Category Archives: About Robert
Wedding Rings Engagement Rings By Robert Young Jewellery
Australian Jewellery Designer Robert Young, of Robert Young Jewellery
Life Secrets at the Laundromat
Evolve Love Rings are all about your story.
Everything that Robert creates has a story behind it, a deeper meaning. Sometimes his jewellery tells the story of the Australian seasons and other times it expresses the dynamic story of a relationship, poem or song. While I am not a jewellery desginer I am on the lookout for stories wherever I go, its in my nature and it’s what Robert and I have in common. I make it a personal policy to talk to strangers in buses, parks, restaurants, and grocery stores. Not in that freaky way, but everyone has a story, and usually its more interesting ones than found in glossy magazines. Over the years I’ve discovered that the stories people tell can almost always be tied back to evolutions: endings, beginnings, shifts, and changes.
Take Steve the security guard for example. I met him at the local laundromat last week. He’s a giant man with an unexpectedly gentle spirit and a slight stutter. For the last nine years he’s worked the night shift in some of the roughest suburbs in this city. He tells me this after offering to help me fold my sheets.
“I bet you’ve seen a lot,” I say.
“I have,” he replies, “but I’ve learned to walk into every situation with friendliness and people can pick up on that, which saves me a lot of trouble. I never thought I’d be a security guard, though.”
“What did you think you were going to be when you were younger?” I ask. He pauses and gets a shy grin on his face,“I thought I was going to be a producer.”
“You want to make music, right?”
“Yeah. And maybe I still will. You never know.”
“I think a lot of people end up in places they never would have guessed,” I say.
He looks up at the ceiling thoughtfully, “Yes, that’s true. And it depends on what the man up there has in mind for you. You never know what’s going to happen.”
Steve is right: you never know what turns your life is going to take next. The idea of personal evolution is the central idea behind the new “Evolve Love Ring” collection. The Love rings are designed to evolve as changes occur in your life. Whether it’s something as simple as a shift in mood or something more significant like a move to a new city or the start of a new relationship–you can mix, match, and stack the rings to express your experience. Take a look at the 56420 ways you can show your evolution.
About the Author
Clara is the resident wordsmith for Robert Young Sculpture and when she isn’t folding laundry she can often be found waxing philosophical on the artistic processes of jewellery making.
An Unexpected Journey from Photography to Love Rings
With the release of the new Evolve Love Ring collection we find ourselves contemplating the idea of personal evolution. What does it look like? Can we trace the moments and events that lead to change in our daily lives? We thought it would be interesting to take a tour through the evolutions that led to the existence of Robert Young Sculpture as you know it today. Life is constantly evolving, growing and changing, sometimes it comes in gradual waves and sometimes it happens all at once in sudden bursts. How many people end up exactly where they predicted they would?
It’s safe to say that Robert Young never envisioned himself as a Sydney jewellery designer or even making a collection so customiasble as the “Evolve Love Rings“. He found himself in a jewellery studio after decades of work in the worlds of photography and sculpture. Still, Robert has always found himself shifting physical matter into new arrangements. He started sculpting birds when he was seven and later, as a teenager, he carved faces in wood. At that point he didn’t even realize he was sculpting, it was just what he did. Robert eventually gravitated towards photography, but even there he often found himself more intrigued by the objects he was photographing rather than the photograph itself. An object asks the viewer to fill in all the blanks, to create a story about who, what, when, where, why, and how. Curiosity about these questions led Robert to a long career in sculpture.
For Robert, the next stage of evolution, from sculpture to jewellery, was a natural one. The transition signified an important move from dark to light in his life. Although he was a foreigner to expensive jewellery and diamond rings, he knew how to translate a story, his stories or a customers story into art. The medium changed, but his philosophy remained focused on meaning and expression. Robert has never been a pure craftsman intent on creating a “beautiful” piece. Beauty is present in all of his work, but it’s always an extension of a greater story or idea. This is especially true of the pieces in the new Evolve collection which are intended to transform and shift along with the wearer.
Here’s Robert in his Sydney, Australia studio. Happy, content at his bench…. and whats his next expression piece ? unknown !
