All that glitters...

As i've been rapidly expanding my precious collection, i thought i'd do a recap post taking a stroll through some of my designs to date. 

I work predominantly in 18ct yellow or white gold, though i am open to discussing other precious metals. I also mainly work with sapphires and diamonds as they offer both a vast array of colours, from dusty pinks, greens, mauve, blues, yellows, champagnes, brilliant whites etc, as well as giving you the hardness and longevity to sparkle away for an eternity and beyond.

I design both women's and men's pieces and am always open to chatting about custom designs.

If you have a special occasion you'd like to mark with something golden and/or sparkling, drop me an email for a little chat on what i can design for you.

A little bit of twinkle.

A new little twinkling treasure just delivered to Pieces of Eight Gallery.
This 18ct yellow gold ring houses a spray of champagne and white diamonds sprouting amongst a subtly botanical setting.

Black Gold.

A new addition to my collection of precious rings.

Black Gold in an oxidised 18ct yellow gold band is unisex and can be made in any width or thickness.

The oxidising process turns the golden lustre of the band to a dark smokey black. However, over time and with wear, the gold starts to shine it's way back through, a slow subtle reveal. The band has a rough file mark texture which gives the golden surface a soft and subtle tone, earthy and subdued.

A special pair of wedders, for a very special pair.

Fresh off the bench, these 18ct white gold wedding bands are about to find their home on the fingers of a very lovely couple who shall remain nameless until after the wedding. But for now, i have the pleasure of sharing a little snapshot of the rings.

His is a plain 18ct white gold wedder with a rough textured finish, while hers in an 18ct white gold wedder, also with a rough finish and with a scattering of small coloured sapphires in various tonal shades of mauve and dusty green.

More pics to come...

Be-Jewelled.

More images to come...

Diamonds and sapphires and gold, OH MY!

My new collection of engagement and wedding rings marry the clean crisp lines of beautiful princess cut stones with organic soft settings.
Diamonds and sapphires are set into 18ct yellow and white gold, celebrating, not concealing the handmade techniques of stone setting.
Textured and raw, the gold acts as a soft and muted backdrop to the bewitching sparkle of the stones it contains. Hammer marks and scratches remain visible in the metal, giving life and story to each piece.
As though recovered from an archeological dig, these rings echo a sense of mystery and magic.

These rings are now available at e.g.etal. Custom commissions are available.

Image, (from bottom to top):

18ct yellow gold ring with 18 x diamonds
18ct yellow gold ring with solitaire princess cut Champagne diamond
18ct white gold ring with princess cut Parti sapphire & 20 x diamonds
18ct white gold ring with princess cut diamond and 2 x parti sapphires and 10 x diamonds on shoulder
18ct white gold ring with 18 x diamonds

Charmed.

This year will see Melbourne contemporary jewellery, e.g.etal, celebrate it's 15'th birthday.
To celebrate this milestone, e.g.etal has asked it's artist to create bespoke pieces that explore the number 15 in any which way they wish.

I contemplated the idea of time, of milestones, and thought about ways in which we mark special moments in our lives. We take photos, keep journals, throw parties, give gifts, get tattoos... all manner of things.

This idea of markers of time led me to reflect on the humble charm bracelet. They come and go with fashions, but somehow they seem to remain and hold their own as treasured reminders of places, people and events in our lives that we want to keep close.

With this though in mind, i set out to create my own version of the charm bracelet. I had no intention to break any new ground, it's a simple bracelet, it's practical, comfortable and understated. The charms are small and quiet, their forms are abstract yet familiar, free of prescribed ideas and notions of what should be celebrated. Each one is open to interpretation and meaning.

Hand made from silver (bright or oxidised), 18ct yellow gold, 9ct rose gold, bone and resin, each charm is a one off.

The e.g.etal charm bracelet has 15 one off charms and will be available once the 15 year celebrations kick off.

Individual bracelets can be ordered with specific charm requests, with room to always add more as time goes by.

Special Commission Story.

Late last year at our Open Studio event, a lovely couple approached me to ask if i could be commissioned to make a special wedding necklace based on some of my designs on show.

Always ready and excited to take on a new project and challenge, i made a time to meet up with the lovely bride to be, Lauryn, to have a chat about what she might like to have made.

The brief was to create a necklace that combined a collage of handmade beads made from a variety of materials such as resin, ceramic and timber, all within a pallet of off whites, neutrals and dusty pinks, but still using the shapes and textures that she loved in my more colourful pieces. There was also the request to add a little shock of colour and preciousness with the addition of a piece of rough turquoise and a handmade silver bead or two.

