Collection: Kirra-lea

Kirra-lea is a trade qualified jeweller with a background in visual arts. She draws inspiration for her unique designs from nature, focusing on making wearable art that is beautiful, practical and durable. In her twig collections, Kirra-lea makes moulds of real twigs and sticks to make jewellery. The original base design is made from a twig, which has a silicon mould made of it so that replicas can be produced in any precious metal. This process allows all the details, textures and imperfections of nature to be preserved and worn as fine jewellery.

Kirra-lea is a trade qualified jeweller with a background in visual arts. She draws inspiration for her unique designs from nature, focusing on making wearable art that is beautiful, practical and durable.  

More About Kirra-lea

Kirra-lea Jewellery is an independent label specialising in hand crafted sterling silver and gold jewellery that is heavily inspired by nature. Kirra-lea is a qualified jeweller with over 10 years’ experience in the trade, having learnt many traditional and contemporary metal smithing techniques. She is a multi-award winning jewellery designer and manufacturer, winning competitions including The JAA Jewellery Awards and DGA Design Awards. She was recently won the colour category and the title of Jeweller of the Year in the 2019 JAA Design competition for her colourful entry "Plumage".

Based in Melbourne, Australia Kirra-lea works as the sole manufacturer and designer from her home studio. She collects sticks and twigs from her surroundings as she she walks through her garden, when visiting friends and camping at landmark destinations like Wilson's Promontory. Only the most unique and beautifully textured twigs are used to build the base of her designs.  

Kirra-lea is also an accomplished sand caster and specialises in cast-in-place rough sapphires. This unique skill has enabled her to travel around Australia teaching fellow jewellers and novices alike the ancient technique. All her rough sapphires are Australian mined by small family businesses and hobbyists. Kirra-lea also makes fossicking trips to Tasmania where she finds her own rough gemstones in the pristine North East rivers. The river banks are also a great source for interesting sticks and twigs to incorporate into her designs.

Kirra-lea has created a range of ‘UnEarthed’ jewellery specifically for Breathing Colours. 

Kirra’s ‘UnEarthed’ pieces are organic looking jewellery with ‘cast in place’ precious gemstones. These rough gems look as if to be emerging from the metal or being unearthed. This collection focuses on natural Australian gemstones like sapphires, zircons, black spinel, quartz and topaz. With the addition of adorning faceted gemstones in some designs to complement the natural uncut stones. Every piece in this collection is a one off and though can be replicated will always be different and unique.

Kirra-lea on Sand Casting

"This is a process I enjoy very much! I actually specialise in this technique and run classes teaching jewellers and novices alike how to sand cast jewellery. As the title lead you to believe it’s a casting technique using sand! It a two-part mould filled with special sand called Green Sand or Delft Clay. The two halves of the flask are filled with compressed sand and an object is pressed into the two halves creating a negative space that can be filled with molten metal. Its as easy as that!

I like to make castings of costume jewellery found at op shops or of heavily textured bits of wood. Shells and coral work great too. I love this process because I make the pieces from start to finish without outsourcing any of the work. I also get a lot of control over how clean or rough I want the object replicated and if I would like to cast in place stones or set them post casting. In short, it’s a very creative and fun process! If you are interested in taking one of my classes send me a message. It doesn’t have to be a skill for life, it can just be a fun day creating with a friend or partner." 

 

15 products
  • Stirling Silver Ring Pendant With Sapphires by Kirra -lea Caynes
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    $130.00
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    $130.00
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  • Stirling Silver Textured Signet Ring by Kirra-Lea Caynes
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    $200.00
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  • Stirling Silver Textured Dress Ring by Kirra-lea Caynes
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    $190.00
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    $190.00
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  • Stirling Silver Spike Pendant with Sapphires by Kirra-lea Caynes
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    $160.00
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  • Stirling Silver Spike Pendant by Kirra-lea Caynes
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    $160.00
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  • Stirling Silver Pendant by Australian Artist Kirra-lea Caynes
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    $180.00
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  • Stirling Silver Patterned Ring Pendant by Kirra-lea Caynes
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    $220.00
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  • Stirling Silver Circle Pendant with Sapphires by Kirra-lea Caynes
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    $180.00
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  • Open Band Sterling Silver Ring by Kirra-lea Caynes SOLD
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    $130.00
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  • Stirling Silver Pinky Signet Ring with a Sapphire by Kirra-lea Caynes
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    $160.00
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  • Rectangle Stirling Silver Signet Ring by Kirra-lea Caynes
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    $170.00
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    $170.00
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  • Sterling Silver Shell Pendant by Kirra-lea Caynes
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    $300.00
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    $300.00
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  • Stirling Silver Pendant with Sapphires by Kirra-lea Caynes
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    $140.00
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    $140.00
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  • Pinky Sterling Silver Signet Ring by Kirra-lea Caynes - SOLD
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    $160.00
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    $160.00
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  • Sea Urchin Textured Pendant by Kirra-lea Caynes
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    $240.00
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    $240.00
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