The Goldsmith
I've spent my life learning two things: how to listen, and how to craft jewels.
I'm Khay — a trained Goldsmith and Gemologist, and the person behind every Gem Sanctum piece. I've been making jewellery since I was four years old. For eleven years I ran my brick-and-mortar boutique in Auckland's CBD. Every single client came through word of mouth.
When the pandemic closed my doors, I rebuilt the business from the ground up — digital-first, global reach, same obsessive craft. Gem Sanctum is where that story continues.
10,000+
GEMS IN STOCK
600+
Custom Pieces Crafted
15+
Years at the bench
40+
COUNTRIES SHIPPED TO
OUR STORY
Born from a love of rare things
I started making jewellery when I was four. By the time I'd finished my training as an adult — goldsmithing, gemology, business — I knew one thing: the New Zealand market was missing something. Every jeweller on the high street sold the same diamond solitaires in the same white gold settings. Nobody was working with coloured gemstones. Nobody was treating the stone as the protagonist.
In 2009 I opened my boutique studio in Auckland CBD. For eleven years, every client found me through word of mouth — not a dollar spent on advertising. I built a practice around listening first and designing second. Clients with "oddball" tastes — meteorite inlays, parti sapphires, vintage Art Deco reconstructions — finally had someone who said "yes, let's figure it out" instead of steering them toward the catalogue.
When the pandemic closed the boutique, I rebuilt everything. Gem Sanctum is the digital-first evolution: the same obsessive craft, the same empathetic process, but now available to anyone in the world. I work from my Auckland studio with 3D modelling, photorealistic rendering, handcrafting, and a 10,000+ stone inventory to source from. Every ring is still made to order. Every commission still starts with a conversation.
03
Your Story First
I spent years learning how to listen before I spent years learning how to craft stone settings. You're the expert on your story — I'm the expert on the materials to tell it. Whether you're buying from the collection or commissioning something entirely new, the process starts the same way: with what matters to you.
02
Artisan Precision
Every setting, every prong, every engraving is executed by hand in my Auckland studio. I believe in craft that rewards close inspection — the kind of detail only visible to the person wearing the ring. No mass production. No outsourced assembly lines.
01
Rare By Design
I source sapphires, rubies, meteorites, and exceptional gems you won't find at a high-street jeweller. My inventory contains over 10,000 stones — most of them non-standard colors, cuts, and origins. Uniqueness is the starting point, not an afterthought.
How It Works
The Custom Process
01
Consultation
Tell me your vision. I listen first, design second. A one-hour Zoom session — no pressure, no upselling. $97 NZD, fully refundable against your final piece.
02
Gem Selection
I source the perfect stone from my curated inventory of 10,000+ gems, or hunt one specifically for your brief. You'll see photos and video of the exact stone before we proceed.
03
Design & CAD
Photorealistic 3D renders for your approval before a single tool touches metal. Revisions until you're certain — this is your ring, not mine.
04
Handcraft & Ship
Craft, set, finished by hand in Auckland. The whole journey takes approximately 21 days from approval to your door — tracked and insured internationally via DHL Express.
This Land Is Our Most Precious Taonga
Did you know over 80% of the gold we use in our manufacturing is recycled?
We love jewelry and we love our planet. We are constantly working on ways to increase our commitment to sustainability in our work.
The refining processes in New Zealand comply with stringent environmental protection laws and utilize recycled rainwater, and practices that prevent heavy metals or poisons from being released into the local ecosystem.
Gem Sanctum is committed to using locally refined gold, silver and platinum for our environment as well as our ethics.
Our use of locally produced precious metals also gives you peace of mind in ensuring your purchase with us does not contribute to human rights violations associated with precious metal mining in some other nations. New Zealand's progressive labor and health & safety protections are among the best in the world.