Reflection, Looking forward, and Custom Made Jewellery
On reflection of this past last year, and looking to the new, I feel very lucky to be doing the job I’m doing and working with a great and diverse team.
I’m on this path, not for money, but to leave this world in a better place than I stared. This is what I do, and who I am.
Over the last 7 years I’ve become a love preacher, or as one customer likes to call me, The Love God! Whilst this is in jest. I am serious. What we create is not just sticking a rock on a band or selling the next product, it’s about working in the area of peoples private lives, their strongest emotions.
In this last year we have made people cry, with our custom made jewellery, including one lady who was jumping with joy, and didn’t stop. There is nothing like having a customer cry with joy over what you have made them.
This past year we made engagement rings for Lovers around Australia from Tasmania to Perth, we made jewellery for a guy serving in Afghanistan, and in the thick of the trouble.
This last year I have had some of the hardest interviews, uncovering peoples dark, tragic, happy, and exciting past to be able to create new custom jewellery that has meaning that has lasting value. One very notable sophisticated lady who was married 3 times, and sadly never for love! ( she will now). A very strong effervescent woman, who was sexually abused from the age of 6 to 11 by her step father. ( she danced on his grave) a prostitute taking the first steps to recover from her addiction and get on a new path ( good on you). A couple who lost their child as a 2 month old, ( what will fill that void ?).
The common thread is love.
I got involved in helping with some ideas on how to propose, I felt the nerves, the excitement and the call afterwards to say she said YES.
We made jewellery for people who were incarcerated. We made jewellery for people who have been married for 30 years. We made jewellery for teenagers wanting to express themselves, and we made commitment rings for 2 Lesbians recognising their relationship. As a custom jewellery designer in Sydney, I hope to continue making jewellery with meaning.
All of these objects, these custom made jewellery artworks we made, are stories of LOVE,
Custom made jewellery Handmade Engagement ring
and I’m honored to be doing this job, Its a great and unique position to be in.
…..I also had some funny moments, I was on a roll with this woman and said, ‘we don’t just make jewellery we make love’ fortunately she was very gracious. i tried to back pedal but theirs no taking that back is their !
Robert
Honour
I stand indebted to many people who helped me with advice, assistance anddirection. Some devoted many hours with painstaking detail making this intoa reality.
From the bottom of my heart thankyou.
John Darlington.
Dan Day.
Suzanne Mackay, Party Girl
Lyndon Read, the man of digital.
Anni of Afactor.net thanks for staying calm
Steve White, choice words.
Michael Quinn. ….Took some time
Raffi, Nice setting
Dick Estens. Farmer and Chair of Aboriginal employment service
Dagmar Ackerman, thanks for the encouragement and assistance.
Brook Turner Editor AFR Magazine
Gerry Walsh gemmologist, thanks fab advise.
Alex Noble, … a small detail that focused my thoughts
Peter Ivany of Ivany Investment Group
Rob Ferguson of IMF for your time and consideration
Juliet Anderson of Anderson Knight
Mark Ostryn for your time and consideration
Paul Snashall, nice tie thanks
Orlena Steele-Prior, beautiful
Anton Denby,
Pia, great fonts, pia-frauss.de
Felix Reiten thanks for your time and what a fab bike.
Ron Knight of Anderson Knight for enchanting words
Robby Ingham thanks for your time, all those years ago now.
Sam Taranto. Thanks Sammy.
Linda Sultmann Nice words, all that good stuff.
Warren Mallard , thanks for the encouragement.
The Robertson Family, Simon, Mia, Ruby and Jake, great working with you.
John Atanaskovic of Atanaskovic Hartnell, thanks for your time.
Mark Scope for your persistence with the machine
Mia Asker for your fabulous interior design
Nelson Leong. Get well soon.
Brendon King of style plantation
Sharn Spicer. Thanks for guiding me in the early years.
Vivien Pollnow, great glass advise thanks.
Sandra lee Patterson great contacts, thanks
Phillip Digby, my nod of appreciation thanks diggers.
Eliot Young. For hope and commercial advise.
