New Boutique on Collins Street
Paspaley’s new Melbourne boutique is an invitation to step inside the story of Australia’s most extraordinary pearls. Here, world-class design, exceptional craftsmanship and a sense of place come together in one immersive experience.
From the moment you approach Paspaley’s exquisite new Collins Street boutique in the heart of Melbourne’s luxury precinct, it’s clear this isn’t simply a relocation from their space at the Grand Hyatt hotel but a statement about where the Australian luxury jeweller is heading next.
“What strikes you immediately when encountering this new space is the sheer emotion built into its design,” says Aidan Anderson, founder and CEO of The Local Project. “It doesn’t just feel like a boutique, it feels like an experience. An immersive gallery that merges natural science, pioneering heritage and world-class design.”
Designed by world-renowned architect Eric Carlson and his Paris-based studio Carbondale, the boutique marks a milestone for the brand that is known as the premier producer of rare and cultured pearls. As Anderson notes, “Paspaley is the ultimate custodian of the Australian South Sea pearl. The rarest and most valuable gem of the sea… This is a bold expression of that legacy marking the next chapter in the brand’s evolution.”
The boutique has an elegant and unique presence on Melbourne’s iconic Collins Street. The facade is clad in snow-white marble sculpted with vertical concave circles that catch and reflect daylight, evoking the form and lustre of a Paspaley Pearl strand.
Inside, the mood is calm and enveloping, the interiors awash in soft, cream tones, gentle lighting and luminous natural materials. Glass and bronze jewellery cases sit atop layered beige emperador marble and silver and navona travertine, hinting at the sparkling treasures within. “The entire atmosphere is serene, glowing and unmistakably luxurious, mirroring the pearls’ natural brilliance and softness,” says Anderson.
Designed as an immersive gallery, visitors are encouraged to meander through the store, “almost like swimming through a reef in itself”. A digital portrait wall brings the Paspaley family’s 90-year pearling legacy to the forefront, while ocean-blue marble flows underfoot – a nod to the crystalline waters off the Kimberley coastline where it all began. Bespoke carpet ‘islands’ and shell-toned stools subtly delineate the different spaces and collections. This rhythmic sense of movement is best echoed in the Mermaid collection, where sculptural platinum pieces reflect Paspaley’s enduring relationship with the ocean.
The Strands Cove forms the heart of the store, a semi-circular gallery devoted to Paspaley’s signature pearl strands and fine jewellery.
The Strands Cove forms the heart of the store, a semi-circular gallery devoted to Paspaley’s signature pearl strands and fine jewellery. The centrepiece is a dramatic chandelier hand-finished in gold leaf, “mimicking a pearl and oyster, suspended from the ceiling”, surrounded by a curved wall with mother-of-pearl inlays and lacquer marquetry.
A connection to nature underpins the signature collections. The Moonlight set pairs some of the world’s most lustrous pearls with moonstones, while delicate pendants from the Lavalier collection place a single radiant pearl in the spotlight. The Blushing Cicada collection celebrates renewal, with kinetic wings that open and close, “transforming the silhouette with each movement”. The Wild collection leans into organic form, with pieces like the Song Bird Feather Earring Enhancers set with oceanic sapphires in gold, capturing the untamed spirit of the Kimberley coastline.
The centrepiece is a dramatic chandelier hand-finished in gold leaf, “mimicking a pearl and oyster, suspended from the ceiling”.
The boutique is a sophisticated combination of high-end architecture, the textures of the rugged Australian landscape and the craftsmanship required to create the world’s finest cultured pearls. As Anderson says, “Paspaley’s new Melbourne CBD boutique is not just a store, it feels like a portal: a connection between the wild, remote coast of Western Australia’s Kimberley coastline and one of the most refined cities in the country.”
Architecture by Carbondale.
