Getting to Know Jewellery Designer Nina Gordon

Nina Gordon’s journey into jewellery design is one of instinct, persistence, and creative grit. From her early days learning silversmithing alongside her mum in a small New Zealand town, to crafting pieces for major film productions, and eventually launching her own brand, Nina has always approached her work with both hands — literally and metaphorically — in the making. In this conversation, we uncover the origins of her practice, the evolution of her namesake brand, and why trusting your intuition might just be the most valuable tool in business and design alike.

Let’s start at the beginning. Where did you grow up, what did you study (if at all) and what path — both professional and personal — brought you to where you are today?

Oh wow, where do I begin. I love looking back on this journey—I don’t do it enough. The business is new to so many, and I love that, but underneath, it’s been a few years in the making.

I grew up in a small town in New Zealand’s South Island. Like many small Australian towns, education was very formal and wasn’t my strongest point. I knew early on that I wanted to do something unlisted, different, and creative. I’d always been taught that way with both my parents, who are very hands-on—Dad, a mechanic and classic car builder; Mum, an eye for design, landscape design, and a jewellery aficionado.

At 16, I discovered a night class at a local Polytech (TAFE)—a course in silversmithing. The town was known for wearable arts, and these courses were branches from those days. They were only a few weeks long, but Mum and I enrolled term after term for over a year. That’s where I learnt most of my basic silversmithing skills—foundations that allowed me to further teach myself. I take it I got my dad’s love for working with metal, and my mum’s eye for jewellery and design.

In my early 20s, these skills got me a position at a metal design firm, known for producing goods for the police and military, and more commercially, for major movies. I got to help craft pieces for The Lord of the Rings and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. This broadened my knowledge and foundation of working with metals, as I took on a key role assisting in electroplating, casting, and general production of metal-made goods. Over time, whenever I found space in the casting moulds, I’d use this to duplicate my own designs into production—and so it all began.

You started your jewellery business in 2015—how has the business changed and evolved during this time?

Business has changed dramatically since 2015. I feel fortunate enough to have started in an era when social media wasn’t a distraction. Design and intuition were solely yours and the catalyst for shaping our business. Although we celebrate what modern-day media has done to transform Nina Gordon, the acceleration in the last few years has definitely made the consumer’s attention harder to keep focused.

In terms of evolution, for me, evolution comes from staying true to our core values — being current follows naturally. We haven’t shied away from our integral part of how it all started, and we’ve embraced where we are at right now. I’m guessing I’m lucky in that sense—I can draw on our past experiences by originally making our jewellery.

We’ve always been heavily driven by sustainability—using certified recycled metals—and by building long-lasting business and brand relationships. When speaking to evolution, keeping focused on what we could control allowed Nina Gordon to evolve naturally, and I think we’ve done that extremely well.

You recently went through a rebrand—what was the catalyst for this change and how have you found navigating it? There must have been a lot of moving parts! What advice would you give for others that decide to rebrand?

The rebrand was so exciting, daunting, but liberating—(the admin side, less so!)—but creatively, it felt like a weight had lifted. I didn’t feel boxed in anymore, even if those limits were only in my head.

Flash Jewellery felt like a past era and didn’t speak to the independent, design-driven background it stemmed from. I felt it had fallen into the space of comparisons against “catalogue” brands, and over time, it didn’t align with the product, the quality we were producing, or the standard of our manufacturing.

Navigating the timing is always a challenge. I wanted to limit customer disconnect and use up all previous branded resources as much as possible. Nothing a good planning session didn’t fix. I already had the visual concepts laid out in my head, so that was taken care of well before launch.

What advice would I give? Again, trust your intuition. Have a good planning session, but don’t overthink it. Know the risks, and limit what you can, but ultimately, at the end of the day, you need to leap at some point.

When designing jewellery for Nina Gordon, where do you begin? What does your customer want you to create for them?

Moodboarding is a huge part of my process; it’s my initial step. From here, I’m either going one of two ways: designing for a collection or designing for a personal archive, which may never see the light of day.

Both processes are initiated by whom I imagine the piece to be designed for. I want the wearer to feel empowered in jewellery. I picture them integrating these pieces into their existing wardrobe or daily life.

The process is the same no matter the size of the piece; however, I do focus on developing themes and specific categories from a business standpoint. Affordability has to be considered as a gateway to more extravagant designs. This can also influence a collection’s design path.

On a personal level, it’s a bit freer and easier, but those designs don’t always make the selection process.

What jewellery do you wear every day?

As you could imagine, I have a large collection, many of which are my daily go-tos. I do wear a lot—often multiples at the same time. This also certainly plays a part in the previous question. I enjoy designs that can be complemented and worn together.

I’m a big fan of hoops—these are like a white T-shirt, a must-have in your wardrobe. Hoops work so well when paired with ear cuffs, a favourite we’ve been designing for season upon season. I also wear a lot of rings. Right now, I’m testing some new 9k solid gold styles, which we hope to launch very soon (once gold prices calm down).

What was the first piece of jewellery you made for yourself?

The one that stands out the most would have to be a sterling silver band. It was thick and textured—I was obsessed with texture in the early years of silversmithing. I drilled tiny holes throughout, hammering and melting the metal until I got the perfect texture. I ended up gifting it to my mum—she wears it all the time. We’ve joked about setting diamonds in all the holes and gifting it back to me. It’s such a unique piece and has aged so well.

I find jewellery holds so many personal stories. What’s a piece of jewellery that you own—from your own brand or someone else’s—that sparks the most interesting memory or time in your life?

I love jewellery for this exact reason—it can transcend generations. I have a solid gold ingot that I wear every day; it never comes off, for fear of misplacing it. It was my Nana’s gold rings, melted down, so it’s incredibly special to me. I have it on a Nina Gordon chain, which I’ve jump-ringed closed—it’s never coming off. It carries so much sentimental value.

What have been the most memorable trends in jewellery you’ve seen over the last ten years? And what do you think will come next?

I’ve loved seeing the rise of sterling silver. For a long time, it’s been greatly undervalued. I guess I have a fondness for it from using it firsthand. It’s such an enduring metal. With gold prices skyrocketing, I foresee silver continuing to gain popularity, especially as it's being used in more creative and interesting ways.

I think we’ll see a resurgence of 2010-era jewellery—long necklaces, multi-style pieces, removable components, adjustable cords and chains. Pieces that let the wearer style them multiple ways, reflecting their own personal style while investing in just one.

How do you describe your personal style, and what would you say influences it the most?

I’d describe my style as relaxed and effortless. A love a great pair of pants, paired with a simple t-shirt layered with jewellery and finished with strong accessories. I like to be unfussy, but slightly put together.

Lately, I’ve been most influenced by Leandra Medine Cohen's Substack—she’s mastered the art of accessorising. It’s a good reminder that even as trends shift, a strong foundation of great quality basics lets you rework and rewear pieces again and again.

What’s next for Nina Gordon?

We have so many exciting moving parts at the moment. We’re thrilled to be partnering with a major retailer in the UK, which we are launching very soon. Our customer base in the UK has been growing ever stronger, thank you to them! This will now allow them to get up and personal with Nina Gordon. 

We’re set to launch our FW25 collection this June — and I think it might be my favourite yet. The vision centres on functional refinement: how pieces sit on the body, balancing everyday basics with bold statements. Each collection takes over nine months to bring to life, so I can’t wait to see how it’s received.

Personally and professionally, I’m focusing on revisiting where it all started, almost a full-circle moment. I’ve had the urge to design more instinctive pieces and explore tactility in the design process, keeping that genuine approach and embracing the unknown.