Introducing Andrea

My jewellery making story began in 2000 after returning from a 2 year working holiday in the UK/Europe.  At the time, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, so the plan was to find a course in something that sounded interesting, and see where it lead.

I enrolled in a 2 year gold and silversmithing course at NMIT Collingwood (Now Melbourne Polytechnic)  and whilst the course covered a very wide range jewellery making techniques, I fell in love with lost wax casting - the process of carving designs from wax, then casting them in metal.  I put together a collection of pieces for a graduate exhibition, and the interest in my work inspired me to apply to the St Kilda Esplanade Market, which is where I ended up selling my work for nearly 10 years.

My Style.

My style is quite minimalist, and all my pieces are polished to a mirror finish. I like my designs to represent something - a memory, a passion, something you love or something special to you.  I love it when people tell me why they’ve chosen one of my pieces, and what it means to them. I’ve heard some amazing and beautiful stories over the years, from treasured pets to secret nicknames, and even kidney transplants!

My Process.

Once I have a design idea in my head, I’ll generally start out with a simple line drawing on graph paper, and once  I’m happy with it I’ll trace it onto a block of wax and carve out my design. The wax model is then cast in silver, polished up to create a master pattern and then moulded for future castings. 

My Space.

I recently moved from Melbourne back to Gippsland with my husband and our two crazy kitties. We’ve gone from a small apartment to a spacious house which means I’m lucky enough to have a whole room to dedicate to my workspace, although I’ve somehow already managed to fill it!

You'll find me...

For the last few years I’ve been mostly selling online and at galleries, but I’m looking forward to getting back in to some of the amazing artist and craft markets around Melbourne and Victoria and being able to meet some of my lovely customers and fellow artists in person.

This December I will be at the Northcote Night Market which is being held on 7th, 14^th and 21^st December at the Northcote Town Hall from 5.30pm to 9.30pm.

To contact Andrea for any enquiries, please visit her Purplefish Designs page and use the Ask a question button to connect directly.