Ahoy Birdy.

Tell us about your label, Ahoy Birdy, and what the name means?

Ahoy Birdy is a jewellery label that aims to create beautiful one of a kind pieces with a meaningful story behind it.

Where do you draw your design inspiration?

My inspiration comes from anything magical, mystical or cosmic. Totem animals, folklore, fables and mythology from all cultures inspire many of my items. I hope when people wear my pieces they can relate to the story behind it, perhaps using it as a talisman or charm, maybe reminding them of something good or powerful in their lives.

What do you hope to achieve over the coming year for Ahoy Birdy?

I’d like to keep creating and working on my jewellery, making custom pieces and being continually inspired.

Your jewellery is hand crafted using recycled metals and ethically sourced gemstones, tell us about this sourcing process and where the materials come from…

My silver comes from a local Sydney manufacturer, the metals are recycled and I collect my scrap pieces to be recycled again.
All of Ahoy Birdy gemstones are purchased in Jaipur. I have been travelling to India for many years and I really do find the most beautiful gemstones there. My gems are all cut to my specifics and I then carefully check each one for quality, colour and cut. I never purchase gems that have been treated for colour enhancement as I believe this not only takes away from the gems natural beauty, but also affects the gem on a metaphysical level.
My turquoise is purchased from Arizona in the USA. I believe this is where the most beautiful and varied turquoise comes from and has been widely used by Native Americans for centuries.

What is it about Hustle&Scout that made you want to be a stallholder?

It’s a fresh, creative market with loads of beautiful items on display. I’m all for encouraging local businesses and I’m really looking forward to being a part of it!

MY FAVE THINGS

Fave place to unwind: Walking through the rainforest after some heavy rain with my partner and border collies. Everything is fresh and clean, it’s a great time to re-focus my mind for new inspiration.

Australian Jewellery Designer: William L Griffiths of Metal Couture is my favourite Australian designer. His work is so inspiring. He creates beautiful, incredibly detailed pieces that truly are works of art. His style is very quirky, he’s the Salvador Dali of jewellery design.

Meal to have cooked for you: I would have to say anything Thai or Indian, it would have to be vegetarian and spicy.

Fave piece you have made: My favourite piece so far is the dream catcher with the Royston ribbon turquoise. I’d purchased the turquoise for myself, and had it hanging around my studio for a while waiting for the right design. It was a few months before it all finally came together. I’ve only just recently discovered ribbon or boulder turquoise, which I love. It has similar qualities to boulder opal, my all time favourite gemstone. The lines across the boulder section of the stone really make the perfect ‘web’ for my dream catcher.

Guilty Pleasure: Shopping online! There’s something about waiting for the postman to arrive with a package just for me.