FOR Lucy Walsh and Maggie Mirtschin, opening a jewellery business was inevitable.
Daughters of Mildura’s Etherington’s Jewellers former owners, Kevin and Jane Kelly, talk about precious metals and gems over dinner was common.
As teenagers, the sisters visited jewellery trade shows in Basel, Switzerland, and New York, where they were inspired to follow in their parents’ footsteps.
And, after months of planning, the pair will launch their business, Fragments Fine Jewellery, online this week.
Ms Walsh, who now lives in Melbourne, said it was exciting to bring the idea to fruition.
“We grew up with mum and dad in the family business, so it’s what we’d always known and, over the years, we’d talked about doing something,” she said.
“But we’d always had some barriers in the way, like our main line of work and Maggie being overseas.
“The catalyst was probably early on in pandemic, when Maggie lost her job and I happened to be on maternity leave.
“We found ourselves with more time and in the same place, so we decided it was time to just go for it.”
Inspired by the minimalist style they enjoy wearing, the business will focus on semi-fine jewellery in solid yellow, white and rose gold, with precious gemstones.
Ms Walsh said the idea was to create timeless pieces that can be handed down through generations.
“We’re calling them contemporary heirloom-type pieces, which will last forever and be handed on,” she said.
“What I think we realised is that we’ve always come back to those pieces that last forever, like the diamond studs I got for my 21st that I wear all the time or special watches.
“Those are the things we keep coming back to and we really like the idea that they can be sentimental and treasured.”
While the store will open online, Ms Walsh said they weren’t ruling out opening a bricks-and-mortar store.
She said with mentorship from their parents, she and Ms Mirtschin were thrilled to launch the business after months of hard work.
“The industry has brought mum and dad so much pleasure for 40 years and they’re really excited to sit back and watch our business flourish,” she said.
“As much as it’s been a negative time in the world, it feels nice to have had these months to pour our energy into something that’s quite productive and build something that we’re proud of.”
Fragments will launch on Friday at fragmentsfinejewellery.com.au.
