A welcome note from the designer

Welcome to Valgy Jewellery! It is pretty surreal to be sitting in my house, uploading photographs of my jewellery onto my website for the launch of my first collection. For those who know me well, you know that jewellery is an absolute love of mine. I studied Art History and Curatorship at university, and have always been drawn to art and design. It feels good to have my creative boots on again—not just appreciating and administrating other peoples’ creativity in my day job, but embracing my own.

To put an exact start date on Valgy is hard. I like to think that it began when I was walking down the corridor of a Gallery I used to work at. I had just finished visiting two of my favourite Studio Artists, both jewellers, and as I was returning to my desk thought, ‘perhaps I could do that.’ It might have also been when my partner’s sister sent me a link to another jewellery designer’s website suggesting I check them out, and I thought ‘I’d like to try that.’ Or, when sitting with my aunt looking at my Icelandic grandmother’s jewellery thinking, ‘perhaps I should do this.’

The moment I really took the leap was in July 2018. My ‘perhaps’ and ‘should’ turned into a very strong ‘I am doing this’. I began to research manufacturers and decided that I wanted Valgy Jewellery to be made in Indonesia. There were five strong contestants, and as I was pondering which manufacturer I should go with via email, my mum said ‘we should go’. In December 2018, my mum and I travelled to Indonesia to meet and interview each manufacturer. I asked them a long list of questions and saw where the jewellery was made to get a sense of their business. It was important to determine which business linked up best with my values. It was a hard decision. All of the manufacturers I met with produced beautiful work and were very generous with their time and information sharing.

However, after a lot of consideration there was a pretty clear winner. I am proud to say that Valgy Jewellery is designed in Australia and made in Indonesia by a great team of administrators (mostly women) and jewellery makers. I am also proud to say that as the founder of this business I know where every single product I design is made. I’ve experienced the studio and seen it in action. I also need to acknowledge my mum. Not only did she put the key in the ignition to really get Valgy started, she continues to support Valgy in ways that go above and beyond. Thanks also to my dad, a sculptor and painter—his love of art is why I love art. His feedback on my designs and his suggestions have been monumental.

My dad’s mother Valgerður (Valgy) was born in 1920 on the west coast of Iceland. She grew up in Akureyi on the northern Icelandic coast. Sadly, I never met her as she passed away five months before I was born. Growing up I have been told that I am very similar to her. Valgy has been an absence in our family and she is my muse—she loved jewellery and art as I do. The inspiration for this collection came about when I was travelling in Iceland with my sister and partner. Iceland’s unique and elemental landscapes, colours and history have informed these pieces.

Fast forward two years there has been so many hours put into this passion project. From coming up with a logo, to designing each piece, gathering feedback from close friends and family, going back to the drawing board, submitting designs, receiving samples, working with a packaging manufacturer, starting social media for my brand, and conceiving a website—this has all come from a true love and passion for jewellery.

Most recently, I had the absolute pleasure of working with Thorson Photography to take model shots of my first collection. Amanda Thorson is a talented Canberra-based photographer, and if you ever have a need for professional photographs I highly recommend checking out her website. I would also like to thank my models for this first collection—Ally, my sister; Maxine, my partner’s sister; and Milla, my friend. You are all so generous and amazing, and your warmth and beauty—inside and out—have been captured perfectly by Amanda in these photos.

To finish, I have named this first collection “the Anne collection” in memory of my aunt Anne who tragically passed away last year from breast cancer. Anne was a kindred spirit, an artist, and upmost a really kind person. Her beautiful ceramic pots feature in the photographs for this collection. I was fortunate to be able to tell Anne that I was going to name my first collection (and first ever-made piece of jewellery) after her, but I didn’t have the chance to tell her that her pots would also feature. I remember my conversations about art with Anne vividly. She also provided feedback on my designs, for which I am forever grateful. Anne participated in cancer research towards the end of her life. Her participation in this research has advanced what we know about cancer, and will help many people in her situation to come.

Jewellery is uplifting, it is sentimental, and it holds meaning and significance. I hope you all love these pieces as much as I loved designing them. Thank you for supporting Valgy Jewellery and enjoy. I best get cracking on collection two!