The Science (and Art) of Jewellery
Amelia Pascoe – Class of 1984
Daughter of Linda Pascoe (née Lyttle), class of 1957 and teacher in the junior school 1988-2010
Amelia grew up in a family that was intelligent to science, nature and the outdoors. They often spent holidays in the family’s old railway hut in Arthur’s Pass, hiking the mountains, steep gorges and rivers.
She started Rangi Ruru in 1984. After receiving a C+ for her efforts from her art teacher, she figured that she didn’t have artistic talent and focused on the sciences. She went on to study at university, completing a Master of Science in Zoology in 1995.
After travelling overseas, Amelia returned to New Zealand and spent the next 20 years working in conservation and biosecurity for regional council, Department of Conservation and the Ministry of Primary Industries.
Working in this field of pest management, took her back into the wilderness that Amelia so enjoyed when she was growing up. But there was also a creative itch that needed to be scratched. After completing her master’s she started attending life drawing glasses and creative night classes. In the late 1990s she took a night class in jewellery and loved it.
In 2000, Amelia moved to Wellington for work and took the opportunity to assist a friend and jewellery artist who was having trouble with her hands. Amelia was taught to make components of pieces that the artist had conceived. She learnt a lot from this generous teacher and the experience only inspired her to want to do more. In 2010, Amelia, feeling like she was stuck in a rut, took the courageous decision to leave her job for a year and undertake a one-year diploma in contemporary jewellery. She loved it so much, she resigned from her job to finish her degree. Amelia says that although it was a risky decision, it was the best thing she did, because it changed her life.
Over the next eight years Amelia’s creative journey encompassed further study, exhibition, mentorship from internationally renowned artists, and travel to Italy, Germany and the Netherlands. All this as a third former, would have seemed unattainable.
Amelia now balances her work as a Principal Advisor for the Ministry for Primary Industries, with an established practice as an artist. Her works are held in Te Papa, the Dowse Art Museum, and private collections. Her science background strongly informs her work:
“The inter-relationships—connections and tensions—between science and art have been an ongoing source of inspiration,” she says.
“Not just the disciplines, their immediate concerns and broader contexts, but also how together they affect the way I think about and operate in the world. My studies in contemporary jewellery have provided an additional lens through which to explore and frame these interests. A lens which promotes reflection, refraction, inflection and results in outputs that stray towards the edges.”
To this day Amelia’s school third form art report is still proudly displayed next to her Bachelor of Fine Arts First Class Honours, a souvenir or reminder, of what’s possible if you follow your dreams.
What is your favourite memory of School?
“Friends. I remember that at lunch time we would squeeze orange juice on our legs and then sit outside with our legs up the wall in the hope that it would improve our suntans. I also have a strong memory of having to dissect snails in science class. I loved animals, refusing even to squash flies. It was extremely confronting to have to kill them by putting them in boiling water first. I never would have believed that later in life while working to protect New Zealand’s native plants and animals, I would be doing so much pest control work, dispatching possums, ferrets and feral cats, and sifting through their stomachs to check what they were eating.”
This year has seen the introduction of the Rangi Ruru Founder’s Medal for outstanding alumna. You have been tasked with designing a medal for the recipient to be awarded at the ceremony and also a pin which can be worn discretely by recipients, whenever they choose, as an art piece that is connected to Rangi Ruru. Could you tell us how you developed these?
The front of the medal is based on the wooden plaque carved in 1963. The word ‘Behold’ on the back, celebrates the achievements of the recipient and their demonstration of the four Rangi pillars – Be you, Be your best, Belong, and Be the change. The intention is that in future years the blue/gold ribbon could be hand-woven by current students.
Much of my work is inspired by the wonder and allure of our universe. The blackened, brass pin is a visual reference to Rangi Ruru’s name, Wide Sky Shelter. The five pierced stars echo the values at the heart of Rangi Ruru, their arrangement mirroring the Southern Cross as it appears on the Atawhai screen. A single central pin allows the brooch to rotate freely, reflecting the ever-changing night sky across the seasons. As it turns, glimpses of the wearer’s clothing beneath speak to the many facets of the individual being celebrated.
Words of advice for current students?
Follow your interests because it’s amazing how things can come together in quite unexpected ways.
Take a look at more of Amelia’s work at ameliapascoe.co.nz
Words by Charlotte Gray
RROGA Committee Member
This article appeared in the Winter 2026 issue of the Rangi Ruru school magazine, Wide Sky. Read the full magazine here.