Seeing the view from Stephanie Lorimer's jeweller's bench, it is hard to see how she gets any work done.
Her workshop is in a converted container tucked into a rise in Ophir exactly 100m from her and husband Peter's home.
It is an ideal setup for the jeweller, as she is able to concentrate on her work when needed then leave it behind when she goes home.
Lorimer, who is known for her ''spaceship'' earrings and rings she makes with Peter out of the Damascus steel he crafts, has always mixed jewellery making with reliever teaching and bringing up their two children.
She always wanted to be a jeweller, as her father was one.
''I was brought up with jewellery. I've always been interested in gems, everything to do with jewellery, really - historical jewellery, cultural jewellery.''
She went back to university when her children were young after discovering how much fun Peter was having studying IT.
''I was like, what am I missing out on? I studied Spanish and art history and went on and did postgrad. I loved it.''
The family moved to Ophir about 10 years ago. They had enjoyed holidays in Central Otago so decided, once they found some land, to move.
They put the container in, cut out one side and put in second-hand windows to capture the amazing views of the Hawduns and lined it. In the early days it was the perfect place to have a cold drink after a day at work and later it became Lorimer's studio. They installed her father's old jeweller's bench, a display cabinet and storage.
She often gets an idea for a piece of jewellery at night, so she comes down to the workshop in the morning to create it.
''It'll be awful. I often have to persevere with a design to get it right and it will work in the end. The spaceship earrings were like that.''
''Like the '70s big blingy cocktail rings the women wore with one single large stone. I'm working on how to set it. I've got one made but it's not up to standard.''
She also enjoys collaborating with her husband on the Damascus steel rings and she has occasionally also made brooches and cufflinks from the steel.
''It was a bit of a learning process but it's good now.''
For a few years Lorimer tried her hand mixing her work with shopkeeping and being postmistress in Omakau.
''It was a bit ambitious. I'd just get into something ...''
Her love of studying and the knowledge gained, as well as her jewellery background, has ultimately led to her latest venture - becoming a qualified valuer and buyer of gems.
For the past few years she has been studying with the Gemology Institute of America.
''I've been studying with them for nearly five years, just working my way through e-learning papers.''
It is not an easy course to get into and there are strict requirements on the equipment needed to do it.
She has set up a small workshop area in a hallway at home where she can do her assignments.
It has required her to travel overseas to do block courses. One was in London with 15 students from around the world where they studied coloured stone identification.
She has been collecting stones for her cocktail ring range.
''Now I can look at them and work out if I've been ripped off.''
Next month she is off to India to study diamond and coloured stone grading.
''I should finish next year. I love it and hopefully it will give me options for being a valuer or buyer.''
The couple are keen to do more travelling, although acknowledge some of the places where gems are found can be problematic to travel to.
''There are a lot of coloured stones in Africa.''
There are also a lot of potential pitfalls.
''There are a lot of treatments for coloured gems. I'd just about guarantee if you buy a sapphire or ruby now, it's been heat-treated to make the colours more intense.''
She has also been warned by buyers that she will make mistakes and get ''ripped off'' many times.
''That's just part of it. I'll be keeping my outlays reasonable to start with.''
In the meantime she has been working on getting the studio ready for possibly opening to the public this summer, so people can see her at work as well as her work.
