Millie Savage: “The concept as a whole was really creative and quite wild”

Entering Aussie jeweller Millie Savage’s Fitzroy studio on the corner of Smith and Johnston Streets is akin to stumbling upon a genie’s cave of sparkling, shiny treasures. Three custom-built cabinets overflow with rings, bracelets, earrings and necklaces, salmon-pink terrazzo tiles line the floor and a cascading waterfall of gold chains divides the storefront from the workshop. It’s light, bright and maximalist, and according to Savage it’s her “forever shop”.

“I’ve been here two years this September, and I’ll never leave,” she says. “I’m always like ‘Can we extend the lease another two years?’ It’s a perfect location.”

Savage, who splits the majority of her time between the Fitzroy studio and a property in Anglesea (where she tends to a menagerie of animals, including a peacock that uses the doggy door), also has stores in Moorooduc on the Mornington Peninsula and London. But it’s taken a lot of hard work and determination to get to this point in her career, with Savage explaining she didn’t initially have dreams of becoming a jeweller.

“I wanted to be an Olympic horse rider or a painter,” she laughs. “I went and did Fine Arts at RMIT then dropped out a week before I got my degree. Then I took up a silversmithing elective for six weeks, loved it and reached out to a couple of jewellers I admired and annoyed them until they let me watch them.”

The rest, they say, is history, and Savage has been honing her skills, growing her talented team and evolving her eponymous brand for the past 11 years. She started by making quirky and eclectic pieces in her bedroom and garage, before selling them at markets and even moving to Bali for three years to further her creative scope. And now, with a cult-like following – especially on social media, where the Millie Savage Instagram account has 132,000 followers – it’s easy for her to reflect on what she loves best about this dream job that she’s manifested for herself.

“I get to be extremely creative, and I’ve got an incredible team of people to support me,” she says. “Which makes it so much more fun and less stressful. Before it was 12 hours a day, seven days a week – now I’ve really taken my foot off the accelerator and I can just chill and do all these amazing, creative things.”

One of those amazing, creative things is a first-of-its-kind collaboration with Toyota. And yes, you read that right – the popular car brand approached Savage to work on a jewellery range inspired by diamonds made from components of its C-HR model.  

“The concept as a whole was really creative and quite wild,” she explains. “They’ve designed a car that’s been heavily inspired by a diamond. And then they’ve taken pieces of the car and turned them into actual diamonds.” 

They gave me free rein, which was good creatively – you don’t really want any restrictions for something like this.

According to Savage, each lab-grown diamond took “months and months and months” to make, and the process involved testing components of the C-HR’s interior* to source the carbon, and then placing that material under extreme heat to extract a sufficient amount of carbon. The resulting diamond capsule is then set in a high-pressure, high-temperature machine that mimics conditions similar to those deep in the Earth’s crust and provides the optimal diamond-growing environment. Once completely grown, it’s cut and polished into its final, sparkly form (with help from Heart in Diamond) and certified by the Gemological Institute of America – aka the world’s foremost authority on diamonds.

“It was all science!” exclaims Savage. “And magic!”

With a sleek design and sharp lines, the similarities between the C-HR and a diamond are obvious – and if you look at the panelling on the front doors of the SUV, you’ll even notice a clear diamond-shaped outline. But these angular features are actually in stark contrast to Savage’s usual jewellery style, which favours a fluid and free-flowing aesthetic.

“My designs are normally quite organic and muddled,” she says. “So I incorporated more sleek and chiselled lines from the car. It’s work that’s much more refined than what I usually do – more human engineering vibes.”

The C-HR Diamond Collection comprises 13 bespoke pieces, including nine rings, one necklace, one bracelet, a pair of earrings and – in true Millie Savage style – a tooth grill. Each piece is a nod to a different part of the car’s design; for example, the bracelet references the alloy rims, while the signet-shaped rings take their inspo from the LED headlights. 

When asked if she has a favourite from the collection, Savage is diplomatic: “I love them all, the diamonds are so beautiful.”

She mentions a ring that boasts a stunning Australian opal (“I know Toyota isn’t an Aussie brand, but it has such a strong heritage here – so this stone makes sense,” reasons Savage), and can’t contain her excitement when it comes to talking about the tooth grill, which is gold with a little diamond in it. 

Grills for grilles!

There’s also a real sense of gratitude about being involved in the world-first collaboration with Toyota, and Savage is quick to acknowledge how much the “full circle moment” means to her.

“They could’ve chosen anyone to be their ambassador – you know, a musician or whatever – so to pick an artist is really unusual, and it’s great to be appreciated,” she says. 

The chance to take on such an innovative, groundbreaking project and push herself creatively was another drawcard for Savage, who relished the opportunity to transform something that felt so mechanical into beautiful works of wearable art.

“You get so comfortable in what’s successful,” she remarks. “The reward of it is guaranteed, so you just get stuck in your lane. I had to challenge myself to not be such a wimp and push to see what happens.”

So with a thriving business and a capsule diamond collection in partnership with one of the world’s biggest car brands under her belt, what’s next for Millie Savage?

“I’ve found a really good balance between work and life, which I didn’t have before,” she says. “I think I’ll open a Sydney store in the next year – we have a huge customer base there so it would be good. We’ve gone up and done a few scouting trips, so maybe in Paddington.

“And then obviously New York as well.”

Global domination it is then – you heard it here first. And with the magical ability to create a sparkle from even the most unexpected of sources, we have no doubt Savage’s reign as a force in the jewellery industry will continue.

Millie Savage's C-HR Diamond Collection in partnership with Toyota is now available to purchase here. For more information on the C-HR visit the website.

*Material sourced from a decommissioned C-HR model.

Photographer: Carmen Zammit
Lead designer: Conor Mitchell

Hair: Monica Gingold
Make-up: Meg McConville
Location: Studio Revolution

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