tell us about your background
We are sisters in law and best friends who love beautiful things! We love making and doing, and pony&pressed is our dream come true. We grew up in the Mallee, moved to Melbourne for uni in the late 90’s, and never went home! We love travelling the world and experiencing new things, drinking mojitos, and hanging out in our backyard studio, stamping stuff.
tell us about what you create
We start with beautifully designed and made solid sterling silver jewellery and gifts, onto which we stamp – by hand – each individual letter, number and character, creating a bespoke piece which will never be duplicated! Because no part of our process is automated, each and every piece that leaves our studio is a one-off (even if they have the same words stamped on!). Our range includes jewellery and giftware for men, women and children.
what made you start making your pieces?
Being crafty kinda gals, we taught ourselves hand-stamping to make jewellery for ourselves and our families. We got such a wonderful response that we decided to think big and expand our venture! We started off with a few jewellery items (designed principally to suit our own tastes!) and when we discovered the distinct lack of well-designed, heirloom-quality gifts for babies and children, we expanded the concept and included those items as well. We had seen a few different “personalised” jewellery labels about the place, but we were unimpressed with their designs – we felt they were a bit generic and uninspired. And we hated the fonts! So we did a bit of research and got ourselves some fabulous typewriter font stamps. Especially when combined with the oxidisation process we offer, this font looks as though a giant typewriter has typed each word or number onto the silver. We love the way this looks! And think our customers do as well.
What is your inspiration/influences?
We’re inspired by a lot of things – fossicking in junk and antique stores, reading design magazines, music and film, but most of all, we’re inspired by our customers! We love hearing the stories behind the pieces we’re stamping -we find them endlessly fascinating. Recently we did a matching set of his and hers pendants for a couple, and we assumed they were for a wedding anniversary. Over the course of our communications, we discovered that their wedding day ended up being a really unhappy day for a variety of reasons, so instead every year they celebrate the date they first met – which was the date we stamped onto their pendants. We thought that was a lovely story of resilience and true love conquering all!
What materials do you use?
Everything we stamp on is 100% sterling silver. Silver is the perfect material for hand-stamping, as it is soft enough to allow a deep impression,showing off the minute details of each character perfectly, but hardy enough to be worn every day.
Nothing is quite as special as a gorgeous gift or piece of jewellery made of a precious metal, to say nothing of the intensely personal and treasured nature if it has been hand-stamped with an individual message of love, lust or friendship. We think that makes our products pretty special!
tell us about your creative process?
Foremost in the design of our sterling silver items is the size/thickness of each piece, as we need to ensure they are wide and heavy enough to be stamped on perfectly. We’re really happy with the quality of our range, as everything has been designed specifically with our stamping process in mind, to ensure the outcome is nothing less that perfect. The rest of the process is up to the customer! Some customers tell us what they’d like exactly, while others give us the data and leave it up to us whether we add flourishes (such as dots around/between words or numbers, or the addition of a heart), oxidisation, or how we space the items. Either is cool with us!
why did you choose in.cube8r?
Melbourne is such a vibrant place, full of amazingly talented artists, makers and crafters, and we love the fact that in.cube8r supports the creatives! Also, we’re local to the area, and have always loved popping in to see what gorgeous, original items are up for grabs. We are beyond thrilled to be showcasing a part of our range at in.cube8r!
anything else you would like to add?
We’re also able to create some custom-sized pieces if required – we recently completed an order for 2 bangles in a smaller-than-usual size for a customer with dainty, tiny little hands. She was thrilled that she was finally able to order herself some customised bangles, and we were chuffed to have been able to help her out. Drop us a line if there is anything you think we may be able to help you with!
where else can we find you?
Our full range can be viewed at www.ponyandpressed.com.au, and we have an online store where customers are able to order their own bespoke pieces: www.ponyandpressed.etsy.com