Situated in the quaint country town of Strathalbyn, South Australia, Maurice and Sonya Lorenz are the powerhouses behind Metal and Stone Jewellers. Running a successful family business with over a century of combined experience. Metal and Stone Jewellers use the unique stories of clients to weave jewellery into masterful designs with intricate delicacy. With a background in opal, they have birthed a love for coloured stones which are “front and center” of their day to day manufacture.

Maurice and Sonya Lorenz – A Union of Experience and Education

Metal and Stone have a wonderful array of experience, interests and skills which have come together perfectly to cover all types of client scenarios.

Maurice, born in Adelaide commenced his apprenticeship in 1981 under his father, one of the founding members of the Goldsmith’s Guild of South Australia. Following this, he travelled to Antwerp and worked with World Renown Diamond Setter Alexandre Sidorov, developing his skills in European stone setting. He uses these techniques today to bring the best quality to his pieces for clients to appreciate and enjoy.

Sonya’s journey into the gem and jewellery world began in Cooper Pedy when commencing married life with Maurice. Here, she discovered her passion for coloured stones, and all things jewellery. With her heart hailing towards fossicking and gem hunting, she pursued her Education with the Gemmological Institute of America and is now a Certified Jewellery Professional. Additionally, She is also furthering her education and knowledge through the Gemmological Diploma of the GAA.

Conscientiousness, Amiability and Integrity – Qualities of the Maker

Residing in the country, “there is a real sense of community and mateship” between clients and jeweller. As such, it is highly important the Metal and Stone works with a whole variety of qualities to ensure the best support for all clients. “Whenever we are designing and making, our primary intention is to ensure our client is receiving something that not only satisfies the brief but exceeds their expectations”. Additionally, being conscientious at every stage, ensuring that the client is kept in the loop with all steps of the design and making journey, alongside the final presentation of the piece. It is simply one part of what Sonya and Maurice do in order to make sure “the clients feel like they are in good hands”.

Furthermore, the importance of communication is never underestimated with Metal and Stone, whether it be with clients, or suppliers. “I think with clients a lot of ‘decoding’ needs to happen to determine what they are wanting. Good communication and rapport is essential with suppliers.” Sonya recalls almost 15 years ago how it felt like a “baptism of fire” as she knew little about jewellery, and she’s thankful to everyone along her journey for being so patient and willing to impart knowledge and experience.

Patience and Experience – The Jewellery Making Process

Metal and Stone works diligently with every single client to create a memorable piece on every occasion. “All pieces require you to draw on different skills in your ‘toolbox’”. Furthermore, with individually catered pieces, Maurice and Sonya go above and beyond “creating new techniques to achieve the desired effect”. Not only do they “combine skills gained” over years of experience, but also “create new skills”.

One of the techniques Maurice likes to use is texturing. “Skilled texturing of areas of the surface of the metal introduces an exciting dynamic to a piece of jewellery”. Maurice uses his own style of texturing, which he admits is “unique to each craftsperson”, to create a truly individual piece. “Another technique is the use of contrast by utilising a combination of different coloured metals to give another layer of style to a piece.” All of which is used to allow their pieces to transcend the normal realms of beauty.

With all of these unique techniques, and highly refined skills – it is impossible to highlight Maurice’s most compelling design. “There have been many since I started in 1981, and each piece is special; telling the wearer’s story.” Martin’s unique experience learning with Alexander Sidorov in Belgium also helps him go beyond what he thought was originally possible.

“I have used the setting skills I have acquired in Europe to ensure the quality of setting and finishing of every piece we manufacture here at Metal and Stone is of the highest standard and can be enjoyed and appreciated for decades to come.”

Powering Through the Modern Challenge

The modern landscape has provided a magnitude of challenges to the modern jeweller, business, and client alike. “Some of the challenges we now face in the industry are the budget constraints of some customers given the rise in cost of living. However, we have always found a way of providing the customer with a beautiful piece of jewellery by sourcing more affordable stones and choice of metals without compromising on the quality of the finished piece”.

Another aspect that is always challenging, is technology. Effective marketing being a rising adversity within the industry. “Keeping up-to-date with the latest platforms and algorithms is time consuming. Coming up constantly with fresh and engaging content is a full-time job in itself.” To handle this challenge, Metal and Stone have decided to focus on primarily a few platforms as opposed to trying to do everything. This allows the distribution of information informatively, whilst being engaging and effective to old and new client bases alike.

The important part of tackling any challenge is to “Always be a learner. The greatest masters were the greatest learners! Learn also how to pace yourself in everything you do. Our greatest inspiration is Maurice’s father, Manfred, who was a full time Goldsmith for 67 years! He constantly reminds us to nurture the inner-child and to remain curious and explore new ideas.”

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A Message to Future Jewellers

Maintaining a healthy relationship with yourself and your work is a vitally important part of maintaining a career in any field. Especially so in order to refresh the creative juices of being a jeweller. Maurice was asked about some of his passions, are ways he finds to stay creative through all his pieces. His response was such:

“There are many activities that I am passionate about and love to do outside of Jewellery design and manufacture. These include outdoor activities like camping, snorkeling, boating, fishing and fossicking for gems. I also enjoy asian cooking, playing guitar, aerial photography and fixing things! I believe that a balanced and fulfilling life is important and all activities outside of work contribute to one’s wellbeing and can also help get the creative juices going!”

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Published By
Chathula L. Kiripitige FGAA. GIA AJP