Kirra-Lea Caynes

Kirra-lea is an independent artist specialising in hand-crafted jewellery, heavily inspired by nature and raw materials. Kirra-lea is a qualified jeweller with over 10 years experience in the trade, having learnt many traditional and contemporary metal-smithing techniques over the years but always draws from her visual arts background.

Kirra-lea worked for several years in independent and prestigious jewellery stores and in 2018, she branched out into making her own collections, building an online portfolio/website. She is a multi-award-winning jewellery designer and manufacturer, winning
competitions including emerging talent, contemporary and colour awards at the Diamond Guild Australia (DGA) and Jewellers Association of Australia (JAA). In 2019, the JAA awarded Kirra-lea Jeweller of the year for her colourful entry piece,
‘Plumage.’

Based in Tasmania, Australia, Kirra-lea works as the sole designer and manufacturer from her home studio. She is often looking for inspiring bits of nature to be incorporated into her designs, such as sticks, vines, and gumnuts which she collects from her surroundings.

Kirra-lea is an accomplished sand caster and specialises in cast-in-place stones. This unique skill has enabled her to travel around Australia, offering intimate workshops that teach fellow jewellers and novices alike the ancient technique of sand casting. All her sapphires are Australian mined by small family businesses and hobbyists. Kirra-lea also makes fossicking trips to Tasmania’s North East rivers, where she finds her
own rough gemstones like sapphires, spinel, zircon and topaz.

Kirra-lea specialises in making bespoke jewellery pieces for her customers and sharing her varied skills in her sand casting workshops across Australia. She continues to challenge herself with experimental sand casting techniques to make new and unique pieces and enjoys inspiring her students to do the same.