Peter Read. Believing in the product.
Tom York brilliant accountant.
Danny Kats, to keep me sane.
Matthew Grew
Melinda King from Melt
Andrew Bilsdon, Hello sailor
Kevin Willits, ongoing advise.
Terry Sayer, for constant financial direction.
Ben Ryan, you are a great craftsman.
Tracy Lennon, for the fab groundwork and advice.
Elizabeth and Colin Scope for warmth.
Jez Kenway, my soulmate in the studio. RIP.
Silvija for the best retouching in the world, silvijamandic.com
Matt Scott for amazing designs and input, kamionink.com
And Finally, Lisa, who lived through the highs and lows, for pushing,helping advising (trying on the work) and for being my shining star, and without you, this would not be.
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Midnight musing……
Bleary eyed, I rush, bump and stumble into her room.
If you’d asked me to do this, I’d bite your head off, no really. This is the zillionth night in a row, and, on top of everything else. But I do it anyway. In part on auto-pilot, in part because there is a need and I want to. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no hero, I’m not even close.
I stick my hands under her arms and lift her. she, as she does so often, takes a pause with a breath, and then opens her eyes for a little, little look. She continues to cry, all the while knowing she is being comforted.
Warm and snug, she fits.
The cheating clock, grins at me again. Ha ha tick, ha ha tick.
As I hold her, we walk, and talk, I pat her, we bump and walk, I talk, we walk. she mummers and coos, we walk and bump. And as I talk, she coos, as the coos drift along, she become heavier and delicate sleep envelopes her.
Grace is nearing 10 months and is teaching me unconditional love. Both as a giver and as a receiver. She’s a good teacher and at 10 months, the lessons are thick and fast. I’m leaning that tolerance is not a fixed place.
And whilst I knew unconditional love before, This is different. Deeper.
Wider. Broader.
Again, my love is on the inside.
Testimonials
Testimonials
“Robert Young is one of a rare breed that balances true creativity with commercial nous”
Mark Ostryn
Rugged Logic ANZ
‘The Love God’
Warren Mallard
“I would offer you good luck, but you don’t need it with a product like that”
Dagmar Ackerman – Designer
As a Director of a small advertising and design agency with clients such as Cerrone Jewellers and several other jewellery, watch and accessories distributors, I was introduced to Robert to have a casual chat about what he’s trying to achieve.
Having seen a variety of pieces in his range, I firmly believe that his unique approach to design and the symbolism behind it would hold wide spread appeal across a variety of age groups and demographics.
Given that I could see myself purchasing one of his pieces in the future, I wish him every success.
Steve White
White Energy Pty Ltd
Integrated Marketing Concepts
“I love the idea of Robert’s rings – it’s like having a little secret only the giver and the recipient know about, until shared with others. Like a marriage, its what is underneath that counts. In a fashion sense, it is almost like wearing a simple black suit lined with hot pink silk.”
Good Luck!!
Sarah Pavillard
‘Innovations within the retail jewellery sector come along infrequently. From time to time there are flashes in the pan however seldom is there a range of jewellery that can be carried forward and grown from concept to a recognised brand and fashion statement.
As an award winning goldsmith and someone who has been involved in the jewellery industry since 1964 I have seen fads come and go, most never surviving two seasons. Zodiac Signs, birthstone jewellery, love rings, chain earrings, stud earrings etc. Two of the afore mentioned items did remain in fashion much longer than all the others. However in terms of the love rings, they were never fully realised there full market potential. ‘Love is always in the air’ and thus the theme for love is recurring and at present there is a void within the jewellery retail industry just begging to be filled.
Many want to give an item of jewellery as a token of their commitment and love but not necessarily as an engagement ring or wedding ring. Robert Young the love god has created and sculptured a stunning range of jewellery that is very versatile and one that fills the present void and present day requirement of new age consumers who are looking for that understated yet select and exclusive item of their expression of love and commitment.
This range of exclusive custom jewellery has the potential to surpass all others in terms of its target market which is very broad’.
Warren Mallard
Managing Director
Lyonswood Investigations & Forensic Group