Fans of the Australian fashion designer Dion Lee will recognise the artistic creations of the jewellery label Sarah & Sebastian, Lee’s fellow countrymen from Down Under. Of all their collaborations, the most memorable is undoubtedly the facial headpiece that Sarah & Sebastian devised to outline each model’s profile with a gilded edge for Lee’s Spring/Summer 2016 season.
The Sydney-based duo’s own designs are just as impactful. It’s newest collection, entitled Oil, poetically explores the opposing attributes of oil and water, with each delicate piece encapsulating the buoyancy and fluidity of these polarising elements. Weightless circles, suspended pendants and floating hoop earrings – rendered as simple lines in 14 carat gold – go against the traditional ideas of adornment, while still catching and seducing the eye with its delicate minimalism.
‘The idea for each collection has started with a work of art or a photograph,’ muses Sarah Gittoes, who founded the label with her partner Robert Sebastian Grynkofki in 2011. ‘We find these seeds of inspiration throughout our travel or research. The process normally begins with a clear aesthetic concept, which we then deconstruct into shapes and lines. From this point, we continue to develop the concept through sketching, creating mood boards, hand-making samples and then pulling these samples apart and remaking them. It’s very important to us to design jewellery that has the right balance of visual appeal and wearability, while also being hand-produced with quality materials.’
Stones, like diamonds, Australian sapphires and amethysts, are used sparingly, and always in support of the metal forms rather than taking over. This portrait of simplicity can also be daring, as Sarah & Sebastian has most recently proved with a series of facial pieces that affix onto the mouth or outline the lips. ‘The pieces we create lean toward the sculptural and conceptual as opposed to conventional jewellery styles,’ explains Gittoes of this direction. ‘I personally don’t have any facial piercings though I am fascinated by the concept of body adornment in any regard.’
As with all their works, each Sarah & Sebastian jewellery piece is made-to-order to ensure that the highest quality is maintained across the board. In addition to the sustainability factor of working with local Australian producers and recycled precious metals, this practice enables Gittoes and Grynkofki and their in-house team of jewellers to oversee each creation from its infancy to a perfect finish.
Each delicate piece encapsulates the buoyancy and fluidity of these polarising elements
‘The idea for each collection has started with a work of art or a photograph,’ muses Sarah Gittoes, who founded the label with her partner Robert Sebastian Grynkofki in 2011. 'The process normally begins with a clear aesthetic concept, which we then deconstruct into shapes and lines'
'It’s very important to us to design jewellery that has the right balance of visual appeal and wearability, while also being hand-produced with quality materials,’ she continues
Stones, like diamonds, Australian sapphires and amethysts, are used sparingly, and always in support of the metal forms rather than taking over
Each Sarah & Sebastian jewellery piece is made-to-order to ensure that the highest quality is maintained across the board
Simplicity can also be daring, as Sarah & Sebastian has most recently proved with a series of facial pieces that affix onto the mouth or outline the lips
INFORMATION
Sarah & Sebastian’s Oil collection is now available. Visit the website for more details
Photography: Justin Ridler
ADDRESS
Sarah & Sebastian
12B, 32 Ralph St
Alexandria
Sydney, Australia
-
Meet Malak Mattar, the Palestinian artist behind the 'Together for Palestine' concert at London's Wembley ArenaThe London-based artist curates a landmark concert of music and art in support of Gaza, alongside Brian Eno, James Blake, Jamie xx, Neneh Cherry and more
-
A new coffee table book proves that one designer’s trash is another’s treasureThe Rizzoli tome, launching today (16 September 2025), delves into the philosophy and process of Retrouvius, a design studio reclaiming salvaged materials in weird and wonderful ways
-
A carbon-emission-busting house, yeast-biomass building, and more ‘Designs for a Cooler Planet’‘Designs for a Cooler Planet’ returns to Aalto University in Finland as part of the annual Helsinki design and architecture week, highlighting buildings, materials and solutions towards a better future
-
All eyes on Greek jewellery brand Lito as it launches bold new amulets to mark its 25 yearsStriking amulets, seductive stones and secret messages characterise Lito's striking new anniversary collection, an extension of its ‘Tu es Partout’ series
-
The best layering necklaces for an elevated yet casual lookHow to mix, match and stack jewellery for the ultimate high-energy, low-effort style
-
Late summer jewels: what to wear at Golden HourLate summer signals a jewellery style-shift. These independent designers have got it covered
-
Jewellery designers share their most precious personal piecesA host of jewellers give us a peek at the jewellery which brings them joy and solace
-
Hair jewellery to covet and collectToday’s hair jewellery is both practical and pretty. We're pinning our hopes on these simple and elegant accessories
-
Andreas Kronthaler’s costume jewellery for Vivienne Westwood is fun, flirty and fabulousAndreas Kronthaler’s new jewellery draws on romantic and theatrical motifs
-
Fope’s flexible gold chains rethink a classic designElasticity meets elegance in Fope’s new jewellery collection, ‘Luna’
-
Get personal with Bea Bongiasca’s colourful initial necklaces in enamelBea Bongiasca’s ‘B Colour’ collection of initial necklaces brings a chic modernity to personalised jewellery
