Zoë Ace Metal
Designer Jeweller & Maverick
Years ago, day-drunk in the Dublin National History Museum, I spent hours looking at the Viking and Celtic jewellery, the ancient precious objects still gleaming and perfect after hundreds of years hidden underground. On one of the perfectly preserved bog bodies pulled from the peat, tanned red from tannin, there was a bracelet of plaited horsehair still wrapped around the wrist. The permanence of jewellery struck me.
As I traveled mainland Europe I found myself drawn over and over again to jewellery, to shopfronts, to market stalls, to museums... I decided I had to learn how to make it. Maybe one day in many years, someone will excavate something that I have made. They might love it. They might hate it. They may even be inspired to make something of their own.
I returned to Australia and completed an Advanced Diploma of Jewellery Manufacture and Object Design at Melbourne Polytechnic (NMIT).
After running my jewellery business in Melbourne for a couple of years, I felt the pull of home and returned to Lismore, in Northern NSW. For a few years my tools remained packed away in boxes.
In 2023, after plague, floods, half a Creative Writing degree, and a diagnosis for ADHD and the 'Tism, I rediscovered my love for making, and am back at the bench.
My newest pieces are inspired by Victorian Mourning Jewellery, and feature antique miniature Frozen Charlotte dolls. This new range is modular and customisable. My handmade fob-swivel chains are statements on their own, or can be worn with interchangeable O-Ring pendants..
I have changed my business model to better suit my neurodivergent brain. I have moved away from made-to-order jewellery and won't be taking any custom orders at this stage. This may change in the future.
I have added a section to my website for one off pieces. I am still making small batches of my staple pieces, but some pieces I will only make once. If you love something, snaffle it before it's gone.
I belong to the Hammer and Hand Jewellers' Collective in Bangalow, and spend my Sundays in the shop/studio - so if you're ever in the area, drop by!
x Zoë Ace
