The Repair Shop jeweller Erin Keys: “I surround myself with treasures which bring me joy”

Jeweller Erin Keys reveals her secrets to helping transform some Aussies’ most treasured items on Foxtel’s The Repair Shop Australia.

Who: The Repair Shop jeweller, Erin Keys.

Where: Terrace home in Sydney.

Favourite item: Everyday items are romanticised and I surround myself with treasures which bring me joy.

Inspiration: I think I am a very mindful and introspective person so everything I own has a story and its placement in the house is done so with intention.

Home is: A home should invigorate and inspire but also allow for authenticity and calm. A place which allows for all imperfections.

Erin Keys’ terrace in Sydney’s inner-city is filled with fabulous trinkets.

It doesn’t take a genius to work out why jeweller Erin Keys, one of the craftspeople on Foxtel’s The Repair Shop Australia coming to the rescue of treasured items and reviving them to their former glory, is a perfect fit for the show.

Her terrace in Sydney’s inner-city is filled with trinkets and aged old goods which are lovingly maintained – and next on her rescue to-do list is her fireplace. “I would love to restore to its original working condition.”

Erin, who in between filming for the show runs her own business, also managed to move house during last year’s Covid lockdown.

“I love the urban area because I can walk to the workshop, walk to great cafes and bars, yet still be surrounded by trees and greenery,” she says.

“Running my own business, I don’t relax easily. But when I do, I love to invite friends over and play records. We all appreciate nice beer, wine and playing tunes together. I’m very much a homebody though and I love to cook which always relaxes me. I spend a lot of time chilling out on the lounge trying to cuddle my cat Audrey, who is forever running in the opposite direction.”

In her “spare time” Erin is designing and crafting a new series of work inspired by the historic items seen in The Repair Shop.

“I have designed pieces which incorporate some very fiddly ancient jewellery techniques.”

Words: Catherine Nikas-Boulos   Pictures: Darren Leigh Roberts

Indian miniature painting table

A gift from my best friend Helen. We moved into an apartment together and the only furniture we had was a bean bag and this table. I still remember sitting around it and eating dinner together. It holds dear memories.

Grandma’s knitted blanket

My grandma died when I was eight, so the memories I have are vivid but too few. Recently, this blanket was unearthed and I became the new bearer of it, until it is handed down again. Knowing that her hands crafted each loop, helps me to feel connected to her spirit.

FINK Anodised Aluminium Beakers

The modern day version of the 1950s anodised picnic cups. Robert Foster was a stalwart within the contemporary object and craft scene. I looked up to him and admired his minimal and cowboy like approach to design.

Fabulous finds

This glass vase contains collected sea glass, ceramic, stones, rocks and shells. I have moved around with it for more than a decade. For me, this vase is more potent than a photo album.

A morning routine

I was given these by a friend when I was 20. They put the orange handles on a second hand grinder. I’ve travelled with this grinder and coffee pot around Australia, east and west Europe.

A record you’ll never forget …

Nathaniel Merriweather Presents Lovage: Music to Make Love to Your Old Lady By:

I have spent two decades trying to find this LP on vinyl, but the original is obscenely expensive. This was re-released in 2022 and I was so excited that I bought it from a German site without being able to read German.

One way to stay safe when travelling.

My Dad gave me this before I ventured off overseas by myself. I travelled solo pre-smartphone. The Leatherman was always with me through many a long night at a lone bus stop.

The Repair Shop Australia is showing now on Foxtel’s Lifestyle channel every Tuesday 8.30pm, and on streaming on demand.