About Us - Workspace Tools
Welcome to Workspace Tools - a store that's born of working closely with our students since 2005!
Workspace Studios is a welcoming, supportive and vibrant place to study, work and create - and now also a place you can also source your tools and supplies.
Our focus is on sourcing and providing easy-to-use, helpful tools for beginner & intermediate-level makers.
We understand just how overwhelming it can be when you're trying to choose what tools to buy when you are starting out. Over the years we have been teaching and mentoring up-and-coming makers, we've observed what tools work best, and what is really needed when you are starting your jewellery making journey.
We make sure you can understand what a tool does and how to use it. Search for tools in a few different ways: use the top menu to shop by category, or scroll down to find tools that are used for different activities or in different parts of the workshop.
Many of these tools are the exact same tools we use in our classes, or as close as we can possibly get. That way if you have learned from our studio, you will be familiar with how the tools work and feel. Where possible, we offer a couple of options of quality. Eco tools are great for makers who aren't going to use a tool very often, or who are still testing the waters and working out if they want to invest in this activity. They will work well, but aren't designed for heavy use.
High quality tools are a bit more expensive, but if looked after properly, will last for years - even a lifetime.
If you're a beginner, check out our Beginner's Tools collection. Every tool in this collection is suitable for a beginner.
Jewellery making has been a creative and spiritual practice for us and we believe the artist or craftsperson has a responsibility to pass on mātauranga (knowledge/skill).
We are proud to be female led, inclusive to all people and 100% owned by these two founders, Vaune Mason and Annie Collins.
Workspace was founded in 2004 by Vaune and Annie after they met at Whitireia Polytechnic in Porirua, Wellington, back when the Art department had a dedicated jewellery school.
When they graduated in 2003 they felt they had nowhere to go, no obvious next step, to become practising jewellers.
This gap in the support network led them to start Workspace Studios, a well supplied workshop with space for jewellers and makers to rent benches and make their work with access to the equipment they needed.
Teaching classes was a natural progression from there, first with just Annie and Vaune teaching and now with 12 other tutors across two workshops in Wellington and Christchurch.
We love supporting creatives at whatever stage of their journey they are on, from taking their very first class, through to renting a bench, then maybe teaching classes for us or selling in our beautiful gallery, Mason & Collins.
It is of great importance to us that our workshops are as efficient and environmentally friendly as possible. We keep waste to an absolute minimum. Our silver, copper and gold is at least 80% recycled, in most cases 100%.
Workspace believes in teaching the foundations with a minimum of tools and equipment, so that when students are working on their own they are able to get by without a lot of expense. Additionally we encourage our community of makers to re-purpose and maintain their tools, sharing and showing how second-hand or old tools have great value in a workshop.
The next phase for Workspace is launching some new Online Classes to help reach every corner of Aotearoa and hopefully overseas as well. To support these classes we are constantly improving our tool shop to make sure there are quality options at great prices for those who want to set up at home.