How to be Travis Trewarne

The Age newspaper profiles Travis Trewarne as part of it's My Career section

The Age
February 1, 2006
By Paul Edwards

When I was 18, I stood at my grandfather's deathbed and told him that I would become a tax accountant. That's what he wanted me to do - he was a staunch businessman and had no time for entertaining what I really wanted to be, which was an actor.

I'm a moderately superstitious person and going against my grandfather's dying wish was not something I was able to find the courage to do, fearing some kind of retribution from beyond the grave. So I became an accountant, but once in the workplace I lasted just two weeks. I realised I was no good at pretending that I liked being an accountant either. So that put an end to the acting career also.

Before that I had been an uncomfortable Scotch College boy, being forced into business-focused subjects, despite selecting more creative studies such as drama. I often felt the school offered these subjects for the sole benefit of weeding out the creative types for re-education.

The bulk of my school friends are now in fields such as printmaking, illustration and furniture design. Obviously, like minds attract.

After discovering I had a good head for figures but no real interest in tax accounting, I went back to study, enrolling in marketing at RMIT. This at least was a far more interesting platform for me to entertain my creative skills. For the first time in my life I actually enjoyed studying and would look forward to the lectures and assignments. This was a part-time course for me, as my full-time work was with the family jewellery business.

The daily running of a small business is not easy, but for the most part it's a bit like Groundhog Day. Similar events occur regularly, and for the jewellery industry the work usually revolves around particular seasons such as Valentine's Day and Christmas. My parents were also jewellers and they had a large following of loyal clients.

Through all this I was able to learn the slings and arrows of the trade - it's all very well to draw something on paper, but the manufacture of that design is quite something else. Also, sometimes there's a difference between what people say they want and what they really want, and significant people skills are required to work out the size of the variation. It took me about 10 years to learn what can and can't be achieved in jewellery manufacture and I am still learning today.

Jewellery design is similar to other design professions - you judge your success through the satisfaction of your clients.

The work isn't so much nine to five, either. Creating and nurturing ideas can take hours of thought. My recent award-winning piece (first prize in the Diamond Guild of Australia's jewellery awards run in conjunction with Harper's Bazaar magazine) was conceptualised over four months. It took another month to get it on paper and two months to actually make.

The ring is called Cote de Nuits. The central pink diamond is exceptionally valuable for something so small - about $30,000 for a half carat - so I had been pondering something very special to set it in. The design idea came about from visiting various wine regions in France.

For my day-to-day work, my clients usually meet with me and we discuss ideas and materials. I then think about the brief over a few days and come up with a selection of practical and beautiful designs. So much of the process is dependant on the client. My most important skill is getting to know people and making informed decisions about their tastes.

Today it's not so easy to become a successful jewellery designer. At the moment in tertiary education there are about 2.5 people studying jewellery design for every person studying manufacture. So one would think that those manufacturers are going to be very busy in the next 10 years. Without the jewellery design culture of my family, I doubt if I would have taken on this as a profession, but I am happy with what destiny has delivered.

Perhaps the greatest aspect of the job is the rapport you develop with the clients. As my late mother said: "We are in the business of love and are fortunate to interact with happy people on a daily basis."

To be able to design something like an engagement ring, which will be cherished by the owner and her descendants forever, is very special. As a jeweller, I feel very privileged that I can be a part of some of life's happiest and most memorable moments.