Faith Hilda, a renowned Australian fine jewelry designer takes the jewelry world by storm with her bespoke jewelry creations…
By Nagmani
Wearing jewelry for women is obviously a marked celebration of their love of living life to the fullest but with chutzpah in line with pampering their own individual tastes directly influenced by the subtle magnificence of jewelry. This is, in fact, their way of accentuating as well as defining the depth of eternal beauty (which is more than just a pretty face) they yearn for as part of looking chic.
More or less, it’s something abstract by nature and which can only be felt to be better understood in a holistic way. Needless to say, for many jewelry designers focused on catering to a niche segment, what matters most is the pure essence of human emotions since it’s the biggest source/reservoir of inspiration that they can keenly tap into to ultimately showcase its intricacies through their sublime jewelry pieces. So when the dazzling collections by them are complete and ready to hit the market, it’s no wonder that their precious creations are truly going to make waves. Most importantly, such grand collections take thousands of hours to come to fruition in their exact state thanks to the highest level of meticulous craftsmanship involved right from the start.
As such, things like this require a great deal of creative preparedness accompanied by inquisitive insights, eventually leading one to achieve big milestones in life. And this is exactly the story of Faith Hilda, an internationally renowned, award-winning Australian-based fine jewelry designer who runs her own eponymous brand by the name of Faith Jewels, born to create bespoke jewelry of marvelous quality that her clients are always keen to own for themselves as part of celebrating anything they think has made their lives extremely impactful.
All in all, she has come this far in her career by providing only the highest quality of work that jewelry enthusiasts seem to expect from an A-list bespoke fine jewelry designer like her. Besides, she is someone who takes pride in being modest about her growing popularity. Instead, she wants to focus energy on giving shape to more incredible pieces in this ever changing field which, in itself, is a highly praiseworthy gesture. As Faith said, “For an artist, nothing can be more fulfilling than the work they produce speaks volumes about their prowess. That’s everything to them.”
Finding her true calling in jewelry making
Though she got drawn to the captivating world of jewelry making in the end, what can’t be ruled out is that her strong architectural background has undoubtedly added an invaluable dimension in the form of technical excellence to exquisitely elegant jewelry pieces she creates today. So her knowledge of design was inherently well-established. Faith’s foray into the industry of jewelry design happened to be far from conventional since it was something she had never thought of making her occupation. Also it wasn’t in any way associated with the so-called glory of inheritance as passed down from one generation to another. So was the case in her family where no jewelry empire ever existed. “Rather, I became extremely involved in learning the ABCs of jewelry making through a series of fortuitous events that unfolded in my life in the right place at the right time, thus bringing me closer to the allure of it,” she said.
Faith’s initial stint towards pursuing the path of becoming a jewelry designer began at a jewelry house in Melbourne where she worked in the production and manufacturing unit. While working there in the dim light of a basement, she soon realized that here she had a great opportunity to familiarize herself with the craft of jewelry making and cherish it as an artistic gift. As she pointed out, “I made the most of this great prospect that came my way by learning every step of the process from sourcing and casting to cleaning, polishing and setting, eventually culminating in the creation of spectacular jewelry pieces with a degree of greater opulence.”
As things were taking shape in her life, however, the route to success became only evident when she got a chance out of the blue to leverage her design and drawing skills to make a beautiful customized engagement ring for one of her clients. “I often recall that moment as a turning point of my career that changed everything for the better. In return, what I earned was not only my employer’s trust as an invaluable asset but it also marked my transition from the shadows of the basement to emerge at the forefront of interacting directly with clients from everywhere with positivity,” Faith said.
Now that her preliminary work had received a lot of attention for its sheer brilliance, it came as no surprise that the queue of customers standing outside a number of jewelry shops (where she worked for several years) looking for bespoke pieces got bigger as each day passed by. “This starting point which proved to be a success by all means really paved the way for me to further customize and create more marvelous pieces,” she said. “With my architectural skills, particularly my ability to draw in 3D spontaneously, it became a lot simpler for me to fully engage with clients besides communicating the efficacy of all design ideas more effectively, backed by a solid understanding of the feasibility of manufacturing those intricate designs.”
Interestingly, for Faith, looking at jewelry through the lens of architecture (touched by the European architectural wonders and beyond) has always been paramount as it has allowed her to unearth the unseen, spiraling layers of its beauty from every aspect and view them in depth. It’s no wonder that her brand is very much influenced by this philosophy and is often considered vital when it comes to how she and her team ultimately make a move towards engaging with their clients longing for bespoke pieces of jewelry. This is where her priority gets even bigger as each client receives a personal sketch hand-drawn by her and framed as a lasting keepsake. “The appearance of the jewel itself is akin to unveiling a ‘house,’ where every angle and facet of its design and look has been thoroughly considered in order to make it a marvelous piece of structure,” Faith said.
