The Ring King Strong, bold, and directional. Nick Austin is a jeweller setting the pace for what’s next.
1. You describe your rings as something that stays with a person for life—almost like a second skin. What’s the most unexpected source of inspiration that’s shaped your recent work?
If I’m completely honest, the biggest source of inspiration has been found in the act of walking away from making jewellery, a kind of self-initiated hiatus. If you are an artist in any form, and you arrive to your work everyday with the level of intensity and passion that is needed to drive such a thing, it’s inevitable that you will most likely work yourself to a point of burnout at some stage along the way. The beauty of that process though, is coming back with a renewed sense of vision and clarity, and in my experience, a richer and more refined relationship with my work.
2. You’re blending Art Deco, South West American artistry, and the legacy of 20th-century French silversmiths. What drew you to this bold fusion—and do you feel more like a designer, an artist, or a historian when you work?
I think if you are a design-driven jeweller, and artistic merit is at the centre of your work, rather than just pure commerce, you really do need to know what’s been done before you to understand the landscape and context of styles and their place in time. I think the most significant period in the history of jewellery design is the inter-war period between 1918-1939. So many significant moments in design (most notably the Art Deco period) occurred in these years. The highs of the 1920’s with the use of Platinum and Diamond, and the lows of the Depression of the 1930’s where designers had to turn to Silver and non-precious gemstones. Even Cartier started a new Silver division in the 1930’s (when they previously did not use Silver), to adapt to the economic challenges. The designs of this period though are bold and profoundly unique, where a piece has its value in the strength of its design rather than just a sum of its precious materials.
I design all my pieces, but I wouldn’t call myself a designer, as usually a designer draws and plans and then passes on the manufacturing to the jeweller on the bench. I hand make all of my pieces myself, and quite often even cut my own gemstones from rough stone, so my role goes a little deeper than being a designer. I really do like the idea of just sitting down in my office, studying stones, drawing designs, and then delegating the work to be made by someone else, but that’s not really the reality of it. There’s so much you become aware of in the intricacies of design possibilities that you can only know about if you physically went through the process of making it. The amount of times that the process of manufacture influences and informs the final design is infinite. For me, the roles of designer and maker are inseparable.
Back to your original question, the title ‘Jeweller’ is one word that packages it the best.
3. Your rings challenge the traditional idea of what a wedding or commitment ring should look like. What are some outdated norms in the jewellery world you’d love to see go for good?
There is one thing that I cannot understand, which would be considered a mass adopted norm for probably 95% of jewellers. The process of Rhodium plating White Gold. Historically speaking, White Gold still had a yellow tinge to the metal (as it’s a mix of Yellow Gold and Silver), so Rhodium plating was introduced to make the ring look like Platinum. These days, most White Gold has a touch of Palladium mixed in the alloy, which due to being a naturally white metal, makes the White Gold ring look white as it is. I can not understand plating such a precious metal like Gold, because the plating just wears off after a little bit of wear, has a rather cheap appearance and then you need to go back to the jeweller to get it re-plated once a year. That return visit to the jeweller is part of the equation though I would think. Jewellery should be made in solid metals and it just ages however it ages. To me, good jewellery only gets better with time and should never require a service.
4. There’s something deeply personal about wearing a ring every day. Do you remember the first ring you ever made that truly felt like a part of someone’s story?
I can relate this experience to me personally. The first ring I ever made was for myself, and it was a Silver Horseshoe ring. After a few years of wear, I put it away and moved on to other rings. When I took myself away from jewellery for a hiatus (around 2022-2023), I started to wear the ring again and then shortly after, I returned to my bench and started to work again. Time to get back on the horse.
5. Your gemstone palette is wildly distinctive—black jade, turquoise, tiger eye… If each stone had a personality, which one do you think you’d be best mates with?
Probably Black Jade. It looks like flat black at a glance, but when you look closer, it’s actually a very deep and dark green with distinct textures in the stone. Just like the best people, a little deeper and more interesting as you get closer.
6. What’s your creative process like when someone says, “I want something different”? How do you translate individuality into a forever piece?
This statement usually comes from a female customer, and I have a pretty good instinct with what I think will be the best version of that person’s perfect ring. Most often with custom pieces, there is a rough drawing presented or perhaps a showing of previous styles which may contain similar design elements, but there is a great deal of trust put in me. People pay for rings that haven’t existed yet, and I take that level of trust very seriously. In a world of buy now, pay later, it’s very rare for someone to be comfortable to buy now, get it later, and not even know 100% what they’re getting. I appreciate people’s trust in my work, and it makes me work harder for them. Many times I’ve made a piece twice because I wasn’t completely happy with a particular aspect, so I’ll make the ring from scratch again, and they would never know I’ve done double the work to give them the best result.
7. Away from the workbench, what feeds your creativity? Is it music, travel, vintage books, architecture… or something totally unexpected?
Nothing in particular. Just being away from my workbench for a day is enough to look forward to returning.
Learn more by visiting n-i-c-k-a-u-s-t-i-n.com and @ringkingnick.
