Oye Modern - Unique, short-run jewellery with impact

This is a short history of how Oye Modern came to be.
Meet the people behind Oye Modern too.

One day in the year 2000 Phil Oye, web architect and cognitive science major, fell in love with an Australian girl named Jeni. After studying Industrial Design at Uni, she had been in web design for years too, so she knew exactly what Phil was talking about, most of the time. In 2001 Jeni moved from Sydney to NYC where Phil resided, and from there a lifelong partnership began.

One of the first things Phil discovered about Jeni was that, like her mother and grandmother before her, she was absolutely besotted with unique jewellery, fashion and art. She knew from a young age that a gorgeous ring, necklace or brooch could magically lift the wearer's mood. Jeni used to raid her grandmother's jewellery box for the biggest, boldest pieces, and has since inherited many of them.

So it wasn't much of a surprise when Jeni enrolled in evening jewellery classes and began to sell her designs at the NYC Young Designers Market on Mulberry Street, and sometimes on Prince Street sidewalk in the freezing cold.

You know where this is heading, don't you?
Phil found an amazing ring for Jeni — and she said yes.

After moving back to Sydney, the idea for an online store specialising in modern jewellery was born shortly after their first child, sketched out by Jeni in between naps and brought to life by Phil after work. The site was ready by November 2007 and featured the work of mostly local jewellers discovered by Jeni. Some things have changed since then — orders come from all over the world — and some things have stayed the same, like their quality products and personal service.

You might have found Oye Modern through trend spotting blogs such as Cool hunting or NotCot, or just discovered it today.

Either way, welcome to Oye Modern!