Faith jewels strike a chord for good reasons
Having a special enchanting touch to one’s brand is an indispensable magic stick to grow it progressively in a different way. And Faith’s eclectic way of designing jewelry pieces for over 20 years is proof as to how successfully she has built her brand to have such a niche following among women jewelry enthusiasts although she launched it in 2016.
As she put it this way, “I simply believe in being different with my design approach. I infuse each piece with a sense of feminine elegance and a personal touch, drawing upon my knowledge of how jewelry, like a ring, should not only look but also feel to the heart & soul in a way. Being a woman, I strongly believe I’ve the unique advantage of wearing and testing each creation myself, ensuring it’s comfortable and durable for everyday wear. This hands-on understanding allows me to really guarantee that our jewelry not only looks exquisite but is also practical for daily life, thus embodying the essence of a truly wearable art.”
Even men aren’t untouched by Faith’s excellent work and so have become big fans of her bespoke jewelry services, dropping by her prime studio in Melbourne from across the globe with requests for engagement rings, custom-designed jewelry to commemorate different occasions such as anniversaries, birthdays, and other significant life milestones including celebrating the presence of remarkable women in their lives.
According to her, the world of traditional jewelers that is predominantly male even to this day often engages in creating jewelry that favors low settings or constrictive designs, which unfortunately fail to showcase the gemstones’ beauty in a full-blown way. While many brands, including new ones, claim to offer personalized designs, merely altering a stone’s color or the band’s width, this hardly qualifies as a great example of a truly customized service. “For me, bespoke jewelry means all the precious gemstones, materials including techniques that go into their making should be one-of-a-kind plus given ultimate shapes as required in accordance with the clients’ demands. Everything has to be hammered out from scratch. It’s very much like a new birth taking place,” she said. “We also love working with traditional jewelry makers to get the best of both worlds in order to achieve our jewelry design dreams immaculately, such as color forged in titanium but set scrupulously in the most traditional way. This way, we tend to show our deepest appreciation for the sanctity of traditional jewelry making techniques undoubtedly having their own splendor within their own universe.”
Using colors in balanced proportion
Faith’s jewelry pieces are elevated by using colors in a minimalist fashion to make sure they’ve the right ratio of it in their making. After all, too much of anything can be a cause of distraction particularly in the world of jewelry since its beauty lies in retaining the precise design aesthetics. “Personally, I’m of the opinion that the significance of color palette in designing jewelry pieces shouldn’t be indicative of them being overpowered by it. I came to learn about this key feature thanks to my passion for physics during my school years, coupled with two decades of mine totally dedicated to an intensive study of fine arts, which laid a robust foundation for my greater understanding of light, shadow, and color. And I experienced this exciting journey through a gamut of mediums—watercolors, oils, acrylics, crayons, charcoals, and my personal favorite, the humble pencil, not to mention explorations into pottery, linocut printing, and art history—all of them enriched my comprehension of how color can transform perceptions of light and shadow, varying strikingly with the medium one chooses to use,” she said.
Based on her best knowledge of light, shadow and color, Faith sometimes likes to take her clients on a rejuvenating journey whereby introducing them to the concept of light refraction with indispensable tips from the famous Snell’s law—which describes how light seems to travel at 90 degrees within the same medium and its subsequent effect on reflection. “This principle is extremely relevant to the world of jewelry. It plays a crucial role in how gemstones and diamonds, in particular, react while coming in contact with light. This know-how empowers me to confidently advise clients on matters related to color choices, and in doing so allows me to intuitively match each individual with their unique style and preferences they might have,” she said. “It’s all part of my evergreen initiative to provide one of the best bespoke services to fulfill their visions for a dream piece of jewelry. And I do so by delving into their personal narratives that are no less than a treasure trove.”
Recognition acts as an encouraging factor
What can be more rewarding than one’s work being recognized and awarded thereafter in a special category! And for Faith it was no different at all when she was bestowed with an international design award for her ever popular Freedom Collection in Italy back in 2018.The collection was highly inspirational as it captured the spirits of a mother’s fight against the hardships caused by domestic violence she was facing in her life while taking care of her two boys and keeping them safe at the same time. “The ring as part of the trilogy collection (pendant and earring) did extraordinarily well because of its clean lines developed in tandem with subtle curves. I think the collection encapsulated the moving personal story of a mother (one of my clients) determined to conquer the challenges as well as be able to appreciate life although it really has its fair share of imperfections at every step—something which is an undeniable truth,” she said.
