A Sydney Jewellery Designer On What It’s Like To Create Future Heirlooms

Jewellery is more than just the finishing touch to a perfect outfit. While a glint of gold can make you feel put together, it’s the meaning we place on jewellery that bears the most value.

We tie pieces of jewellery to people in our lives. Whether it’s an engagement ring thoughtfully presented to us by a partner, a necklace passed down to carry a loved one close to our heart, or a bracelet engraved with a meaningful message, jewellery can carry our love stories.

This emotional connection is part of Australian jewellery designer Tania Gnecchi Ruscone’s philosophy. Through her brand, RUUSK, she encourages meaningful purchasing, with made-to-order jewellery that’s intended to be passed down through generations.

Not only is crafting timeless pieces to withstand trends part of Tania’s vision for heirlooms, but she also hopes it will help move people away from buying mass-produced goods and mindless consumption.

We chatted with Tania to find out more about what it’s like to create future heirlooms.

Tania: Yes, I’m so lucky to have inherited some very special heirlooms that I absolutely treasure. My grandmother recently passed and my mother brought back one of her chains for me when she returned from South America. I love wearing it in moments when I feel like I need her wisdom and strength. 

She was such an incredible woman and wearing her piece makes me feel closer to her, it brings me so much comfort and joy. Knowing that I will be able to pass this on to my daughter, Noa, along with the pieces that I wear daily, is a beautiful thought.

Tania: Ever since I was little I was taught to appreciate well-made, beautiful things, infused with stories. My mum is South American and my father is Italian, and I was lucky enough to travel often. Our home was filled with multicultural statues, artefacts and paintings — each one with a unique story to tell. Being surrounded by so many rich and eclectic pieces taught me to believe in the power of storytelling through objects and to appreciate the unspoken beauty that even a simple item can hold. 

My mother and grandmother have been huge influences for me, in more ways than one. I was always drawn to the jewellery they wore and have really strong memories tied to these pieces. My grandmother (my mum’s-mum) used to visit us from South America, and vice-versa, and every time I saw her I used to play with her bangles. I loved the way they made sounds as they clinked together and she also used to take them off and let me spin them on the table. 

Creating with intention and story elevates the piece to mean something greater. It becomes a symbol for something more. All RUUSK pieces are made to order because I wanted to create pieces that people already wanted to own — to bring to life something that is already loved and treasured. Being able to create pieces that help celebrate, commemorate or empower is everything I could wish for. It’s such an honour to be asked to create something so special, pieces that may be passed down through generations.

Tania: This can really vary depending on the motivation and story behind their piece. Sometimes we are creating a piece for a special occasion, like a wedding, engagement, or the birth of a child. Sometimes, we’re creating to commemorate someone who has passed. We love working with each client to find out the inspirations behind their piece and to help guide them to personalise their pieces with meaningful details, such as engraving or symbolic stone choices. 

Tania: When I launched RUUSK, I wanted to give our customers the opportunity to personalise their pieces in a way that could help them tell and celebrate their personal stories. By making each piece to order, it gives us the flexibility to offer thousands of possible combinations for stone setting, stone options, number of stones, gold carat and colour. Although we have set shapes that we work with, it’s possible that we’ll only ever create one piece with your specific requirements.

As an online business with local clients and clients abroad, we offer a very personalised experience with multiple touch points throughout the journey. Building meaningful customer relationships is at the heart of what we do. 

Tania: In a world of fast-paced, mass-produced goods, being able to create pieces of true ‘value’ — physically, spiritually and emotionally, is so important. It allows me to bring something new to the world that will transcend generations. Knowing that these pieces are brought into the world to be loved, not just in one lifetime, but hopefully in many more, has a certain magic that is just so special and timeless.

Tania: Word of mouth has probably been our most important and effective way of growing our customer base. I’ve always been really proud of this as it’s such a good indicator that you are doing well, not just from a business perspective but from a personal one too. Knowing that we are providing and creating an experience and piece that our clients naturally want to tell their friends and families about is so heartwarming. 

Growing overseas has been really exciting — it's a really big world out there! Being able to use Square to send international invoices is fantastic. It makes it so much easier for our clients to be able to pay using their credit cards. Given our pieces are those very special investment pieces, we also give our clients the option of paying in instalments if they like.

My mum always taught me that business, like everything else in life, is about relationships; it’s about helping others and staying true to what you believe in.

Tania: If you are passionate about what you do, believe in what you do and create a product or a service with integrity, I think good business follows. Like many things in life, it’s sometimes not possible to do everything exactly as you wish straight away, but I think this fuels a healthy desire to want to do better. 

I’m always looking for ways that we can grow and improve, not so much from a financial perspective but rather from an ‘intentional business’ lens: how can we create an even better experience? How can we create even better pieces? How can we give back to our community and world? And, more recently as our team grows, how can I create a dream work environment for my beautiful team? 

For more stories on how small business owners have levelled up, head to our Square One section on site.