awards
Chantelle Green: Art you can wear
2025 JAA Australasian Jewellery Awards | Sketch Award Winner
Jewellery has been a part of Chantelle’s life for over two decades 21 years, to be exact. Her journey began at Griffith University’s Queensland College of Art, where she studied Jewellery and Small Objects as part of her fine arts degree. At the time, Chantelle was majoring in Printmaking, but something about jewellery drew her in. She realised that my true passion lay not just in creating art, but in creating wearable art pieces that could be treasured, lived with, and passed down through generations. Since then, Chantelle has had the privilege of building a career doing exactly that. Today, she works with the incredible team at Calleija Jewellers, where craftsmanship and creativity come together to produce pieces that celebrate individuality, emotion, and beauty. What Chantelle loves most about jewellery is its versatility and meaning. A piece of jewellery can be so many things a work of art, a memory, a promise, or a family heirloom. Its value isn’t always about precious metals or gemstones; it often lies in the sentiment it carries. Chantelle finds that deeply moving. Knowing that something she designs or help create could become a symbol of love, legacy, or personal triumph is what keeps her passionate about this craft. |  Image: Chantelle Green |
Over the years, Chantelle’s design inspiration has come from many sources architecture, decorative arts, and nature, to name a few. Lately, she has found herself returning to the world of fine art, reconnecting with the very roots that first drew her to creative expression. She has also learnt that sometimes the best way to keep creativity alive is to take a step back. Giving yourself permission to pause, reflect, and reset can reignite your imagination in powerful ways.
When Chantelle decided to enter the JAA Australasian Jewellery Awards, it was with a very personal goal in mind. Although she has been designing jewellery for many years, she had never completed a gouache painting a traditional and highly respected method for presenting jewellery designs. After returning to work from parental leave, Chantelle made it her mission to master this technique. The Awards offered the perfect platform to challenge herself and grow as both a designer and an artist.
Winning the Award has been an incredible honour. More than the recognition itself, it’s shown Chantelle that she can take greater creative risks and trust her instincts as a designer. It has reaffirmed that growth often comes from stepping outside your comfort zone and that it’s never too late to learn something new.
For anyone who’s considering entering the Awards but feels uncertain, her advice is simple: do it! You might just surprise yourself. The experience of pushing your creative limits, exploring new mediums, and seeing your work come to life in such a celebrated space is truly invaluable.
Jewellery, to Chantelle, will always be more than adornment. It’s art you can wear a reflection of who we are, where we’ve been, and the moments that shape our lives.
You can find the 2025 Sketch winner, Chantelle at Calleija.
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Sketch Award Winner | Hydra
Description | ‘Hydra’ is a collier design featuring a central pear cut white diamond, which is set between two swirling ‘vortices’ of white and rose gold. It is adorned with grain set white round brilliant cut diamonds and rub over set Argyle pink diamonds, which graduate from most intense in the centre, to white diamonds at the back.
Motivation | This collier was inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s series of ‘Nature Studies’ exhibited in Australia in 1984. In particular, his studies on water and hydrodynamics, which served as both scientific observation and artistic pursuit. His illustrations with their dynamism and swirling vortices were the aesthetic foundation of this design.
Materials | Gouache | watercolour | graphite+ alcohol marker | 160gsm acid free
