A Chat With Toby Jones

By Benjamen Judd

We’ve brought his amazing collection of jewellery to your attention before but now we finally get to meet the man behind the range. This week we sat down with Sydney-based designer, Toby Jones, to discover what makes him tick and learn a little about what inspires him to create such awesome miniature works of art.

QT: Thanks for taking the time out of your schedule to have a chat! How did you come in to jewellery design – from my understanding you are mostly self taught?

Toby Jones: I pretty much started out making things for myself. I used to collect bits and pieces I found around the place. Discarded chains and odd pieces of string and small things I’d found on the street. I’ve always been a bit of a DIY guy and I started replicating some of these objects in metal and wearing them on necklaces. People took a liking to them so I began researching the production process a little more and eventually I started producing them for stores around the place.

How would you describe your particular aesthetic?

My aesthetic has tended to shift around a bit in the past. One thing I would say has stayed consistent is an appreciation for minimalism. Whether it’s through a construction process or a design process I don’t like to over complicate things too much. These days my style has probably refined to a cleaner more modern aesthetic, a mixture of bold graphic shapes and sharp clean lines. Generally, though, my design process is led more by a concept rather than a particular look, which is a process that lends itself to change…something I like to have.

Can you tell me a little about your current collection, Knew Metal? It’s very different from your previous, more industrial approach range that, from memory, used repurposed materials?

The new collection is definitely different but I wouldn’t call it a new direction, rather an evolution. The designs are still centred on a strong central concept that essentially defines the overall look.

This collection Knew Metal was inspired by heavy metal and the death metal music scene. The culture that surrounds these genres is incredibly symbolic and emotionally driven but to the outsider it seems brutal and alien. I wanted to take elements from that culture and the energy of the music and try to refine it into something more minimal and elegant bust still retain some of the strength.

What is next for the Toby Jones brand?

I’ve been working on a new jewellry collection that will be available pre-Christmas but right now I’m working on the first in a series of products to refine the home. The range will consist of a range of objects that are as appealing to look at as they are to use. This will be released along with some limited release larger items of furniture and should be launching in July if all goes to plan.

Sounds awesome! Thanks for taking the time out to chat.

Toby Jones’ current range, Knew Metal, is available at The Stables on Bourke Street, Darlinghurst, and online.