Nick Cowley – Owner and Jeweller

The Refinery was put together for a need to offer a way for people to rejuvenate, refurbish, redesign or out-right evolve an idea into reality. The busy lives we lead require an accent of individuality, something that speaks a volume with a subtle note.

Or perhaps you need an extravagant mark of personal ownership? Showing your personality is never easier with a sharp creative one of a kind bespoke creation. For myself, I’ve known what I’ve wanted to do from the realisation that someone has the skill to bring the refinement of jewellery and beauty to life.

It seemed necessary to know and learn how- Designing and creating ideas crafting them into actuality has driven me everyday since I first saw the tools. I went to Rotorua polytechnic as a doorway into design work completing a year in commercial design, and then to visual arts in Waikato Polytechnic and swiftly changing to metalsmithing under an influential teacher and craftsman Johnny Newbery when I stayed for a further 4 years.

That was the foundry that cast my path to this point, several years later, with the need to offer my skills and service to people looking for that extra care and creativity I can provide.