Polli: sustainable, Australian-made jewellery
Your search for jewellery that’s ethical, Australian-made and on-trend ends here thanks to Byron Bay business Polli.
Earrings are big business. Just ask the owners of Polli - Brooke Johnston and Sarah Thornton - who’ve been managing and driving the brand’s unique jewellery designs since 2014.
Tucked away in the industrial estate of Byron Bay, Brooke talks exclusively to Australia Post about her career in jewellery making and what it takes to continually produce top-selling collections.
It’s a very relaxed mood at the studio and Brooke talks about being a mother and balancing the demands of running a small business. “I have one daughter who is three and Sarah has two children, Lily who is six and Phoenix who is also three, so it’s a constant juggle.”
Brooke originally studied jewellery and object design and then got her trade certificate in jewellery manufacturing. By the sounds of it, there’s many years of making, creating, drawing and sourcing before you hit your strides in the art of creating beautiful jewels. It’s hard work, but a job that Brooke and Sarah find massively rewarding.
They’ve built a very loyal following on social media, with just over 12,000 earring fans on Instagram and you can tell they get excited when a new batch drops on their website.
“We have a lot of fun with colour and texture, which has always been a huge driver for us aesthetically. Earrings are having a moment in the spotlight and we’re responding to our customers’ desire for big, bold, splashy statement pieces,” says Brooke.
Offering free domestic shipping for orders over $75, all Polli jewellery is proudly Australian made. All designs are hand assembled using quality materials, built to last. To craft their pieces Brooke and Sarah use fine recycled stainless steel and Australian Hoop Pine Ply, sourced from local manufacturers.
When asked about their inspiration points, Brooke says they are constantly drawing on their surroundings to create new collections and designs (some of the names of their collections include Modern Bohemian, Mystic River and Wildflowers).
“We are so lucky to live in an area with such abundant natural beauty, it’s hard not to be positively affected. Strong, simple and balanced are some elements we follow during the design process and we keep these ideas in mind when completing a collection,” she says.
They’ve learnt many things along the way too, especially the importance of investing in photography and styling to grow an online presence.
“Something we learnt very early on is that your pieces are only as good as your photography,” Brooke says.
Brooke also notes that excellent customer service and simple, yet classic packaging helps to build a loyal customer base that keeps coming back.
“We love our regular customers and we always offer a personable experience and cute, environmentally friendly packaging,” Brooke says.
“We add details such as gold foiling and custom size cards and present each piece in a branded calico drawstring bag that the customer can reuse. We hope shoppers get a sense of individuality and attention to detail, which we try and focus on in all our branding,” she says.
Ethical jewellery made in Byron Bay
Free shipping within Australia for orders over $75.
