Yallingup's John Miller Designs celebrates 50 years in the Jewellery industry

Fast forward 50 years, and John Miller Designs is an iconic Australian artisan jewellery workshop in Yallingup and Margaret River known for beautiful pieces of wearable art.

It all began when John entered a pub at the age of 18 and met a jeweller who was looking for someone to buff silver in his Perth shop.

"It was the swinging 70s and everyone wanted silver jewellery," John said.

"And the day I walked into the guy's shop ... I felt like I knew my way around already."

It followed a period of uncertainty where John didn't know what his future would hold, having dropped out of Claremont Art College in second year to support a partner and young child.

Before long, John began learning the trade under Dutch master jeweller Monty Holst and quickly learnt a variety of skills not commonly found today - like fusing and engraving.

"He was a master engraver and gemologist, and I got to share a bench with him," John said.

"Monty had trained at The Hague in Holland, and worked for a long time."

"So he was very clever and taught me a lot of great stuff."

Despite not completing a formal apprenticeship, John said his time studying under Monty was enough for him to break into the industry and moved to Darwin shortly after to open his own shop at just 21 years old.

He also began teaching jewellery at the Darwin Community College.

"Around that time I realised jewellery could be a great future for me," John said.

"Until then it was all a bit undecided."

After almost five years in Darwin, the up-and-coming jewellery master looked to relocate closer to his friends and family.

He set up shop in Broome under the store name Dampier's Chest - the very first jewellery store to ever come to the area.

"I thought Broome was great, because I spent a lot of my childhood there.

"But it was remarkably successful," he said.

John's inspiration while in Broome were the divers, mermaids, coral reefs, and sunken treasure.

"I loved the whole inspiration of Broome, so my mission while I was there was to try and make jewellery that could be found in a sunken wreck."

In 1998, John moved to the south west and began to unpack the area in the same way he did Broome.

"I started concentrating on what was beautiful here and trying to capture that like I did up north.

"What is it about the bush, and blue wrens, wildflowers, and kangaroos that draws people down here."

It was in the small south west town of Yallingup where business started booming for John Miller Designs, but at the time of the move John had chosen to take a step back from the industry.

"When I moved here, I didn't really want to be a jeweller but everyone kept ringing me up and asking me to make things," he said.

"So I set up in my shed and built the shop, and kept going."

This year's 50th anniversary for John Miller Designs, also marks 25 years it has been located Yallingup, with a second shop set up in Margaret Rive along the way.

John said it was surreal to mark half a decade in the industry.

"But I've always been trying to vary my work and move it along. To reinvent what I'm doing, and keep it developing in my own style."

John said the only "downside" to his work, was that he was now working harder than ever before due to such a high level of demand.

"But that's okay - It keeps me busy and I can't imagine doing anything else."

"I work really hard, but it's like a working holiday."

"It's unlikely that I will retire - because it's creative and artistic, and dynamic and exciting," he said.

John said there were almost no moments where he wasn't thinking or working on his next jewellery endeavour.

"I take my work home with me at night, I sit up late just doodling and drawing in my sketchbooks and thinking about ideas," he said.

"I'm always trying to generate ideas, thinking my way through the next move, and how to make something interesting," he said.

John said he had built a reputation as a "rebel" in the jewellery industry due to his "relentless pursuit of timeless classical elegance".

"Whatever everyone else is doing - I try to keep away from that, even though I love making diamond rings and things like that," he said.

"But I am using techniques that aren't usually used by fusing, forging, putting different metals together, making my own tools, and hand engraving - which are all things that have been sort of lost," he said.

John's favourite part of being a jeweller are the people he gets to work with every day.

"I've trained a lot of people that have gone onto do great stuff in their own way," he said.

"But meeting lots of wonderful people and being able to make them happy is my favourite part," he said.

"Knowing somebody is going to put something I've made on, and wear it for the rest of their life and it's going to give them some joy is something very special."

"Being able to go out and look at it where I live and interpret into a precious metal is also a wonderful thing to be able to do."

He attributed his success to staying true to himself and "a lot of hard work".

"I think not chasing the industry, not trying to make things like other people has been extremely important."

John said he has always tried to make unique products of great quality.

"I've always just been focused on making a better quality product.

"Not trying to compete with countries who can produce it cheaper," he said.

At the 50 year mark, John said he finally felt John Miller Designs was depicting a "complete range" and reflected what he had always hoped to achieve.

"To have produced something that will be a beautiful message into the future."

John said he was grateful for his staff and the people around him who had supported him in reaching 50 years in the industry.

"This is my little village and community, and it's great coming to work everyday and seeing what I can do."

John Miller Designs will produce a limited edition jewellery range to mark the 50 year milestone.

Read more about the jewellery business online at www.johnmillerdesign.com.