And being a jewelry designer has given Faith a stupendous platform to exercise her complete freedom towards expressing what she proudly admits her artistic visions and bringing joy to the faces of every person she meets as a result of this incredible craft. Then her two bespoke jewelry pieces namely “The Lady Anne dome ring and the Miraggio ring can’t be forgotten since both creations went on to create a stir among jewelry enthusiasts for their outstanding designs and are still talked about by the industry stalwarts.
“We too relied on the same architectural techniques that Filippo Brunelleschi had applied in the Duomo building in Florence while designing both the rings. Besides, the Lady Anne dome ring is one of the finest examples of lattice work on display and its inspiration directly comes from the architectural finesse of the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque in Iran. It’s crafted in18k rose gold and is then embellished with rare blush pink Australian Argyle diamonds, graduating white diamonds and sky-blue diamonds. Our dome ring series is continuously evolving in line with the tastes of clients as and when we come in contact with,” she said.
In the case of the Miraggio ring, Faith was purely inspired by the beautiful phenomenon of mirage that is part and parcel of desert landscapes thanks to blazing heat but most importantly by Egypt. This is when the image of an oasis starts to build up leading to water being seen as if it has been engulfed by a bright golden light. “And I really wanted to reinterpret this natural occurrence through a jewelry piece. That’s how the idea of the Miraggio ring surfaced. However, the real idea for it came out of my own vision of sun-showers at first. The ring has, in fact, been designed using an Asscher-cut vivid yellow diamond known for its intense color and natural radiance along with different types of diamonds that all came from my vault collection of fine and collectible diamonds, colored diamonds and colored precious gemstones,” she said. “It’s squarer, more geometric and flatter in compliance with the base of the pyramids in Egypt. That way, I’m very much a nature-oriented person seeking inspiration from its vast beauty all the time.”
“The thing is that I’m used to pushing my traditional jewelers’ bench to move outside their comfort zone for several pieces like these two we worked hard on. The end result is a testament to this wondrous amalgamation of fine jewelry and architecture,” she said. “Likewise, our FJ Wave ring is another mesmerizing ring par excellence with its intricate composition because its owner wanted the ring to reflect her deep love of vast Australian oceans sparkling under sunlit blue skies. This is something I will always be proud of having created because we did exactly what she was looking for from us.”
Though Faith’s forte revolves around making bespoke jewelry, there is no denying that she is equally well-versed at designing ready-to-wear collections as well. Currently, her two such collections “Wildflowers and Whispers of Love” are making waves with interesting themes they’re based on. “The Wildflowers collection is all about surviving and blooming at the same time in different environments although they may be hostile to one whereas the Whispers of Love collection is an ode to the heart, our symbol of love and compassion women expect from whosoever they meet in their lifetime,” she said. “The first collection has been crafted by hand using pink sapphires, solid yellow and white gold including diamonds, South Sea pearls and turquoise. And the latter comprises lily petal pieces designed using pave-set diamonds and high polish precious metals as well as slim stackable rings and bangles made with unexpected elements of colored titanium in cobalt blue, blush and mint.”
Faith is quite aware of what she wants her brand to be known as. She doesn’t want it to be labeled as a product for the mass market at all. She wants her brand to be known for its exclusive benchmark. “I envision the brand to be seen as the epitome of absolute exclusivity, accessible only to those in the know. I admire JAR, whose unique creations are sold through Christie’s—an exemplary model of exclusivity and distinction. Similarly, my ultimate dream is to see my complete Elements collection (which is on the verge of being finished with the exquisite Earth ring currently I’m working on) displayed and auctioned at Sotheby’s. Achieving this would definitely mark the pinnacle of my career, a testament to the artistry and uniqueness of my work,” she said.
In short, she is a stunner when it comes to designing jewelry pieces of supreme quality for everybody (whether it’s between partners, loved ones, or family members like mothers, daughters, and fathers) as her name “Faith” clearly seems to suggest. Since it’s just a matter of time before her complete Elements collection is unveiled before the world, there is no doubt that she is on the cusp of being celebrated as a highly influential jewelry designer the entire jewelry industry would be proud of. After all, her inventiveness as a jewelry designer is second to none in this field.
