Alex and Team are master artists in stone,bone and wood.Their integrity with materials and form are second to none. I would recommend them to anyone and can vouch for their honesty and love for their work.Much of the market is full of generic copies ,I can promise you that these people truely put some of themselves into their creations.A very big ask in these days of mass production.I treasure several bespoke pieces they have created for me using supplied material that has personal provenance .If you want quality try these guys if you don’t try the others!

We have worked with this studio a couple of times now and all of the staff have been thoughtful, helpful, and responsive. They worked hard to accommodate our requests and offered their expertise. Both pieces that we have from them are beautiful - well crafted and high quality. This studio will definitely be our go to for any future pounamu.

I ordered this Hei Matau from Sands on Saturday afternoon and it arrived in Australia on tuesday morning - the pictures did not do this carving justice at all, this has far exceeded my expectations. So grateful for this, thank you

Alex and his team have generously donated stunning pieces to both our Kura kaupapa and in the past our Kohanga reo. These pieces were stunning and we could not fault the craftsmanship at all. The pounamu a stunning colour and quality and the whanau who purchased these items through auction were amazed by them. Highly recommend the Sands carving studio and their beautiful taonga.

I'd been looking for a pounamu pendant for a while but not found anything that felt right. I spoke to Malcolm at Sands and we went through what I was looking for and the story behind it then discussed the different designs and types of pounamu and the significance/meaning behind them to come up with the final design. The first piece they made wasn't quite what I was wanting, but they were happy to start from scratch on a new piece which ended up being spot on. Would highly recommend - they took the time to listen and get the final product just right.

Absolutely love my precious pounamu. Was a gift and I felt very torn to part with it for the day but Sands communicated well and made me feel at ease. Absolutely stunned at the beautiful rethreading that has been done. Beyond happy.

Had great service from Alex and the team. Polite, helpful and quick turn around on a necklace we wanted to gift our daughter for her 10th Bday. Thanks so much! highly recommend!

Enjoyed a visit to Sands Carving Studio. Saw many exquisite pieces of carving and picked up a jewelry at a very reasonable price. The staff were very helpful and cordial. Well done Alex Sands.

The whānau of Sands Carving Studio are wonderful. They made sure to take good care of my pounamu, and rebound it beautifully. They have a wide variety and range of exquisite taonga, and I look forward to visiting again in the future.

I’ve had the privilege of working with Alex a few months ago. I asked him to make a custom piece for my son’s graduation after he completed his masters in Maori and indigenous development. I had a piece of precious Pounamu stone that was handed down to me. I described to Alex what I wanted. He completed it perfectly as I described and I couldn’t have been happier with the result. Throughout this mahi I found out that my whanau was working for Alex. Alex allowed him to make numerous Roimata earrings from the leftovers - they were gifted to whanau and he also made small necklaces from the tiny scraps - they were gifted to the indigenous Inu people in Japan when our Marae visited them. My whanau are forever grateful for this whanau taonga tuku iho (heirloom) that we are able to pass down to future generations. I highly recommend Sands Carving Studio. Alex and his team are excellent to work with and very creative. Ngaa mihi nui Muffy Sheedy me ngaa whanau

Awesome experience, Alex and the girls were so helpful, a visit with my brother ended up with the purchase of two fabulous 21st presents and a return trip on Monday to purchase more. Alex took time out from his Mahi to share some of his knowledge and workmanship with me, I was so impressed with the Mana of both Alex and his studio I expressed interest in a position to work alongside such skilled carvers.. Thanks again and I will be back Phil priest

Thank you for your support in sponsoring the Hamilton Girls High School Development Rugby 15's taonga for their prize giving. You guys are doing amazing things for our kids and our community. This is very much appreciated.

Awesome to see all the support you gave hamilton girls high rugby team! Will definitely be supporting your business in the future ❤️❤️

Absolutely beautiful people ❤️, thank you for your community spirit in supporting HGHS rugby team. Such amazing pieces of art

What absoulte Legends!!! These guys without a second thought jumped on board to tautoko the achievements of our young wahine who play rugby for Hamilton Girls High School. Supplying beautiful taonga to highlight the commitment, dedication, progression and excellence. Thank you for supporting out girls!! Forever grateful.

Thank you so much for supporting our HGHS development XV Team Prizegiving, it is truly appreciated. Your work is amazing and can't wait to see the beautiful peices you have done for our team. Nga Mihi!!

Thank you for your support to our local HGHS rugby team, not only is their carvings amazing their generosity is second to none!! Keep up the great work team

Passion and highly honed skills drive Alex and the team at Sands Carving Studio. Traditional and innovative art forms are available at the studio, all created from top quality pounamu, onewa, wood and whalebone. Modern treasure! Peter Cave, Raglan