Media Release – Wednesday 2 October 2013
Jewellery artists and designers from far and wide will travel to Canberra for The Jewel of Canberra theme day at the award-winning Old Bus Depot Markets on Sunday 10 November.
“Our markets will become a giant jewellery box with all things shiny and precious. From unique lapel pins and pendants, to necklaces, rings and earrings, we will have jewellery made from a huge range of materials, and by some very talented designers,” said Old Bus Depot Markets Director, Diane Hinds.
“We’ll have over 40 great jewellery stalls to choose from and there’s always new and exciting pieces on offer. It’s a great chance for lovers of interesting jewellery to spoil themselves, or find a unique gift for a friend or loved one,” she continued.
The Jewel of Canberra offers the chance for visitors to browse the many jewellery stalls and see a range of styles, price points and individual pieces, because the stallholders are all independent designers and craftspeople who work with a small business environment.
“You’ll find jewellery made from silver, recycled metal art, pearls, precious and semi precious stones, resin, glass, ceramics and more.
“People love perusing the aisles for interesting one-off pieces that are quite unlike the mass produced items you’ll find in regular larger jewellery stores,” Diane continued.
Joanna Harris-MacNeil is one of the regular market stallholders who will be at Jewel of Canberra with her exquisite range of Harris & Jean jewellery. Her original geometric designs include rings, earrings, brooches and pendants made in both silver and gold, and often feature stunning Australian sapphires. These sapphires come in shades of green, blue, yellow and orange and are sourced from Canberra, throughout NSW and into Southern Queensland. Joanna makes all her pieces from her own studio in Canberra and says her most popular items are earrings and stacking rings.
And it’s not just jewellery artists from Canberra who’ll be there. Hilary Firth travels from Sydney for the event with her interesting range, Hiddy Concepts. She makes necklaces from semi precious stones, resin and glass, as well as earrings from Swarovski crystal, ceramic beads from Kenya and hand made glass beads from Unicorn Glass in Los Angeles. Hilary says she’s always loved ‘bling’ and now that her hobby has become so big she enjoys sharing her designs with market customers.
“We know visitors are going to love this day. With so many great designers and talented makers, there are jewellery items for anyone who loves to accessorise,” Diane concluded.