Duncan’s passion and craft as a jeweller springs from his twin interests in scientific curiosity and meditative enquiry. Forms and their elements found in the natural world that are living, growing parts of the whole, help to create a feeling of being deeply rooted in life and life's continual processes. From Duncan’s early studies in geology there is a fascination with erosion; the paring back to the raw, essential structures such as skeleton leaves, smoothed shell fragments, curving and curling wood and stone. Some of these exciting finds make their way directly into the work and others provide inspiration. There is a current delight in the mirroring of forms as fractal shapes that are all around us. A silver beech leaf is the same form as a whole tree. The ripple patterns on a limestone ventifact, picked up in Kaikoura, mirror the soft rippled dune sand it sits upon. The impact of wind and time etched into its surface for all with eyes to see.

Each piece is lovingly handcrafted using silver,copper and semi-precious stones. Scribed, sawn, smoothed, sanded, stamped and soldered. Filed, folded and etched with designs derived from our exquisitely beautiful world. Patterning comes from rolling the metal and imprinting with natural materials such as leaves and bark. The red copper oxide comes from polishing, precise cleaning and heating followed by immersion in water. This process is alchemical, as a black outer layer bubbles off revealing the vibrancy of red hidden underneath. All the elements come into play during these processes; with fire, air, and water singing in the space around.