Master Jeweller Chris Hood
Passionately Tasmania, master jeweller Chris Hood founded Metal Urges Fine Jewellery & Diamonds in Hobart. Starting as a modest one-person operation more than twenty years ago, Metal Urges has blossomed into Tasmania’s premier fine jewellery design business, leading the industry with unparalleled craftsmanship and dedication
Chris Hood, son of Tasmanian winemakers Andrew and Jenny Hood, is a self declared fiercely Tasmanian islander. From his earliest years, Chris was immersed in creativity, skillfully working with tools and showing an entrepreneurial spirit by starting a gardening business at just eight years old. In 1990, the Hood family relocated to Tasmania to expand their winemaking venture, Hood Wines, into a flourishing business.
With roots deeply entrenched in Hobart through his grandparents, who were lifelong Hobartians, Chris and his family quickly settled into what was already a familiar and beautiful city. The booming wine industry, highlighted by the resounding success of Hood Wines, provided Chris with early and invaluable insights into the intricacies of running a successful small enterprise, from startup to operation and management.
During his teenage years at The Hutchins School in Sandy Bay, Hobart, Chris’s passion for craftsmanship was ignited in the school workshops. A pivotal short course in jewellery design not only honed his skills but also set him on a path of relentless pursuit in the craft. Jewellery design offered Chris the ideal blend of creativity, craftsmanship, problem-solving, and appreciation for natural beauty — elements that resonated deeply with his passions.
Chris is committed to fostering personal connections with his clients, attentively understanding their needs and involving them in the creation process. This customer service style ensures a meaningful experience for each client, further enriched by the collaborative environment of Metal Urges. The proximity of design and workshop spaces facilitates open communication and allows clients to engage with the creation of their jewellery pieces. Over the last two decades, Metal Urges has evolved, with a dedicated team of over ten jewellery enthusiasts bringing more than a hundred years of combined experience to the table, testament to Chris Hood’s enduring passion and the collective commitment to excellence in fine jewellery design.
our expertise
Metal Urges specialises in the manufacture of diamond engagement rings.
Metal Urges produces all kinds of fine handmade jewellery, but specialises in the manufacture of platinum and 18ct gold diamond engagement rings. Our diamonds are sourced globally from a number of high quality diamond wholesale and diamond cutting connections. Chris goes to great lengths to offer only the most beautiful diamonds and spends much of his time sorting carefully through parcels to select GIA certified diamonds of Excellent Cut, Excellent Polish and Excellent Symmetry. Metal Urges offer the largest range of finely cut white diamonds in Hobart and Tasmania.
Chris travels several times a year in search of the unique, high quality gems for which Metal Urges is renowned.
“Gems are a predominantly visual event you cannot buy gems from a photo, you need to see and handle them. A stone has to communicate with you – you need to fall in love with it. All our gems have that extra something special.”
Chris Hood