Oye Modern - Unique, short-run jewellery with impact

By Jeni Oye

In a world of mass production and global economies, the popularity of design markets like Etsy and Finders Keepers indicate a movement back to unique and handmade that is growing every day. Hand crafted contemporary jewellery is attractive to people who want to wear something different; a unique product, with a unique story.

Contemporary jewellery is not a well-known term or type of jewellery. It seems to be confined to practitioners in the industry and has never quite emerged into the mainstream, most likely because contemporary jewellery has, in the past, been hard to find and hard to get. But this is changing, and finally the wonderful world of contemporary jewellery is becoming more accessible to more and more people, both in Australia and around the world, via the internet.

Caviar collection by Andrea Corson

So what is contemporary jewellery? In the broadest definition, contemporary jewellery sits between fashion jewellery and fine jewellery. It doesn’t follow the catwalk trends. It’s timeless, and the craftsmanship and materials are of a much higher quality than that of disposable fashion jewellery. At the high end of contemporary jewellery, gem stones and pearls are presented in unusual or non-traditional settings which stand them apart from traditional Fine Jewellery.

Surface style ring by Andrea Corson

Typically, contemporary jewellery is hand made in precious metals such as silver and gold, in small quantities, making it truly unique—rare and exclusive. Contemporary jewellers are able to push the boundaries with manufacturing techniques and materials, giving us the opportunity to acquire unique and fabulous jewellery.

Bubbles ring by Pip Keane

For jewellery handmade in small quantities, the problem of course, is price. The design process can take months, and then the actual production of a piece from creation of the wax mould, to casting & plating, to stone setting, and then finishing and polishing can take a few weeks with multiple vendors. But with the explosion of online bloggers writing behind-the-scenes articles illustrating a designer’s process from concept to production, people are gaining a much better understanding and appreciation for hand made. This kind of indirect education of contemporary jewellery lovers will be a key factor in them wanting to buy into the story of the piece at a reasonable price.

Hugs and kisses ring by Cinnamon Lee

Contemporary jewellery is made by a broad range of people—from full-time independent jewellers, to product designers who make jewellery on the side, to emerging designers working evening and night to develop their collections outside of their day jobs.

Independent jeweller Nicola Bannerman in her studio

Due to the limited retail options for contemporary jewellery, up until now it has been extremely difficult to make a living as a full-time jeweller.  So much talent and potential flows out of the jewellery schools each year, but few are able to stay in the industry, let alone make a living. Hats off to the handful that have been able to do this, companies such as Dinosaur Designs, and independent designers such as Iris Saar Isaacs from Melbourne’s in-sync design.

Pebble necklaces by Melbourne Design award winner in-sync design

But amazing and wonderful as it is, contemporary jewellery has been hard to find, and hard to get. Traditionally it’s only been available in galleries such as e.g. etal in Melbourne, Object in Sydney and The Jam Factory in Adelaide, but now online stores are emerging, increasing the awareness of contemporary jewellery and making the whole category more accessible, to more people. This is a wonderful, game-changing opportunity for contemporary jewellers in Australia and abroad to expand out of the limited-few galleries to a wider customer base. The chance for an independent Australian designer to gain International awareness and sales, and in turn grow their business is momentous.

Oye Modern is one of the leading online contemporary jewellery stores in the world. Based out of Sydney, Oye Modern has a large international following, with jewellery by emerging and independent designers from Australia and all over the globe.

So if you love contemporary jewellery, want to wear something truly unique and not mass-produced, then support emerging and independent contemporary jewellers and help bring great design to more people.