Hannah Sheehan, based in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, approaches contemporary jewellery with her experience as a jade carver. Daughter of carver John Sheehan, Hannah grew up in his Rotorua workshop and learnt to work with stone alongside her siblings.
Her jewellery making began at the age of 16, spurred on by a desire to create contemporary jewellery that realised the potential of pounamu and other jades. Hannah is preoccupied with angular and irregular geometric shapes, finding her edges and clean asymmetrical lines within the stone.
As a largely self taught jeweller, Hannah revels in the unpredictability of working with a natural material. Her skill as a carver gives her practice a flexibility, allowing her to improvise and respond to each unique piece of jade.