Oct 15, 2014 02:00
by Rachel Eleanor Sutton
Although our closets cater to a specific amount of space for clothes, bags and shoes, there’s always room for new jewellery! Beautiful jewellery transcends seasons, morphing stylishly into various looks. Good pieces tell a story, and the basis of the plot comes from the inspirations and background of the collection’s designer. It’s about the shapes, materials and craftsmanship, aspects that don’t require revolving around a $uper high-end price tag. Right now, the Aussie accouterment game is attracting eyes and attention from all over the world. Here are a few Australian jewellery designers we can’t stop crazing over.
Quant, lovely and delicate pieces — designed by Tanja Kovacevic — define the mode that makes up the well-crafted jewellery behind Petite Grand. Kovacevic’s pieces are so delicate in construction that only their wearer can truly connect with them, “lending to the idea of secret shared between the piece, and the person who wears it.”
Launched in 2011 by Sarah Gittoes (with a background in design) and Sebastian Grynkofki (with a background in industrial design and goldsmith), the Sydney-based label is instinctively balanced between clean aesthetics and intricate design. The duo strongly adheres to an honest manufacturing process, handmaking every piece, whilst utilizing responsible resources and fine fabrications.
Based on contemporary structures with a wearable authenticity, Holly Ryan’s cool-yet-raw collections are made by hand alongside her team with locally sourced sustainably product materials. The designer’s clean, honest approach to creation is apparent from construction to final pieces, aiming to inspire people by challenging materialistic notions — thus, encouraging investment and appreciation in pieces of quality and timelessness.
Designer Emma Swann was born in ’70s London (jealousy, ensue), resulting in a lifetime exposure to interesting art and the later generation of Recreational. Her intricate, gentle jewellery is created with a mindset to “meet, greet, adorn and create with other inspiration people, all with a signature smile...”
Created in Sydney in 2012, Amber Sceats namesake label is influenced by her creative family (her grandfather founded one of Australia’s most prominent watch companies), art, travel and architecture. With a subtle “rock” approach and a range of styles from heavy to dainty, Sceats is frequently seen on fashion smarts such as Naomi Campbell, Nicole Trunfio and Isabelle Cornish. We particularly love her versatile earpieces!
Born in New Zealand, but now based in Paddington, Kirstin Ash jewellery is whimsical with layers of nostalgia found in her bespoke pendants. Hint, her pieces are customizable and make for great gifts.
Designed by Alex Smyth-Kirk, the brand is a reflection of her infatuation with popular culture, specifically, women of the 1960’s and ’70s. For Alex, the Rock and Roll aesthetic isn’t just learned, it’s inherited — her father founded and edited Australian cult rock music magazine, Drift, in the late ’60s. A love of travel and textile studies also plays a role in the final concept of Vera Xane, captured in the form of architectural experimentation and plays on material combinations.