Jacob Grant is proving that quality, beautiful pieces don’t have to fit into preconceived moulds. Photo: Keeli Dyson.
An Illawarra jeweller is highlighting the beauty of imperfection with his unique, alternative pieces while also encouraging the community to embrace the craft by hosting workshops to help others bring their own creations to life.
Jacob Grant spent a decade working in hospitality and climbing the management ladder, but a creative pursuit always sat in the back of his mind.
“I was definitely enjoying it but the late nights every single weekend, missing out on more events than I was getting to attend, just took its toll after a while,” Jacob said.
“I’d always been interested in jewellery and always talked about it but never really found the avenue to start.”
His grandfather’s journey as a gold and opal miner, and the pieces that formed from the materials he had pulled from the ground, had always fascinated Jacob, but a European trip opened his eyes to the potential of the craft.
“We were in Florence and we found this artist just outside the CBD and he had this really alternative style of jewellery that he was making; it was gas mask, animal skeleton, human skeleton – it really grabbed my attention,” Jacob said.
“It showed that you don’t have to fit a certain mould with this; it is something that you can kind of do what you want with it.”
In between COVID lockdowns he took a leap and worked with a Central Coast jeweller to get started before setting up his own workbench at home, watching countless YouTube videos, experimenting and seeking advice from other jewellers.
As Jacob refined his skill, he honed in on his own unique style and found a way to break down perceptions of what makes jewellery beautiful.
“It’s definitely alternative,” he said. “I do like having the imperfections, the dints, the scratches. It’s also why I oxidise all of my metal because it really highlights all the nooks, the crannies, the imperfections that the metal holds. That is also to highlight the handmade nature of it all.
Dead Poets Co. showcases a non-traditional approach to jewellery.
“There is beauty in things not being perfect. I feel like for a pretty long time humans have just been told that you have to fit a very particular mould to be pretty, but no you don’t, there’s beauty in everything.”
Along with selling his work and custom creations through his business Dead Poets Co, Jacob decided to pass the skill onto others by hosting ring making workshops in Port Kembla.
“It probably comes into the hospitality side and the background there; I like producing a good time and bringing people together to make some memories, make some fun stuff,” he said.
“They get to walk away with memories but also a piece that they have handcrafted themselves.”
The experiences offer an introduction into jewellery making, with many people often surprised about the detail it takes to bring a piece to life.
“We do get a lot of people that walk into the class and they do believe it’s going to be a very simple thing,” Jacob said. “People that are challenged with it might get a little bit frustrated through the class but then at the end they do end up being absolutely stoked with what they made.
“Something that I try to mention at the start of each class is just trust the process.
“Everything will start in wire form which is nice and shiny and clean. In the process you bend this out of shape; you’ll turn it back it will change colours; it will not be a perfectly round ring the whole way.”
He has seen people from 16 years old to in their 70s try their hand at the skill, with some coming alone and others with a partner or a group.
The diverse combination of participants brings a new experience to every class.
“Everyone that comes through just has such different creative minds and just watching what different people do and how they take on the project is really awesome,” Jacob said.
Currently Dead Poets Co. hosts an introduction to silversmithing as well as classes on sand and wax casting, and Jacob hopes to expand the offering even further this year with workshops on aspects such as stone setting, despite the rising cost of silver and gold providing an ongoing challenge.
As for his own creations, while Jacob has no shortage of ideas for his next design, it’s the collaboration in making something special and custom which he hopes to further explore.
“It’s something that, if you look after it properly, it will last you forever and it’s something that they can pass on and something that hopefully could go down generations in time,” he said.
“It’s just a small bit of metal but with a lot of meaning behind it.”
To find out more about the pieces and workshops visit the Dead Poets Co. website.