While taking into consideration the neckline of the wedding dress, the desired pallet, and the variety of materials, Lauryn was more than happy to let me run free with the brief allowed me to play with a range of ideas and compositions, consulting via email and a few studio meetings to come up with a final design that was at once delicate, subtle, unique, whimsical and mysterious.

During the consultation and design process, i had the chance to chat with Lauryn about her wedding plans and future plans. It's always so lovely to hear people's stories and be a part of such a special occasion.

A few days ago i received a lovely email from Lauryn letting me know that the wedding was a success and that the necklace was a hit.

It's lovely to get such positive and happy feedback, and i thank Lauryn for letting me share this story and the beautiful pic she sent me from their special day.

I wish Lauryn and her new hubby all the best for all their future plans!!!

xx

Oops, its been a while...

above - work in progress

below - still from film

Yikes, time flies!!

Christmas came and went, and i've been back in the studio for ages, but somehow i've managed to completely lose track of time and this little blog of mine.

So, to quickly catch you up - along with chipping away at a new precious collection (stay tuned), i've also been working hard finishing off a very exciting collaborative project with contemporary dancer, and good buddy of mine, Katherine Doube.

This project is part of a major group show titled, Signature Style, curated by Nella Themelios and Kim Brockett. 

Here's a bit of a run down:

Signature Style is a major group exhibition exploring models of collaborative practice in contemporary jewellery. Featuring the work of some of Melbourne’s most exciting artists and jewellery practitioners Signature Style will be a significant addition to the emerging discourse around collaboration and contemporary craft. Collaboration poses a very different method of working – by its very nature, collaboration eschews individual artistic identity in favour of some kind of ‘third’ position.Signature Style will examine new methodologies of working and ‘work’, thinking through the potentials of collaboration within craft and design.

I teamed up with Katherine to create a wearable piece that at once informed and was informed by a choreographed piece of dance. 

The result has been an articulated shoulder piece that references something that lurks down in the deep blue sea while also paying homage to the undergarments of ballet and dance costumes.

Katherine's dance is a study of underwater movement observed in a variety of sea creatures, while also working consciously with the qualities and restrictions of the shoulder piece. 

The resulting dance piece was filmed in a blackened theatre space with carefully placed spot lighting to create the feel of a creature moving through a mysterious abyss. 

Both film and shoulder piece will be shown at the exhibition which opens at Craft Victoria next week.

Opening Thursday 7 March 2013, 6-8pm
At Craft, 31 Flinders Lane Melbourne
Showing from 8 March to 27 April 2013

The group show also includes work by:

Nicholas Bastin & Matthew Dux
Dan Bell, Bianca Hester, Charlie Sofo, Nathan Gray, Christopher LG Hill, Liang Luscombe & Oliver van der Lugt
Tessa Blazey & Alexi Freeman
Michaela Bruton & Kane Ikin
Milly Flemming & Dani Maugeri
Natalia Milosz-Piekarska & Katherine Doube
Nina Oikawa & Bridget Bodenham
Meredith Turnbull & Manon van Kouswijk
Karla Way & Dylan Martorell
Katherine Wheeler & Polly van der Glas

Festive spirit.

Having a bit of fun in the studio getting pieces out to my various galleries in time for Christmas...

Sine a little light.

Summer is heating up, the Christmas rush is upon us, and love is definitely in the air. 

Here are two recent engagement commission to share...

An 18ct yellow gold engagement ring with a champagne and white diamonds, and an 18ct white gold engagement ring with a scattering of white diamonds.

Nicholas Open Studios 2012! Aug 16th - 17th

It's that time of year again when our studio doors are flung open to the public for two days of show and tell and hopefully a bit of shopping. 

We'll also be open on that Saturday from 11 - 5pm as part of Craft Victoria's Craft Cubed satellite events. So come by, say hi, stay for a refreshment and peruse our wares. 

Sorry - Cash only!! 

Two new pairs of earrings for E.g.etal.

Some more recent press...

Melbourne Hot Spots Guide 2012.

Showcase 500 Rings - Lark Publication

This epic publication arrived in the post the other day. A HUGE survey of contemporary rings from around the world, another great feat in keeping with the infamous 500 series books from the folk at Lark Craft Publications.

While flicking through it over breakfast, i was proud as punch to find myself nestled amongst many friends and heroes.

If you're a jewellery fan and collector of great art books, this hefty tome is definitely one to get you all inspired and amazed!
(Find here on Amazon)

The One.

