5 minutes with... Olivia Cummings
The creative mind (and hands) behind Cleopatra’s Bling,
Olivia first made waves for her utterly fabulous jewellery. Now dividing her time between Istanbul, Paris and her flagship store in Melbourne, this is one designing woman who truly has her fingers on the pulse of international style.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR WORK?
The collaborative nature, working with wonderful humans and coming together with a common goal to focus on storytelling, beauty and community. I see the jewellery as a vehicle that allows people to connect – whether it be within my team, with artisans, with our clients, or with people who have interesting things to say that we interview for the Cleopatra’s Bling podcast. The work makes me feel very connected to humanity, especially in this strange post-2020 world.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY DOING IN YOUR DOWNTIME? I am starting to get back into reading because I felt like Covid put me into a strange over-stimulated headspace where I couldn’t even focus on a few pages at a time. I decided it’s time to get stuck into it and expand my mind with novels and informative history books. Right now, I am reading Conversations on Love by Natasha Lunn (again) and When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress by Gabor Maté.
YOUR FAVOURITE FRAGRANCE...? Orange blossom – it reminds me of Sicily. I also love jasmine and sandalwood.
... AND YOUR FAVOURITE FLOWERS? Lotus flowers or hot-pink lilies.
WHAT SPECIAL HOMEWARES ARE ON YOUR WISH LIST? I have an absolutely divine Girasole (sunflower) Murano glass chandelier in my home – it’s absolutely over the top but I love it. I currently have my eye on another Murano glass piece, a wall sconce, at Castorina&Co in Melbourne. I have a real passion for extravagant vintage lighting.
WHAT NOURISHES YOUR CREATIVITY? Poetry, reading, listening to poets and anthropologists talk about their perspective on the world, nature, writing.
WHO ARE THE CREATIVES – ARTISTS, ARCHITECTS, DESIGNERS – YOU ADMIRE?
My top five would include [Turkish artist] Hanefi Yeter, [Australian ceramicist and painter] Justin Lee Williams, [British interior designer] Gavin Houghton, [Austrian ceramicist and illustrator] Onka Allmayer-Beck and [US woodworker and sculptor] Vince Skelly. YOUR DREAM PROJECT? To buy an old house by the sea in Turkey or Southern Europe somewhere, and restore it with local materials and turn it into a creative oasis/holiday home for friends and family. There would be a garden where we grow vegetables and enjoy the sun. Bliss!
OLIVIA’S FAVOURITE THINGS 1 Vintage Italian suspension light, Pamono. 2 Lotus Seed vase, Dinosaur Designs. 3 Serge Lutens ‘Fleurs D’Oranger’ eau de parfum, Myer. 4 Hippolyta gold pendant with Tsavorite garnet, Cleopatra’s Bling. 5 When The Body Says No book by Gabor Maté.