Oronegro Jewellery Studio

Oronegro Jewellery Studio is a family-run pounamu carving studio on Karangahape Road in central Auckland, where every piece is handcrafted on-site from Ngāi Tahu-certified pounamu sourced from the West Coast. The studio works as tauiwi craftspeople entrusted with Ngāi Tahu stone, and aims to carve taonga following the traditional protocols of Māori whakairo.

The studio is led by Ernesto Ovalle, a third-generation jeweller from Colombia who moved to Aotearoa in 1999. He began carving pounamu in 2001 under the mentorship of carver Chaz Doherty, and went on to study carving at Tai Poutini Polytechnic in Greymouth and Māori traditional methods of working pounamu at Elam School of Fine Arts. Today he works alongside his son and daughter, carrying the family’s craft into its fourth generation.

The range covers traditional forms including hei toki, hei matau, koru, pikorua, porowhita, roimata, manaia and kōuma (breastplates), along with patu and bracelets. Oronegro also offers custom carvings, pounamu restoration, cord replacement and corporate gifts.

Parking on Karangahape Road can be limited, so it is worth calling ahead, as the studio can help arrange parking for your visit.