Celebrities seek Brisbane jewellers’ designs

INNOVATIVE jewellery created by savvy Brisbane artisans is attracting the star power of celebrities such as Katy Perry and Khloe Kardashian.

Brisbane-based Concrete Jellyfish designer Rene Skelton makes bold resin earrings. Picture: Liam Kidston.

TRYING on diamond rings that rattled hollowly on their tiny little fingers, the Chipman sisters would spend their afternoons after school playing at their mum’s jewellery studio.

They’d laugh and run around cabinets of precious diamonds and gems while waiting for their mum to finish delicately carving her next exquisite design.

To keep her daughters Natasha and Alex entertained, Marion Schweitzer would hand them gold coins so they could practise the art of polishing.

“We’ve literally grown up in mum’s studio,” eldest sister, Natasha, 26, says about those earlier days with their mum at Marion Schweitzer Jewellers which still operates from Queen St in Brisbane’s CBD.

Alex, 23, prompts her sister: “Remember when mum gave us those coins to teach us how to cut metal? We used to delicately cut around the outline of the Queen’s head on a 20c piece.”

Those moments were the early makings of international designers.

The petite golden-haired sisters are behind Brisbane-based label Natasha Schweitzer (the last name being their mother’s maiden name).

Jewellery designing sisters Alex and Natasha Chipman of Brisbane-based label Natasha Schweitzer. Picture: Liam Kidston.

Their fine jewellery, featuring pearls, diamonds and gemstones, has been bought by Cate Blanchett, worn by Miranda Kerr and showcased during international fashion weeks.

The savvy artisans are among a tribe of Brisbane-based designers making their mark on the world. From their Queensland offices, homes or workshops, talented makers have established global brands, sought out by celebrities.

Jewellery designers like Christie Nicolaides, Bianca Mavrick, Jessy Cameron of Molten Store, and resin-artist Rene Skelton of Concrete Jellyfish, are among those fuelling the interest.

Nicolaides says Brisbane is fast becoming an “exotic” hub for international customers.

“We have an advantage,” the 31-year-old says of her hometown. “We’re not so far away that we’re out of the picture but we have the freedom to be a bit more creative.”

The former stylist, who grew up in Highgate Hill, started designing statement earrings after struggling to find quality costume jewellery in Australia. After a string of successful pop-up stores, Nicolaides officially launched her brand in 2014 and business has boomed since.

The ex-Somerville House girl’s gold and silver-plated statement pieces, laced with semiprecious stones, have been worn by Katy Perry, Kelly Rowland, Khloe Kardashian and Paris Jackson.

Brisbane jewellery designer Christie Nicolaides. Picture: Claudia Baxter

“I never anticipated it to do this well,” she says. “I do work very hard but I do feel very humbled and surprised by the success I’ve had. Often I don’t even know who is wearing my earrings, I just get tagged on Instagram and see people like Katy Perry wearing my jewels … it’s always exciting.”

Thousand Island Dressing owner Leanne DeMartini says the number of Brisbane designers being stocked in stores, including her own, has rapidly grown.

Rachael Finch wearing Christie Nicolaides.

“About two years ago I might have had about five local Brisbane designers stocked in my shops and now I have about 20,” she says. “There are so many wonderful new and emerging people out there and I just keep finding more and more.”

Among them is Tarragindi maker and mother-of-two Rene Skelton, who, out of her garage, mixes chemicals, inks and resin to create stunning earrings. “It’s like being a mad, crazy little scientist,” she jokes, of making everything from scratch.

The past decade has taken the former graphic designer and her chef husband Paolo between Italy, London and Brisbane, where they ran Milton cafe Two Wheels and a Handlebar, and opened Poulet and Porc in Eat Street Northshore.

Brisbane-based designer Rene Skelton of Concrete Jellyfish. Picture: Liam Kidston.

Since having their children – Minnie, 5, and Giovanna, 1 – Skelton needed a more flexible job to suit motherhood so decided to teach herself to make jewellery. She launched Concrete Jellyfish about 18 months ago.

With a flora and fauna theme to her work, there’s everything from succulents, koalas, the Brisbane River, birds, flowers, Moreton Bay bugs, Dame Edna faces and her signature, jellyfish.

“Fashion is meant to be fun, everyone is so serious these days,” she jokes, holding up kookaburras to her ears. “We can be so caught up with so many things in our day; so why not try and bring a little bit of joy to somebody’s day?”

Brisbane’s affordable lifestyle gave the makers the confidence and freedom to launch into business. But it was the rise of social media that took them international.

“I have the capacity to be in my studio in Brisbane’s CBD and be communicating with someone from New York,” says Nicolaides, who is preparing to expand her online business and open her first shopfront in Brisbane later this year.

Miranda Kerr wearing Natasha Schweitzer.

For the Chipman sisters, alongside their James St store, they plan to open a store in Sydney this year and, down the track, in the US, their largest growing market.

Despite jewellery being in their blood, they both had their sights set on careers outside fashion.

Alex finished an environmental science degree hoping to be a marine biologist and Natasha studied journalism and communications at the University of Queensland. “Growing up, I never really wanted to do what mum did (jewellery design), she works so hard and puts in so many hours,” admits Natasha. “We went away and did our degrees but we kept coming back to jewellery.”

Alex adds: “It wasn’t something we thought we would do growing up, but now we can’t imagine doing anything else.”

Everything changed four years ago when Natasha designed a pair of earrings to wear to a friend’s wedding. “Someone came up to me at the wedding,” she explains, “and said ‘take your earrings off, I’m going to buy them from you’, and she did!”