About Us

I’m Tara, the founder of Yindy and Lola. I design and hand craft each piece from my
home studio on the foreshore in Darwin. Having said that, as long as my hands are
working and I have my tools, I’ll make jewellery anywhere. I grew up in Collaroy on the
Northern Beaches and have held a deep love of the ocean since before I can
remember. I spent my youth at the beach, volunteering as a surf life saver and
spending as much time as I possibly could in the ocean. I’m a passionate scuba diver
and can think of nothing better than hanging in a hammock after a morning spent
beneath the waves with the turtles, corals and colourful fishies. I love reflecting one of
the most special parts of my world in my work and draw my inspiration from my dive trips and underwater photography hobby.

I’ve been making jewellery since I was a child. I’ve always loved everything shiny, pretty
and tactile (I’m a bit like a bowerbird in that way). I started Yindy and Lola to make
unique pieces that I’d been dreaming of and couldn’t find anywhere. I started gifting
my work to friends for birthdays and Christmas and the response was overwhelmingly
positive. I decided it was time to share with the rest of the world, and here it finds you.

Mum and I source as much of our natural materials (pearls, shell, gemstone beads) as
possible from second hand and vintage pieces. I up-cycle pieces that have been sitting
in drawers for years and turn them into modern pieces, ready for the next generation
of jewellery lovers. My love for the ocean and the land comes with recognition of my environmental footprint, we tread as lightly as we can.

The brand is named after my baby cat, Yindy, and Lola, the puppy of a dear friend.
Yindy and Lola bring me so much joy (along with some headaches) and they seemed
like natural namesakes. Yindy is a playful, cheeky orange boy who helps me in the
studio by hiding shells under the couch and knocking over the display stands, but I
wouldn’t have it any other way. Lola loves giving Yindy lots of kisses and nipping her aunts and uncles.