He’s the Sydney master jeweller who has designed for music royalty, from Michael Jackson and Rod Stewart to Luciano Pavarotti – but some of Gary Coffey’s best stories have little to do with fame.
After more than 40 years in fine jewellery, the man behind Giulians, located at Four Seasons Hotel Sydney, has encountered extraordinary gemstones, unusual commissions and clients from all walks of life. There was the diamond piece for Michael Jackson that sent him literally running to his supplier, the day AC/DC’s Angus Young arrived carrying little more than a plastic bag, Winnie Blues and a lighter, and a particularly memorable commission involving a naked satyr and a Tahitian pearl.
Yet behind the famous names and entertaining stories is a master jeweller still fascinated by the very thing that drew him to the craft in the first place — creating jewellery with personality. Today Gary works alongside his son Joel, also a master jeweller, bringing two generations of experience and ideas to Giulians.
We spoke with Gary about remarkable gems, famous faces, reading a client who doesn’t quite know what they want, and what more than four decades in fine jewellery teaches you.
When you look at a stone, what do you notice before everyone else does?
I don’t think I see a gem particularly differently to a client. Certainly, I’ll notice the grade and the quality, but I also look at what makes that particular stone interesting and what possibilities it might have.
Do you look at stones and immediately visualise what they should become?
Occasionally, I’ll come across a stone and immediately know exactly the direction I want to take it in. But more often than not, I’m working with a client who has chosen a particular gem.
For me, the real challenge – and the real buzz is in creating a design that reflects their personality. You pick up little things from what they’re wearing, the way they describe what they like, their reactions, a smile or a nod of agreement. All of those things tell you something. When you get it right, and the client comes to collect the piece and sees how closely it reflects their personality, that’s the real joy for me.
What makes one opal extraordinary and another simply beautiful?
People often use the word “fire” to describe brilliance in opal. I’m not a huge fan of the word because it tends to make people think of red. I’m much more drawn to vibrant blue and green, and those really crisp, vibrant colours. I often tell a client that a beautiful opal should have a kind of crisp vibrancy to it — almost like looking at a high-definition image on an iPhone. When the colours are that clear and alive, it can be extraordinary.
When a client says, “I don’t really know what I want”, what are you actually looking and listening for?
Their personality. Sometimes a client can’t tell you what they want in words, but they’ll show you in a hundred other ways. My job is to pick up on those things and turn them into a piece of jewellery that feels like them.
What is the most unusual starting point you’ve ever had for a piece of jewellery?
A stone – and sometimes a rather unexpected one. I once had a gentleman come to me with the most unusual brief. He wanted a naked satyr, shall we say, in an excited state, proudly holding a Tahitian pearl in his hand – and he wanted it made as a brooch.
After more than 40 years as a jeweller, I’ve got countless stories, but that one just came to mind because it was a little left-field.
Rod Stewart has his own story too, but I’ll save that one for another time.
Is there a detail in a beautifully made piece that most people would never notice, but you always do?
I’m a great believer that every piece of jewellery tells a story. You can often see how it was made, what techniques were used and sometimes even get a sense of where it was made.
Those little details are fascinating to me. They might go completely unnoticed by most people, but as a jeweller, you can look at a piece and almost read its history through the way it has been made.
After more than 40 years, what have you learnt through making jewellery that could never really be taught?
I think it’s the ability to see flow – particularly in a soft curve or a gentle line.I remember in my early apprentice days at tech, one of our exercises was simply to draw a line with two soft curves. It sounds incredibly easy, but it wasn’t.
Over time, you gradually develop an eye for when a curve feels right, when something flows naturally and when it doesn’t. You can be taught the techniques of jewellery making, but developing that instinct – that eye – comes with years of looking, making and correcting.
You’ve created jewellery for everyone from Michael Jackson and Rod Stewart to Luciano Pavarotti and Hillary Clinton. Who stands out after all these years?
Michael Jackson was obviously a real buzz at the time, particularly because we had such a limited timeframe to create the piece. The brief was a round diamond of around two to three carats, with baguettes, set in platinum – and it had to be unique. I remember literally running uptown to our diamond supplier, then running straight back so we could get started. And, of course, all the press and the “who’s who” afterwards was a lot of fun.
But after more than 40 years, there are so many stories.
Chris Martin from Coldplay once came in and asked the price of a very expensive pair of opal earrings. I cheekily gave him the price, hesitated, then told him that was the price for one and suggested he might need to buy both. He saw the humour in it.
And then there was Angus from AC/DC. He was standing outside our automatic doors, and at the time two of our sales team were very apprehensive about letting in this skinny little guy in torn jeans, a black T-shirt and carrying a plastic bag. The bag contained a packet of Winnie Blues and a lighter. I saw him on the monitor and quickly let him in. His wife followed him in shortly afterwards. They were a very cool couple.
Your son Joel is also a master jeweller. What does he do differently to you – and has he changed the way you approach your craft?
Absolutely. Joel is his own man, and I honestly think he’s a much better jeweller than I ever was.
I totally love working on pieces with him. I’m sure he learns from me, but I definitely learn from him too. That’s one of the great things about working with your son – you get to see another generation bringing their own ideas and approach to the craft. He has his own way of looking at things.
If you could create one piece purely for yourself – no client, commercial consideration or deadline – what would it be?
That’s a really difficult question. I’ve always wanted to make women’s clutch bags inspired by antique purses. Fred, a jeweller in Paris, used to make similar handbags using mother-of-pearl, and I’ve always loved that idea. I’m talking about the absolute highest end of fine jewellery – a piece that sits somewhere between jewellery, art and luxury fashion.
There’s something incredibly appealing to me about taking the techniques and detail of fine jewellery and applying them to something unexpected like a handbag. If I had no client, no commercial consideration and no deadline, that’s probably where I’d go.
Discover the artistry of bespoke fine jewellery from Giulians by visiting their Sydney showroom or exploring their exquisite collection online.
A Level 3. 199 George Street Sydney, NSW 2000
P 02 92475 630
E hello@giulians.com.au
W giulians.com
