Designer Earrings in Australia

Being located in one of the top ten gem-producing countries in the world has its advantages when you’re a custom jeweller. Australia has a long and storied history of designer jewellery craftsmanship. Since the early 20th century, Melbourne, in particular, has had a robust and prosperous artisan jewellery scene. 

While its gemstone and jewellery traditions date back generations, don’t let that lead you to believe that Melbourne and Australia’s custom jewellery scene is outdated or old-fashioned. Times and fashions change, and so does the way jewellery is sold. Over the years, online custom-made jewellery has grown and become an increasingly hot market.

Where Did Melbourne and Australia’s Tradition of Custom Jewellery Begin?

Most of Australia’s largest and most important cities are ports, and thriving trade breeds creativity. Being an artisan lucky enough to be located near a port means having the unique ability to watch as the latest fashions, trends, and technology are unloaded each day. 

At no time was this more true than during the early 1900s, as the world of fashion exploded, thanks to new and faster steamships traversing the world and coming more frequently to Australia’s ports. Unique jewellery in Melbourne was born out of local designers being exposed to the latest innovations arriving from abroad.

Not only did artisans crafting custom rings, earrings, and pendants get to learn about the latest fashions, but they also got to influence the international scene by exporting their finest pieces abroad to the wealthy and influential. This newfound international exposure meant that Australia became world-renowned for the quality of its bespoke jewellers.

Handcrafted for Perfection and Elegance

Deciding how to begin a custom piece isn’t easy. Generally, a jeweller that specialises in one-of-a-kind pieces will have a design idea in mind or will get inspiration from a customer. Next, they draw specifications for what the piece will look like. 

As the piece begins to take shape, a jeweller may realise that certain aspects of the design need to be altered. This could be because the metals being used need to be changed to accommodate a need for stronger settings, or because the gemstones chosen require a different orientation to maximise their brilliance. 

The key to maintaining a reputation for sought-after custom jewellery is keeping up with the times. Nowhere else is this more prevalent than in Melbourne, where jewellers don’t just keep up with the cutting edge, they are the stone that sharpens it. Even dated designs that may have belonged to someone’s grandmother are being altered into stunningly modern looks through a process known as jewellery reworking. 

Thanks to generations of knowledge being passed down to a new and youthful group of creative artisans, the Australian jewellery scene is more vibrant than ever. Designs made all over Australia are being shared every day, both locally and worldwide. Thanks to this, the future of designer earrings in Melbourne is bright!