Its been a long time in the making, but i have two new very special sparkly rings about to make their way to Pieces of Eight gallery.

These two 18ct yellow gold rings with white and champagne diamonds are exclusively designed for Pieces of Eight and will be available to buy off the shelf or as a prompt to commission your very own bit of glittery goodness with room for your input and modification.

I have also been super busy recently working on quite a few private wedding band commissions which i've also pictured bellow.

So if you have a special "The One" that you'd like to commission a bit of gold and sparkle for, pop into Pieces of Eight (for the exclusive diamond rings pictured), or contact me for a private commission.

Note: Due to gallery/artist loyalty, i am unable to be commissioned privately for rings that are designed exclusively for galleries. If you wish to contact me directly, it would have to be for a new design that is not currently on show. Feel free to contact me via email if you have any queries regarding this.

Count The Ways, 18ct yellow gold ring with 7 white diamonds.

18ct yellow gold wedder.

 The One, 18ct yellow gold ring with 1 champagne diamond.

18ct yellow gold wedder.

Count The Ways, Gold Wedder & The One.

Wedders. 18ct yellow gold & 18ct white gold.

Carnival Collection delivered to E.g.etal today!

Some new pieces dropped off at E.g.etal today.
Colourful playful silver and paint jewels inspired by recent doodles of mine.
I've called them the Carnival Collection as they remind me a bit of festive bunting and party decorations from times gone by.
A bit of joy as the Melbourne winter grey sets in.

New Deliveries to E.g.etal...

Some brand new pieces making their way to E.g.etal Gallery right now!!

NorthCity4 Launch! Invitation!

A very exciting new initiative that i'm very honoured to have been asked to speak at for it's upcoming launch party and fundraiser.

Have a read below, and please join us on Friday 2nd March for the launch and show your support for this great new studio/school/workshop/platform/dream organisation!

Announcing the launch of Northcity4

A new era in creative endeavours

Melbourne’s newest creative initiative, Northcity4, is the brainchild of five talented and forward thinking artists who have come together to create a new contemporary jewellery & object studio and school in Brunswick.

This collective, which is made up of highly regarded contemporary jewellers and small object makers, is developing a work and educational space that will inspire a new style of artistic practice, never before seen in Melbourne, and is committed to an environmentally sustainable work ethic.

LAUNCH DETAILS ‘Open the Door’

Friday 2^nd March, 6–8pm

61 Weston Street Brunswick

SPEAKERS

Marcus Westbury - Not Quite Art ABC1, columnist The Age

Natalia Milosz-Piekarska - Award-winning contemporary jeweller

Katherine Bowman prints and Ali Limb jewellery will be for sale on the night to help fund the next stage of NC4’s development. Music by a local DJ will contribute to the atmosphere.

Wine generously sponsored by Mount Langi Ghiran

WHERE / WHO – 61 Weston Street, Brunswick 3056

The NC4 studio and school is the initiative of artists Romani Benjamin, Katherine Bowman, Anna Davern, Caz Guiney and Ali Limb. This group of artists has come together with the aim of sharing their knowledge, skills and techniques through mentorships, seminars, access studios and workshops.

WHAT

NC4 is a not-for-profit organisation with a shared commitment to environmentally sustainable arts practice that promotes and supports the integration of sustainability into all aspects of contemporary jewellery and object design. NC4 will work with Sustainability Victoria and Moreland Energy Foundation to reach its green goals and to ensure the NC4 communal footprint is minimised or off-set where possible.

The NC4 warehouse space will offer studios for long and short term tenancies for working makers and artists as well as an education program of short courses, weekend workshops and holiday programs, for those with and without previous training.

GAFFA Gallery - Curio Cabinet

For the next 2 weeks, i have a small showcase of my work on display in Sydney's GAFFA gallery Curio Cabinet.

On show is a selection of exhibition pieces, retail collectibles and some of my working drawings.

If you're around town, pop in and check it out.

281 Clarence Street, Sydney, NSW 2000, (+61) 02 9283 4273

Mon-Fri: 10-6pm, Sat: 11-5pm, Sun+Holidays: Closed

Sprouts, buds, prickles and shoots.

A new collection of little stack rings has sprouted, possibly inspired by the amount of time i've been spending watching my little seedlings growing on the kitchen window sill...

These have only just been delivered to Pieces of Eight Gallery. They can be ordered in any number, from a single little treasure to a whole stack. Each one is individually sculpted in wax, then cast, so no two rings are ever exactly the same.