Isabella's Story

I was an artsy kid, a quiet one. I can hardly remember a time when art wasn't part of my life. It was my parents who first encouraged me to explore it, but somewhere along the way, art became something much more personal. It grew into a part of who I am, a daily ritual, a sanctuary from the mundanity of everyday life, and a space where my imagination could run free, untethered by expectations or limitations.

In high school, art was my favourite subject. I still miss those afternoons spent sitting on the gallery floor with my friends, discussing and dissecting artworks, getting lost in their stories and interpretations, and, for a little while, forgetting about everything else.

I was also very into jewellery from a young age (thanks to my jewellery addict mother). However, I never considered art or jewellery as a feasible career option. In year 12, I dropped art and focused on the more practical subjects, and decided to study medicine or chemical engineering at uni.

But, three months before HSC, I had an epiphany and realised that if I just settled for a safe option, and didn't at least give my dream (art) a chance, I would regret it for the rest of my life. This thought kept me awake so I started researching about art and jewellery courses at different universities. I quickly became determined that jewellery design was what I truly wanted to study. People around me, parents and teachers all advised me against it, but I was stubborn when it came to my dream. So after a few months' research, portfolio work (and sleep deprivation that came with it), I got into the jewellery course at University of the Arts London.

The course I studied was focused on contemporary jewellery, which is very different to the concept of jewellery that most people would have in their minds. Anything that comes into contact with the body, any wearable work of art, is defined as contemporary jewellery. There was no limitation of what I could create, so during that period I created wearable art that conveyed concepts or narratives; in my free time, I also made commercial jewellery by hand with silver and gemstones. The creative people in London have also been a great influence and inspiration to me.

While in London, as well as Paris and Geneva, I encountered so many entrancing pieces of jewellery that I had never seen in Australia. I found that the jewellery market in Australia is very homogenised, the jewellery you see in one store is very similar to another. Since then, it became my dream to bring home what I learned abroad, and to bring beauty and art into more people's lives through the medium of jewellery, which I believe is the most intimate and meaningful form of art due to its connection with the body.

With my family's support, to which I am so grateful, I established my jewellery company Poème in 2023. And that's where it all started...