I know... It's been 4 years since my last blog post and it's slightly embarrassing... So for my first post in years, I thought I'd post something different to my usual photography posts...
If I think back to the very first piece of jewellery I ever owned, it's probably one of those "Ring Pops" (hey 90s kids, remember them?!). Then in high school, there was this craze with those cheap mood rings you can get for $5 in the "Two-dollar shop" and these rings will display your mood - from normal to romance and cool (for real!). Coming back to present time, people may buy magnets, key rings or shirts when they travel to different countries but I collect jewellery as my souvenir. When I'm not travelling, I collect jewellery as a hobby lol. In all seriousness, the main reason I put my hand up to share my love of jewellery is to give credit to the jewellers who deserve it! I have a varied taste when it comes to jewellery - it can be galactic (colourful), vintage, modern, floral, cute or even rude... I wish I could share my entire jewellery collection but that would take up pages of my blog so instead, I've picked my current top 4 jewellery designers, in no particular order.
Meadowlark Jewellery
This is probably my biggest collection... Considering I'm a kiwi (New Zealander), that's how I first heard about Meadowlark Jewellery as the designers behind this brand are Claire Hammon and Greg Fromont from Auckland, New Zealand. The original collection was sort of cool/modern mixed with a hint of darkness. They've had celebrities such as Lorde and Rihanna showing off their pieces on Instagram, which probably quickly contributed to the increase of Meadowlark Jewellery's followers on social media. Over the years, I've watched their collection change styles featuring cocktail rings to stackers to diamond sparkles but nevertheless, the designs now are still timeless pieces and this brand will always be one of my favourites. I originally fell in love with their onyx Protea cocktail ring and then I couldn't stop. More rings, then necklaces then their bangles and earrings... This picture only depicts half of my collection!
If I think back to the very first piece of jewellery I ever owned, it's probably one of those "Ring Pops" (hey 90s kids, remember them?!). Then in high school, there was this craze with those cheap mood rings you can get for $5 in the "Two-dollar shop" and these rings will display your mood - from normal to romance and cool (for real!). Coming back to present time, people may buy magnets, key rings or shirts when they travel to different countries but I collect jewellery as my souvenir. When I'm not travelling, I collect jewellery as a hobby lol. In all seriousness, the main reason I put my hand up to share my love of jewellery is to give credit to the jewellers who deserve it! I have a varied taste when it comes to jewellery - it can be galactic (colourful), vintage, modern, floral, cute or even rude... I wish I could share my entire jewellery collection but that would take up pages of my blog so instead, I've picked my current top 4 jewellery designers, in no particular order.
Meadowlark Jewellery
This is probably my biggest collection... Considering I'm a kiwi (New Zealander), that's how I first heard about Meadowlark Jewellery as the designers behind this brand are Claire Hammon and Greg Fromont from Auckland, New Zealand. The original collection was sort of cool/modern mixed with a hint of darkness. They've had celebrities such as Lorde and Rihanna showing off their pieces on Instagram, which probably quickly contributed to the increase of Meadowlark Jewellery's followers on social media. Over the years, I've watched their collection change styles featuring cocktail rings to stackers to diamond sparkles but nevertheless, the designs now are still timeless pieces and this brand will always be one of my favourites. I originally fell in love with their onyx Protea cocktail ring and then I couldn't stop. More rings, then necklaces then their bangles and earrings... This picture only depicts half of my collection!
Millie Savage
I only found Millie Savage on Instagram six months ago. Millie is a rad Aussie babe living in Bali with an inviting swimming pool that is frequently used as a backdrop for her Instagram posts. I came across her page and one of her "cluster fuck" rings caught my eye. All her pieces are handmade and you can tell from the "organic-ness" of her jewellery. I find Millie's work very colourful (specialty stones are opal, pearls and star-shaped spinels), with a splash of cuteness and magic (stars, moons, mermaid). Her style is definitely unique, and you'll be able to spot her pieces in a shop right away. It didn't take me long before I purchased the first item, her magic elf ring! Every time I try to think which Millie Savage piece is my favourite, I stop... because I can't think of one, they are all my favourites! Once again, Millie is another jewellery designer whose brand has been discovered by a celebrity, this time Miley Cyrus, plus a line-up of models, artists and fashion designers as avid followers.
Fairina Cheng Jewellery
Living in Sydney means there's never a shortage of things to see and do, including pop-up jewellery events/markets. It was during one of these markets, where I first checked out a modern chunky ring with my birthstone (Angle Citrine ring) made by Fairina Cheng, and then realising a few weeks later that I'd actually seen her shop already on Etsy many months ago (before Instagram, there was Etsy!). Speaking of Etsy, Fairina was voted Community Choice winner of the 2014 Etsy Design Awards (I'm super proud of her!) Fairina has another popular (and unique) piece in her collection, which is the 3D printed Positive/Negative collection which comes as a pendant, ring, bracelet or earrings (I own the pendant and earrings myself). After all the face-to-face jewellery purchases (when I started to request bespoke creations) over ice-creams, funnily enough, we are now friends! The one thing I love most about Fairina's jewellery pieces is that they are absolutely the most comfortable rings to wear.
Helen Mok Jewellery
Helen is another award-winning talented local jewellery artist based in Sydney. I also met Helen at one of the jewellery markets one weekend - can you pick up my trend here??? A lot of Helen's pieces are nature-focused with pretty gemstones encased in a an organic flower setting. My favourite Helen Mok Jewellery piece is a custom-made OOAK Australian Boulder Opal set in a hand-carved ring with gold granule accents on top of small flower buds and leaves on the side. The craftsmanship on this ring is absolutely exquisite, plus the opal itself is like a galaxy out of this world!
What are some of your favourite jewellery brands? Share with me in the comments!
* All photos are copyright of Charlene Koh Photography. Please credit my website if you wish to repost.
What are some of your favourite jewellery brands? Share with me in the comments!
* All photos are copyright of Charlene Koh Photography. Please credit my website if you wish to repost.
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