Who do these hands belong to? 

Natalie, Founder and Director of Design of Natalie Marie Jewellery. 

How did the brand start & how did it evolve into what it is today?

I started NMJ after finishing my university studies in Jewellery and object. Initially, solely creating individual pieces for friends and family and creating one off designs. I spent this time experimenting with my style while developing on my skills. At first, I had a very basic home studio set up, it took me several years to build up my tools and equipment. With each incremental step forward and each individual project I was able to both expand on my studio set up and further my skills and knowledge.

After about three years of working in this way (alongside full time employment), I started to gain support from a handful of boutique stores and individual customers. I then started working on small run collections which I singlehandedly produced from my only slightly less basic home studio. I launched the online store in 2013, and started to create bespoke bridal pieces in 2014. I was lucky enough during this period to forge relationships with a couple of amazing mentors in the industry who offered guidance and an opportunity to learn.

I continued full time employment alongside the business until late 2016, when I eventually took the plunge to work on the business full time. I finally set up an official external studio in 2016, sharing with a local artist, and hired my first employee. Once I could finally dedicate my entire self to my passion, the business grew and evolved rapidly. 

Last year marked our tenth year in business, a milestone which has crept up on me. There have been many ups and downs along the journey, but I am proud that through growth and shifts, challenges and hurdles, our company ethos and core values stand strong. We are still creating work with the same level of care, intention and personal investment as I poured into each of those first pieces I made.

Describe a typical day for you?

As a working mother with two young daughters, my days are full and rich with variety. We start the day early, and I usually sneak out before the sun to walk our puppy Rosie before the day begins. The hours between waking and arriving at work involve tiptoeing the line between order and chaos; packing lunches, dressing wriggly toddlers and getting to school drop off on time.

On my way to the office, I treat myself to a chai and five minutes alone to centre myself before heading into the office. I structure my time at work carefully to ensure I am productive and accountable to our team. My days are varied and every week is different, but I always ensure I have one full day each week dedicated to focus solely on design with Shona, our head designer. On other days I collaborate with the marketing team and brand manager, work closely with our general manager on day to day requirements, and liase with our head of sustainability on challenges and progress in this space. While I don’t physically make the jewellery myself anymore, it is really important to me to stay connected to the studio and our incredible team of jewellers. Feedback and contribution from the production realm informs so much of our design planning and I feel we are uniquely fortunate to have such close capacity to one another. 

I am lucky enough to build my working hours around what’s important to our family, and for me that means picking my daughter up from school at least a few afternoons a week, meaning we have time to connect and unwind from the day together. I feel incredibly grateful not only to be a flexible working parent myself, but to be building a workplace culture which celebrates women and their different roles in life. 

What is your most treasured piece of jewellery?

My engagement ring. Dan designed my engagement ring completely on his own and had it made without my knowledge. People always wonder if I designed my own ring but I was truly so grateful that he was bold enough to surprise me, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. 

The ring features his grandmothers Old European Cut diamond which is around 2 carat in size. Its such a unique stone with a beautiful cut and is obviously so deeply precious to me and the whole family for the history it holds. The stone is set in a simple four claw platinum setting, on a knife edge yellow gold band. Simple and perfect. 

What is your favourite Natalie Marie piece?

It’s hard to define a singular favourite piece, but my favourite styles are our Organic, Mana and Dali styles. The organic band was one of the first pieces I made for the brand, so it is a nostalgic and important piece for me. Over the years we have evolved this designs across multiple iterations, the newest of which will be launching at the end of this year and is something very, very special. 

Where would we find you on the weekend? How would you unwind?

On sunny days you’ll always find us at the beach. We are lucky enough to live close by and always dedicate a decent chunk of our weekend to being outside in the sunshine. I am a massive homebody and my favourite weekends are those with no plans where we can potter at home and rest and recharge. Weeks are busy, in fact life is busy in general, so weekends are really about stopping and spending time as a family.

Coffee or tea? How do you take it?

Tea, always. A true brit, I drink English breakfast with a generous dollop of honey. 

Beach, City or Mountains?

The beach, always. I do enjoy an injection of city time too - as long as I can come home to a quiet, breezy seaside home. 

Favourite holiday destination?

Home to Europe to see my family. It’s not always necessarily a relaxing holiday but one which fills my heart more than anything else.

What advice would you give to anyone considering to be a jeweller?

Work steadily, develop your skills diligently, have patience, and practise, practise, practise. 

What inspires you?

I am inspired always by human stories of hope and hardship, of love and courage. So much of what we create is steeped in storytelling, in weaving tales of life into tangible expressions of meaning. We are fortunate enough to be invited into peoples journeys in some of life’s most precious moments, a source of endless gratitude and creative inspiration.

What were you doing before Natalie Marie Jewellery was born?

I was working full time alongside NMJ for the first four years. I spent my days working firstly as a studio manager at an architecture and design studio, and then later in fashion retail and buying. My nights and weekends were spent tapping away in my home studio with every spare minute I had. This is where the brand was born, and those years were invaluable in terms of gaining experience and knowledge about business, the fashion industry and the nature of hard work. They also shaped me and my work ethic, repeatedly tested and pushed me to exceed my own expectations and showed me what a bit of blood sweat and tears can do. 

What are you currently reading?

The Year of Magical thinking by Joan Didion.

Where do you consider home to be? I am in a unique position where I have a home in two places. I grew up in Bournemouth, England, where most of my family still live; moving to Sydney when I was 21. Having now spent a third of my life here in Sydney, created a home and a family and built this business, my everyday home is undoubtedly here in Sydney. Having said that, my heart will always feel a strong pull back to my original home back in England with my family.

What is your favourite daily ritual?

My favourite daily ritual is sitting with my girls right before they go to sleep; talking to them, reading to them and being present with them. It’s in these moments where I am invited into their beautiful little minds, where the ups and downs of their day are shared with me. It’s an honour to hold space for their worries and heartaches, giggles and silly stories. I rarely miss a bedtime, and while some nights I would prefer to collapse on the couch, I know these days are finite and they won’t always want me to sit and hold their hand while they drift off to sleep. 

What are you most grateful for?

I am grateful for so much; for the opportunity to be a mother, for a healthy family and a loving partner, for the privilege of a comfortable home and the chance to live in such a beautiful place and for the opportunity to do meaningful work alongside a talented and dedicated team. 

What is the best piece of advice you've been given?

There is no such thing as luck, you create your own luck through your actions, thoughts and attitudes. A precious gem from my school teacher when I was about 13. 

If you could share a pot of tea with anyone, who would it be?

My mum. We live worlds apart, her in England and me here in Sydney. She is my best friend and though we are always in touch and are as close as ever, I miss her physical presence every single day. I would choose tea with her any day. 

What are you currently working on?

We have spent the last few months working on our Anam Cara collection, a very process led series of pieces which are deeply meaningful, I am so excited to see this launch into the world as it has been such a labour of love. As we head into the end of the year we will be launching some really special One of a Kind collections featuring Sapphires and Argyle origin champagne diamonds as well as the newest evolution of our organic style pieces. These pieces feel like the next iteration of our signature style, injected with diamonds and sapphires. So much in the works which I am so excited to see come to life.