Meet Annette of Annette Piper Handcrafted Jewellery

Introducing Annette Piper
of Annette Piper Handcrafted Jewellery

Gemstones - I gaze into their depths and see incredible patterns and minature worlds.


When I started working in the Sydney jewellery trade in the early 1980s, I was exposed to top quality gemstones and pearls and it wasn't long before I undertook study and then qualified as a gemmologist. I became fascinated in the millenia-long journey gemstones took to be the stunning stones before me and was amazed by what mother nature has created.

In 2002, after my youngest children were toddling around I really felt the need to be 'me' and to extend my creatitivity. Even though I hadn't worked in the industry for a few years, I always stopped to admire gemstones - whether they were rough material or in jewellery. I started to look at jewellery more closely and realised that my knowledge and experience in the jewellery trade meant that I could make it myself. I designed how I saw jewellery could be - elegant, simple and timeless and sometimes a little bit fun! Although I was only making a few pieces for myself and some friends, my jewellery was getting admired everywhere it was worn and I soon started to get asked by people I didn't know to make them something special.

I now work from my home studio in our passive solar house with magnificent views over the surrounding countryside and of the wide blue sky. Oh, but in case it sounds idyllic, add into the mix three very active (ahem - very noisy) children, a husband that is a farmer and aviator (so the smell of dirt, grease and fuel along with sound of an aeroplane buzzing around is not at all uncommon), and a few hundred cows (particularly when they are mooing over the back fence!) and you see it's all very much based in reality!

Never-the-less, It's easy to be inspired by mother nature - amazing sunrises, colourful flowers and the way the light falls on the land. I like to experiment with colour and when I'm hidden away in my studio the occasional happy accident on my workbench can turn into a sumptuous creation. I often have a flurry of creative energy when new stones or pearls arrive and their colours, patterns and how they feel to my touch, act as my muse.

I spend a lot of time searching for gemstones - looking for unusual stones and different cuts from all over the world. I think I enjoy this just as much as the creating part! It's a wonderful feeling to be able to create jewellery that people love to wear and to share my passion for nature's gems with people that may not have had the opportunity to appreciate such things before.
 
To see more of Annette beautiful Jewellery visit http://www.annettepiper.com/
 

 
 
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