Sally Fisher has talent. She is an artist and a visionary, and her wonderful jewellery creations are unlike anything you have seen before. Sally designs and makes bespoke individual pieces that are personal to her clients, completely unique, and have an exceptional style of their own.
She works with all types of metal including pink gold, white gold, and Argentium silver, a silver alloy that is more tarnish proof, durable and organic than sterling silver. Sally is our recommended bespoke jewellery maker, creating works of art to complement our loose opals.
So how does somebody become a jewellery maker? And what inspires their creativity? We were very intrigued to find out more.
“I grew up in North East Victoria, Wangaratta, and I always wanted to be a jeweller. I got the love of jewellery from my mother taking me to auctions, clearing sales, antique shows and galleries. My father always supported my goals, and he bought my first lot of basic jewellery-making equipment when I finished my teaching degree. I never intended to teach, I only did the course to learn metalsmithing.
I’ve been making jewellery now for over thirty years. I have settled in Gympie, Queensland, and I work from home designing and manufacturing jewellery when I’m not pottering in my garden which I love.
Over the years I’ve done other kinds of work, I’m a high school teacher of woodwork and metalwork. I also paint. I’ve exhibited and sold many paintings including many commissions, and I have painted murals in many countries. I intend to make steel sculptures one day. Jewellery-making is another art form for me. Apart from the act of creating, I also enjoy the interactions I get to have with clients, working with them to bring about the very best design for them. I consider it an honour and a privilege to be part of peoples’ history, to be trusted within their very personal decision-making, and to be involved in creating family heirlooms. It’s wonderful to know that my creations will be around for hundreds or even thousands of years. I think I have a great job.
Because I’m a creative person I always find inspiration in nature, and my favourite thing is making organic, one-off pieces that have a flow and balance to them in an asymmetrical way. Opals are probably my favourite stone to work with because each one is unique and tells its own story. The stone should dictate the design, and opals have so much individual character. I also love using found objects as an inspiration or incorporating them into a piece. I have a collection of things I’ve found all over the world that I have sewn into my dreadlocks, bells and shells, etc. I think that a piece of jewellery should bring joy, and that doesn’t mean that it needs to be expensive, it just has to mean something.
I hope to gain notoriety for not only my skill and expertise as a jeweller, but also my appreciation for the significance that jewellery has in the lives of my clients. I want to be known for my personal connection. I hope that’s what people will value in their connection with me as their jeweller.
I would love to see famous people wearing and promoting my creations one day, but honestly I am content and blessed knowing that I can repair an old worn-out ring that means the world to someone.”
Some of Sally’s creations can be viewed in our jewellery selection or you can choose your favourite opal and have her make it into a bespoke ring or pendant.