FK chats to the lovely Rebecca from Adelaide based jewellery label Tweet Designs!
Tell us about your label Tweet Designs and what the concept is behind it?
Well Tweet Designs is a play on my surname ‘Bird’, when I was younger my friends used to call me Tweety and request the 50’s classic song ‘Rockin Robyn’ for me because in the chorus they could sing “tweet tweet’ hence the name stuck. I love it as it represents what being an artist is about, freedom. I like to think the concept behind my work is to create pieces of jewellery any age can wear and that they are timeless pieces.
What was the motivation behind starting your label?
I completed a Bachelor Degree in 2006, originally majoring in painting but finding a love for the techniques in jewellery making. I chose to stretch out my final year over two years and took on the extra subjects in jewellery to complete my studies. Since then I have had two children and making my jewellery is a wonderful way to continue on from my studies and be at home with my two girls. I love the freedom of being an artist and creating ideas that pop into your head.
Which other jewellery labels do you love? And what inspires you?
Gosh hard to pin point a favorite, I have many. Some I love are Minnette Vs Corey, their work is fun and elegant at the same time, Meghan O’Rourke’s jewellery is amazing and I love the concept behind Katrina Freene jewellery using old tin and the metal. My own inspiration comes from Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Celtic Designs and lace, I love the attention to detail in these designs. I try to put a modern twist on these and use different techniques to create jewellery that can be either worn everyday or on special occasions.
What do you love about living in Adelaide?
I grew up here so to me it’s home in more ways than one. I love that it is easy going, easy to get around and has a fantastic Arts Community. It is very different to cities elsewhere in Australia and although I love visiting other places, I’m not one to live in the fast lane, especially being a mum, so Adelaide suits me to a T!
Where do you source the recycled silver and copper for your range? and are their challenges in doing so?
No actually there are some great online businesses that you can buy from, only issues is postage time, this can be a little frustrating if you need an item in a hurry but most of the time planning ahead is important. I also source scraps from local businesses I know and use their off cuts for my work. I think of it as doing my little bit for helping the environment without devaluing my work. That’s the great thing about metal is it can be refined and reused many times.
What new plans do you have for Tweet Designs this year?
I’d love to find more stockists for my work, I regularly do markets as an outlet for my work which is great but I would love to be able to spend more time in the studio creating. I have many new designs floating around in my head so would love to extend on my range a bit with some new work. At the moment I have been focusing on my Droplets Series and trying to create as many different pieces in that design to suit everyone’s different tastes, for instance I’ve already designed many dangly earrings being a dangly girl myself, but recently designed some studs for those who like stud earrings. The possibilities are endless so I will enjoy where it takes me.