Love Australian Jewellery Designers?
Meet Simone Walsh

Early 1990s

A small jewellery business begins

Simone saw an unusual piece of handmade jewellery and became fascinated by how it was made. She picked up some pliers, wire and glass and began teaching herself the craft.

Soon after, she started creating simple designs and selling them at markets in Adelaide, South Australia - the very beginnings of Simone Walsh Jewellery.

Mid 1990s

Becoming a jewellery designer

Simone committed to refining her craft by learning how to make jewellery in precious metals.

She left her job in the music industry and began studying full time: Visual Arts with a Jewellery Major at a technical college in South Australia, where she was awarded Most Outstanding Jewellery Student.

Discover the art jewellery & objects Simone created.

2000

More education & art making

After a stint living in Europe, Simone began a Bachelor of Visual Arts with a Jewellery Major at the University of Sydney. During this time she developed her art practice, creating and exhibiting jewellery and related artworks.

Simone graduated in 2000 and continued designing jewellery while working in marketing and web design for a non-profit - experience that would later support her growing online business.

2006-2007

An online jewellery store

Simone embraced a new online marketplace called Etsy at a time when buying jewellery online was still uncommon. Although initially unsure how customers would respond, she sold her first piece within 30 minutes and quickly built a growing international customer base.

In 2007, Simone launched her own online store at simonewalsh.com - becoming one of the very first online Australian jewellery stores.

2009

A growing jewellery business

Simone was finally able to run her Australian jewellery business full time - something she had been steadily building towards for years.

She spent long days in her workshop refining and creating new designs, while carefully packing and shipping orders as demand for her jewellery continued to grow.

2014

Growing pains & changes

After returning to South Australia and partnering with her husband, the business reached a turning point: demand had grown beyond what one pair of hands could manage alone.

We began collaborating with an ethically run jewellery workshop, where skilled artisans create components and pieces to Simone’s designs.

Simone continues to make jewellery at her own bench: assembling, soldering, stone-setting and hand-finishing pieces made using workshop components. This evolution has made the business more sustainable while keeping Simone closely involved in the making process.

Today

An Australian jewellery brand

Simone is proud to be an Australian jewellery designer running a thriving independent jewellery brand with customers around the world - now celebrating over 30 years of creating jewellery and over 20 years of selling jewellery online.

She still loves creating jewellery, learning new skills and bringing joy to customers.

Decades after writing that teenage letter, Simone now lives in the countryside near the South Australian coast, where she continues to design and make jewellery in sterling silver, solid gold and carefully chosen gemstones.