting Studio 66 Jewellery that November. Her designs draw on shapes and forms from the 1950s and 60s, the minimalist Swedish surroundings of her upbringing, and her life in New Zealand.
Because most pieces are one-offs, the online shop is limited, and Helena encourages customers to get in touch directly if a piece they like has sold, offering to make a similar piece to order. She also still teaches, holding weekend jewellery classes in Gisborne.
In Gisborne, New Zealand, Studio 66 Jewellery is the work of one designer, Helena Andersson, who has been making individually crafted jewellery since founding the studio in November 2004.
Helena's path to jewellery design started at the University of Design and Art in Stockholm, where she graduated with an MFA in Metal Design in 2000. Shortly after, she migrated to New Zealand, settling first in Auckland where she spent two years working with stone sculptor John Edgar. She went on to teach jewellery design at Hungry Creek Art and Craft School before relocating to Gisborne in 2004, where Studio 66 Jewellery was born that November.
Helena's work combines precious and semi-precious metals with natural materials — pearls, shells, feathers, wood, bone, and precious, semi-precious and beach stones. That mix of refined metalwork and raw, natural elements gives each piece a distinct character, and Helena's stated aim is for every wearer to feel unique and special in a piece that's genuinely their own.
Helena describes her inspiration as coming mainly from shapes and forms of the 1950s and 60s, filtered through the minimalist surroundings she grew up with in Sweden and the New Zealand lifestyle she's lived for the past 20 years. That blend of Scandinavian restraint and New Zealand influence runs through the studio's design language.
Because almost every piece Helena makes is a one-off, the Studio 66 online shop is intentionally limited. Rather than treating this as a drawback, Helena invites customers to get in touch directly if they spot a piece on the Home or About pages that has already sold — she can often make a similar piece to order, even if it won't be an exact duplicate. Customers are encouraged to follow her on Instagram to see her latest and custom-made pieces as they're finished.
Alongside making jewellery, Helena continues to teach, holding weekend jewellery classes in Gisborne for anyone wanting to learn the craft themselves. It's a natural extension of a career that's spanned design school, sculpture, and teaching long before Studio 66 existed.
For anyone interested in a piece, a commission, or a class, Helena can be reached directly by email, phone, Instagram or Facebook. Given how personal and individually made each piece is, a direct conversation is really the way into Studio 66's world — the studio's limited shop is just a starting point for what Helena can create.