Every jeweller starts somewhere, and in our Managing Director’s case, he carried out his jewellery apprenticeship right here within the family business. Lachlan completed his jewellery apprenticeship in 2011, honing his skills alongside Paul, his Father and our very own second-generation jeweller.

As part of a jewellery apprenticeship, an apprentice must complete a piece in full for their final assessment piece. Today, we’re excited to share the final piece Lachlan designed and crafted for his final assessment piece. The theme being ‘The Power of Classical Design’, Lachlan chose to design a three-in-one piece, titling it ‘Elizabeth’. Set in 18k white gold, the piece champions a trio of pear-cut Ceylon sapphires, and a cabochon Ceylon sapphire alongside natural white diamonds. The most fascinating design feature of this piece is the ability to transform it from a single necklace into a necklace, bracelet, and drop-style earring set. The manipulated and intricate metalwork allows the joins to be hidden seamlessly in the design. 

As with any final trade assessment, the apprentice must meet the set criteria, showcasing the level of skill they’ve developed throughout their training placement. In this case, Lachlan showcased everything from concept through to technical renders and techniques used to complete the manufacturing process. The result was a piece that was extremely well-documented to ensure it translated well from paper to a functional and wearable piece of jewellery. Without further ado, let’s chat to Lachlan about this breathtaking work of art.

Q: Let’s begin by finding out more about the design inspiration behind this extravagant three-in-one piece that you designed and crafted during your jewellery TAFE apprenticeship. Did you have a particular source of inspiration for this three-in-one piece, and what was the reason behind the choice to use Ceylon sapphires as the primary gemstone?
A: For our final assessment, our cohort was tasked with designing a piece that showcased the power of classical design. When I think classical, I think Royals and their extravagent, yet timeless jewellery collections that incorporate highly sought after stones like royal blue hued Ceylon sapphires set amongst natural diamonds, and decorative scrollwork.

Q: Given that the necklace can be taken apart to make three separate pieces, we can only imagine there would have been a lot of technical planning and intricate work that was required to ensure the clasp systems would work functionally. Can you take us through the process of planning and testing of these elements to ensure they would work?
A: Of course! The first process in the technical planning process involved sketching a drawing of each of the three separate components to scale. The next step was to draw an exploded view of each component, where they were broken out separately.

Gathering the materials for construction was the first step of the process once the full-scale technical drawing was complete. Measurements of all components were taken from the drawing to estimate sizes and specifics for the required precious metal and gemstone orders. The construction process had to be completely thorough – from how the pieces mechanically operated, to fabricating them and the steps involved to accomplish the desired finish of the piece with minimal waste. Stones were selected before production commenced as their sizes determined the setting measurement.

Q: Approximately how long did it take you to assemble and manufacture the three-piece set?
A: During my time crafting this piece, I was required to plan out the blocks of work and record the time spent on each component. In total, it took 152 hours just to manufacture the piece. In addition to this, I spent several hours developing the initial concept and design.

Q: What are you most proud of with this design?
A: I'm really proud of how I was able to execute on such an intricate design, ensuring it was practical and wearable. It was a combination of the aesthetic appeal, the concept, the mechanical features, my workmanship and the natural beauty of the precious gemstones that make the Elizabeth trio an exceptional piece. Each rivet, stone set hinge and catching system is a showcase of what I had learnt during my time training to be a qualified jeweller, and in doing so I was able to take out two awards in my cohort, including best technical aspects and the people's choice award. All of those hours really did pay off. 

For those who are interested, these pieces are on display in the Hogans workshop and showroom, located at 241 Margaret Street, Toowoomba.