Designed by Garry Holloway and made by Stephen Keogh. - $4950

Experience Designing with the Best
If you have ever designed a jewel with any of the Precious Metals team you will appreciate the dedication and passion we put into our work. In a way design awards are an opportunity for us to showcase our skills and talent to the world. Being judged the best by industry peers is a great honour and is rivalled only by the pleasure we know you gain from our creations.

A unique feature of Precious Metals is that we design and make your jewellery at the same location. We do this by design so to speak. When Garry first established the company in 1976 he observed two things: -

1. Customers were very nervous about having a piece of jewellery custom made. Often the outcome looked nothing like the sketch.
2. Almost all custom made jewellery was made by subcontractors clustered around suppliers in rabbit warrens in the city.

So Garry designed Precious Metals as a business where every thing possible was done under the same roof. Initially he thought it would be best if the jeweller who would make a piece could actually design it with the client. But over the years he has discovered that less than one in ten jewellers are good at both consultation and making jewels. The solution; have the designers and craftsperson working side by side.

This meant overcoming another traditional business model hurdle. Conventional wisdom dictates that once a business grows to a certain size (usually 7 staff) people and their work needs to be supervised. Well Garry soon discovered the best way to kill a creative environment is to put a manager in charge. What he found was the manager would tell the jeweller how the piece should be made and how it should look, but then the salesperson / designer would say ‘But it isn’t what my client wants!’

The solution was to have someone manage the times and co-ordinate things, but the designer and the jeweller should work side by side on the actual job. And this is how it has been at PM for a decade.

Now anyone with a management background who is reading this may be thinking two thoughts.

1. This whole structure is a very expensive and loosely controlled way to make things — and yes that is true. We will never be the cheapest, but as Garry’s Father always said ‘To succeed you must be either the cheapest or the best. To enjoy what you do you be the best, or to have enough money and time to enjoy doing other things — go for the turnover.’ Anyone who knows Garry knows he is passionate about what he does. He is easily pleased, with the very best!
2. In the new-age business of employing and motivating people the challenge of achievement is powerful. The concept of allowing a bunch of artists a free hand is potential lunacy. But as a designer and business owner the ultimate challenge is to create a balanced team with the complimentary skills to cover each other’s weaknesses.

We show here a fabulous showcase of the breadth of designing and creative ability of the people who are "Precious Metals". This talented team of people are here just to serve you!

Some of our other entries in design awards this year. This is your opportunity to own a ‘one only' work of art crafted to an exceptionally high standard. The collection is currently on an exhibition tour of the capitol cities and will be back instore December.

In 1999 we entered the prestigious Diamond Facets Awards sponsored by De Beers. Two Precious Metals designs were chosen as Finalists from over 150 entries from Australia's leading jewellery designers.

Emma Downs designed this platinum and ideal cut diamond pendant, finalist in the "Millennium Rocks" category. Beautifully crafted by a team of jewellers, this complex and exactingly symmetrical design has been perfectly executed. Stunning from every angle, it symbolises new beginnings, hope and renewal. Wholeness is an integral part of Emma's style, 365 pave set ideal cut diamonds curl themselves around the sleek highly polished platinum surface, one for every day of the year.

Nestling centrally sparkles a 1.56ct ideal cut diamond, just for a leap year. Wonderful to wear and good to hold cupped in the palm of your hand, even its weight is comforting.

This ring is further testimony to Doug Sutherland's skill as both a designer and a jeweller. Finalist in the "Solitaire Styles" category this incredibly precise and deceptively simple ring combines not one, but two ideal cut diamonds set point to point. If these 2 points touched each other the diamonds would splinter.

Clean design, with subtle finishes on the 18ct rose and white gold is what we have come to expect from Doug who last year won the JAA National Design Award with his hallmark of rose and white gold, the "balloon" set with a pink diamond.

In the year 2000 the pressure is on for Doug to complete a hat trick! These pieces are currently on a national exhibition tour of capital cities and will be on display in our stores in December. And yes Dougs piece is still available for sale.

1998 Australian Jewellery Design Awards

Precious Metals wins two design awards. Garry Holloway, Matthew Spaccatore and Doug Southerland won design awards at the Australian Jewellery National Design Awards. Matthew and Garry were awarded the JAA Gold Tourism Award, and Doug the JAA Gold Design Award. The trophies were presented by Kerri-Anne Kennerley at the Gala Jewell Ball held on September the 30^th at the Sheraton On The Park Hotel in Sydney.

JAA Gold Design Award
Doug Sutherland
A chequer board pattern of 18ct Pink and White Gold, featuring an exquisite Argyle Pink Diamond.
Purchase price $8,750

Doug's work is always precise and balanced with attention to detail. The inspiration for the design came to Doug one day at Brighton beach as he saw a hot air balloon drifting across the city. The idea was sown for this romantic brooch, meticulously crafted, as beautifully finished from the back as the front.

JAA Gold Tourism Award
Garry Holloway and Matthew Spaccatore (Co Designer)
Argyle Champagne Diamond, 18ct White Gold and Jarrah Brooch.
Purchase price $10,645

Garry's interest in ancient Roman and Greek culture and Matthew's love of the Australian out back inspired this jarrah Corinthian column clad in white gold "corrugated iron". A truly original design crafted with attention to the smallest detail - just look closely at the gold roofing nails!

Designs