Our Story

At University I studied a Bachelor Degree of Economics but it wasn’t the career I actually though it was and didn’t like it which I discovered in my first year of University. Knowing this and with sadness I decided to talked to my parents about my change of heart in my career and told them that I was looking to pick another degree instead but my father was not happy at all - what a surprise! On the other hand my mother always supported any decision I made but wasn’t enough at that time.

Anyhow, time passed and I finished Economics at University but I knew that this path was not going to fulfil my spirit and soul as an artist and adventurer. So I decided to look at other opportunities in life which took me a while until one day and I remembered this vividly... I was reading this well renowned Newspaper and saw this advertisement about a jewellery course. Guess what happened? Next day, I enrolled immediately and this was the first step into my jewellery journey and from there I was hooked.

A year or so later I had my first jewellery shop which lasted two years because towards the end I decided that I wanted to be a jewellery designer! Looking into many different degrees, diplomas and different courses worldwide I chose the Diploma in Jewellery and Object Design at Design Centre, Enmore. At the same time; I told my boyfriend -now my handsome husband- about my big dreams and he supported me all the way.

After the first two years of my Diploma I decided that I wanted to do the Advanced Diploma in Object and Jewellery Design which meant studying three years instead of two years; it was hard work but, oh boy, it was all worth it! The amount of knowledge I learned from the fabulous silversmith teacher called Ragnar H. and handpicked jewellery teachers was unmeasurable. I will never forget all those long days at the workshop: drawing, designing, soldering, filing, polishing, etc. Until now I remember my amazing Head Teacher named Catherine H. saying to me … “Pristine Janis, pristine!” and she was absolutely right! Those jewellery pieces needed to be immaculate as they were going to an exhibition at the end of that year. One of the many jewellery exhibitions our Tafe, NSW had at Depot Gallery, Waterloo. To be honest, those three years were the best years of my life which I will always cherish and has a special place in my heart. Last but not least I made great friends along the way and some from different countries around the globe which I’m still in contact with. 

         

After showcasing my work at various contemporary jewellery exhibitions and galleries across Sydney years later; we opened a brick and mortar jewellery shop called ILLARIY in Westfield Sydney and we had it for five years until we decided to have kids, enjoy life and travel more. People always ask me: What’s the meaning of ILLARIY? The definition of ILLARIY comes from the Quechua Inka’s language and its meaning is shiny.  As a jeweller making jewellery that is always polished we thought that this name was relevant plus it’s a short name to remember too! In addition, in our logo you can see three pebbles as Machu Picchu symbols. At ILLARIY, we preserve techniques that were used thousands of years ago. Most of our pieces are handcrafted to tell a unique story to its wearer. Animals, flowers, architecture, travels and the world around us constantly inspire me, as do our customers. We love seeing how you mix & match, stack and layer your favourite ILLARIY pieces. A year before my pregnancy we decided to go online 100%, switch ecommerce platforms and since then we have been always working in perfecting the U/X at ILLARIY. 

Currently, I’m studying a Diploma of Social Media Marketing at AIM and helping other brands with their social media channels and community management too.

Fast forward, we are now proud parents of a gorgeous toddler who we adore him to bits!

Thank you for being in this journey with us.

xo,

Janis, Daniel & D.S.

PS: When you purchase from ILLARIY, a portion of each sale goes to supporting causes that are close to our heart. Our favourite organisation doing this important work is Autism Aspect Australia (ASPECT).

Currently we are a proud donor and partner of Autism Aspect Australia.

 

 

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