Every year, our annual jewellery catalogue arrives polished and pristine, filled with shimmering pieces, inspired stories, and carefully styled visuals. But have you ever wondered how our biggest release of the year evolves? Behind every page lies months of planning, collaboration, creativity, and (yes) a bit of chaos. Leading up to the launch of this year's catalogue, we'd like to show you how our team brings the magic together.

We know so many of you wait in anticipation for the latest Rutherford catalogue and once it arrives you will pore over each page in detail, finding the jewel of your dreams, or perhaps more than one favourite. Each catalogue is the culmination of months, sometimes years, of the Rutherford family sourcing a wide array of pearls, coloured gemstones, diamonds and antique jewellery. Their focus is unique, one-off pieces and for this latest collection they have travelled throughout Europe, Asia and America. Over the years, the family has built a trusted global network— a vital part of how they continue to bring back home such exceptional pieces. Securing the best quality stones and antique jewellery is extremely difficult and costly, which makes it all the more satisfying to know that we often get first pick before anyone else globally. This year's catalogue boasts over 400 items, which is significantly more than our two previous catalogues.

Once back in Australia, the antiques are lovingly restored by our specialist craftspeople, while the pearls and precious stones are crafted into jewellery pieces by our master jewellers. Many of the team members you’ll meet in our stores and at events are directly involved in designing the jewellery featured in the catalogue. It’s often an extremely challenging time- and labour-intensive process. Designing a setting for a stone requires a careful balance between aesthetics, security, and wearability. The pieces being sketched below earned a place in this year’s catalogue.

After much deliberation, jewels are carefully selected for each page, and themes begin to take shape. This year’s signet ring collection is a first for us, but a very intentional one. Signet rings are enjoying a fashionable resurgence, with growing popularity in both style trends and celebrity culture. South Sea pearls remain a perennial favourite, as they never go out of style. This year, we were fortunate to secure some incredibly rare examples, which we know pearl lovers will admire. Page layouts evolve as we move the jewellery across 50+ pages to find the most harmonious combinations. One of the final design tasks, after several months of contemplation and planning, is determining the page order.

There is always passionate debate among the team when it comes to deciding which piece, or pieces, will grace the front and back covers. After all, putting together a catalogue like no other in the world for our beloved clients is what drives this passion and enthusiasm. We hope you approve of our choices this year. The cuff bangle is simply divine and ticks so many boxes — being antique, yellow gold, and set with diamonds — all things we love. The South Sea pearls are impressive in both size and quality, set as a magnificent pair of earrings that again showcase the classic combination of yellow gold and diamonds.

Once the photos and text have been finalised, we anxiously await our first colour proof. The wording is checked, and checked again, but the most challenging task is ensuring a realistic portrayal of each gemstone’s colour. Every sapphire, ruby, and emerald is a different shade of blue, red, or green, and while the final printed colour is rarely an exact replica, we work hard to match them as closely as possible.

Once we’ve signed off on the final proof, the catalogue goes to print. Thousands of copies are mailed to Rutherford clients Australia-wide. For easy access, it can also be viewed on our website. We look forward to hearing your feedback and always welcome suggestions for next year’s catalogue.

P.S. Planning for the 2026 catalogue is already underway.