Louise Olsen, Stephen Ormandy and Liane Rossler met while studying drawing and painting at a Sydney art school in 1983. They formed the company Dinosaur Designs in 1985 and began selling handprinted fabrics and painted jewellery at Paddington Markets. The intuitive creativity that shapes their distinctive work in jewellery and homewares has also informed the development of their extraordinary company. Dinosaur Designs now stands as one of the most visible and successful design-based businesses in Australia, operating its own stores in Sydney, Melbourne and New York as well as exporting to more than twenty countries worldwide.

PRESS RELEASE

DINOSAUR DESIGNS INSECTS AUTUMN/WINTER 2011

Drawing inspiration from their natural forms and bright, iridescent colours Dinosaur Designs’ latest range evokes the spectacular display of the insect world. With hues of solid turquoise, midnight and electric blue, amber, olive and deepest black the jewellery pieces are accented with bronze and gold chrome.

The jewellery range includes 17 new necklace styles, some containing semi-precious stones including agate, yellow tiger’s eye and lapis lazuli. The range also includes nine new styles of bangles, eight new rings and seven styles of earrings.

The new range of homewares includes 11 new styles including the Dragonfly Wing Platter, the Beetle Vase and the Beetle Jar.

Insects have inspired human creativity, folklore and mythology for millennia; the lady beetle is very auspicious, especially if it touches or tickles you; the ancient Egyptians deified the scarab beetle as the creator god, Khepera (which means He who is Coming in to Being). Khepera was believed to push the setting sun through the sky. From there it was a short step to becoming the Egyptian symbol for rebirth; Amulets bearing symbols of the scarab were seen as protective talismans which would imbue the wearer with the power of eternal renewal of life. The fascination with beetles predates even the ancient Egyptians with pendants having been dated to the Paleolithic period, some 10,000 to 20,000 years ago.

A percentage of the profits of this range will be donated to the Australian Conservation Foundation.

This collection has been designed and made in our Sydney studio ensuring the sustainable philosophy of Dinosaur Designs is maintained.