ENIS KENWARD, who says he is 40 years old—plus several hundred months if pushed—is the man behind the Great New Zealand Paua Company, crafting jewellery from Bluff paua and Mississippi River mussel shell.
   Kenward’s jewellery is hand-crafted, using techniques that expose the shine of the shells. He uses each part of the shell creatively, crafting patterns from crosses to silhouettes that appear almost alien. While the insides are polished to a natural green and blue sheen, the rough bottoms are polished also to a gorgeously smooth finish. The resulting pieces have a great deal of character, with Kenward retaining the shells’ mutations in some cases.
   Having worked with the cast and crew of King Kong, he’s thinking of getting them interested in his work. But it wouldn’t be the first time Kenward’s work has been in the hands of celebrity. Twenty years ago, Frank Sinatra received an award that featured a brass plate made by Kenward, during his time in California and British Columbia. He doesn’t even mention this until our second interview.
   Kenward is a designer and entrepreneur who, for years has been wowing his customers abroad, without shouting about it. In North America, his hand-made brass bed was exhibited from his living room-turned-showroom, and attracted customers willing to part with a not unsubstantial sum. His brass work has included staircases and glass racks at establishments in and around Palm Springs, Calif., always made painstakingly by hand.
   On returning to his native New Zealand, Kenward continued his bed designs before hip surgery forced him to look for other avenues for his creativity. Deluxe sheepskin rugs and aluminum jewellery—polished to a mirror finish—followed before he embarked on his adventure with paua. He even brought along to our meeting several lengthy coloured pieces in a deep blue and green, which had a natural shape, but we weren’t sure. ‘Guess what it is,’ he prompted. When we gave up, he revealed, ‘It’s dyed beef bone.’
   The sheepskin rugs (the Great New Zealand Sheepskin Company) are perhaps better known to his international buyers in the US and UK than locally. Working from his home in Wellington, it’s probably a surprise for his neighbours to know that the rugs have appeared in Playboy. His press clippings have been saved but not in scrapbooks—he has a collection of them in his home, sometimes folded into quarters in his wallet along with photographs of his work over the years.
   However, some might know that his home is base to more than a thriving business in rugs and clothing. The Great New Zealand Paua Company, run in the same premises, consists of Kenward, who works outside each day. Natural sunlight helps him work on each piece, and he has created everything from key rings to earrings, and some stunning necklaces. There is a collection of 3M wheels he uses for the polishing, and in a true entrepreneur’s fashion he sees to some of the marketing and packaging himself. His web site has been his main retail outlet, though he is exploring more traditional forms of selling for 2005.
   He is often guided to create each piece depending on the paua shell, but many have a Kenward trademark. On some of the edges, Kenward polishes the surface to reveal the growth rings within the shell. It is completely natural and adds another dimension to his pieces.
   He knows of no one else who uses the technique. How he accomplishes the look remains a secret. The paua’s breathing holes are often left as part of the effect; sometimes he drills through them for consistency or size, and sometimes he doesn’t.
   One thing that strikes anyone who meets Kenward is his calmness. It is unsurprising: he is not after fame, but simply a chance to create and share his love of the work with others. Which may be why the work is pure: not only do the items physically feel substantial, they feel complete spiritually, too. •

See this story with other visuals of Denis Kenward’s jewellery in the April 2005 print edition of Lucire, out in Auckland on April 6 and other parts of New Zealand soon after. To make sure you don’t miss out, click on the image at right to subscribe or buy a single copy. (Click 'Yes' if pop-up boxes appear—you're being switched to our secure server and it is completely safe.)

Visit the Great New Zealand Paua Company

On some of the edges, Kenward polishes the surface to reveal the growth rings within the shell. It is completely natural and adds another dimension to his pieces