What Nicole loves most about jewellery is the ability to create beautiful little treasures that brighten her clients’ lives. Being a custom jeweller means every piece is a new design challenge, and that variety keeps her inspired and constantly learning. There’s nothing quite like the moment a client sees a design come to life that perfectly reflects their story or vision.

Nicole’s design inspiration comes from many places. Above all, it’s the stories and experiences her clients bring to the studio that spark her creativity. Coloured gemstones, antique jewellery, travel, art, and new techniques all feed into her work. Each piece is a collaboration between her imagination and the client’s personal story a union that allows creativity to flourish.

Nicole entered the JAA Australasian Jewellery Awards to challenge herself creatively and showcase the full capability of her Sydney studio. The Heart of the Phoenix, was brought to life in close collaboration with master jeweller Norayr Khdlarian of Larryan Prive’. Together, they combined Nicole’s design vision with Norayr’s exceptional technical skill to create a piece that reflects both artistic depth and precision craftsmanship. Known within the trade for his meticulous attention to detail, Norayr produces fine jewellery of the highest calibre in his Sydney atelier, crafting pieces for both industry clients and private commissions. The Awards gave them both the perfect platform to push boundaries and explore bold, new ideas.

You can find the 2025 CAD/CAM/CAST winner, Nicole, at Nicole Winkler Jewellery and Norayr at Larryan Prive. 

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CAD/CAM/CAST Award Winner | The Heart of the Pheonix

Description |  A contemporary interpretation of antique inspiration, The Heart of the Phoenix is an Edwardian-style star brooch and pendant designed using CAD. At its centre sits an anatomical sacred heart, digitally modelled from hand sketches and crafted in gold. It connects into the brooch via a white gold arrow pin, set with rubies and diamonds, which unscrews at the ruby end to hold the piece securely together. Inside the heart locket is a hidden pavé of rubies and garnets—and a rising phoenix. Each element—the brooch, the heart, the arrow—can be worn independently or together as a symbolic talisman of resilience and renewal. Old-cut diamonds anchor the piece in historic tradition, while CAD enabled the precision and engineering needed to realise its organic form and transformable design.

Motivation |  The Heart of the Phoenix is a piece born of lived experience. The designer lost her parents to cancer when she was young, survived cancer herself, and rebuilt her life after divorce. The jeweller left his home country and began again from scratch—in a new language, a new culture. Between them, they know what it means to start over. And they understand that survival is only part of the story. Rebuilding—bravely and beautifully—is the rest of it. This piece honours the strength it takes to begin again. It speaks to the moment after loss, when you choose to rise. The arrow wounds the heart but doesn't break it. Hidden within, a phoenix formed in rubies and garnets symbolises renewal and the courage of starting anew.

Materials | Yellow + white gold | Diamonds | Ruby | Garnet | Spinels

Setter: Larryan Prive | Hand Engraver: Chris O’Neill | Gem Cutter/Carving: Annaig Biden and Ryan White