We’ve seen Italian, French, American, and Asian designers and brands dominate the jewelry industry for years, and there’s still a torrent of upcoming labels to continue the trend. It isn’t quite common to immediately think of, say, an Australian brand when asked about a great jewelry label, right? But that was before the launching and international appreciation of the brand established by an Australian duo, Sarah & Sebastian.
Sarah & Sebastian can be easily recognized even among the sea of brands—it is a label that bravely filled in the gap in the jewelry market. The brand provides men’s jewelry, which usually do not get the hype and have been ignored even by the most creative brands around. With the main idea of interchangeable jewelry, the “unisex” version of clothing, Sarah & Sebastian was able to rise above the creative competition and recognized for their work in an untapped niche.
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How it all came together
Everything start with Sarah Gittoes hobby of making jewelry by hands, while she was working full-time in boutique. It was just a hobby at first, but then orders started coming one by one, although she was able to fulfill each one when she had the time to do so. Her working area was just inside her apartment in Sydney, where she created pieces she sometimes would wear.
Sarah met Robert Sebastian Grynkofki in Canada’s Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. Afterwards, former Germany-based Robert moved to Australia and started helping out Sarah by offering his goldsmithing skills. As time went by, Robert has become an important part of the strategy-making process of the brand, imparting his thoughts on the aesthetics and manufacturing of the label. After a few years of juggling both their full-time jobs and establishing their own brand, both Sarah and Robert decided to leave their jobs in 2013 and 2014 to give their full concentration on the label.
Just after a few years, from that small workbench in Sarah’s apartment, the label grew to a company with a total of 15 staff, 6 of whom are jewellers, with a legit studio in Alexandria. Now, more design-heavy and complicated jewelry are launches by the brand, ranging from $400 to $3000.
When inspiration hits
Creative projects of the brand don’t always start as they plan it to, as the duo admits to always encounter inspiration in various circumstances. For Sarah, it sometimes comes when she is appreciating some art, browsing books, or even just being out in the nature. Robert, on the other hand, gets inspiration from almost anything, and he immediately dives into the creation process when it happens.
But designing and making jewelry aren’t just the tasks that the two are able to do. On a normal day, they could be pitching in ideas for display cabinets, taking some photos, collaborating with workers for the website, and many more. Through these activities, they become fully-engaged in many aspects of their business, and not only the production of jewelry itself.
Elevated everyday jewelry and appreciation of handcraft
The pieces offered by the label are pieces that can be worn on a daily basis, yet their beauty are as captivating as those kinds of jewelry you save for special occasions. They produce necklaces, rings, and cufflinks that have intricate details, delicate curves, and lovely silhouettes. Such pieces displayed in the brand’s shop, can be easily customized to fit any customer, which makes them even more appealing to any jewelry junkie.
Pieces are mostly made from recycled gold and silver that are constructed by hand. While Sarah & Sebastian has a 21st Century contemporary studio, they are proud of crafting these materials into handmade jewelry. Their jewelers make some fine work with their hand tools to manipulate materials into beautiful silhouettes. Sarah & Sebastian isn’t a brand that would be associated with mass production. In fact, each product even contains the jeweler’s personal signature and handwritten note.
All these are part of the brand’s aesthetics and a testament to the essence of the company. It isn’t all about the sales, but the beauty and personal touch to each of the pieces. Such focus on the quality and not just marketing tactics is what makes the brand even more captivating to customers around the world.
Currently, Sarah & Sebastian sells their pieces through their studio-showroom and their brand website. Their jewelry is also available in different boutiques in Australia, like Harrolds. For international availability, online shops Net-a-Porter and Moda Operandi carry their accessories.
