AUTORE: The Family of Pearls – A Conversation with Ruby Autore, Part I
Pearls have always been one of my greatest jewellery obsessions. Getting to know the Autore family has only deepened that fascination and made me fall even more in love with these extraordinary gems. The story of AUTORE, the Australian company specialising in South Sea pearl farming and luxury pearl jewellery, began in 1991. Today, the brand’s success is driven by the talent, knowledge and passion of two generations of the Autore family. Its collections have earned prestigious awards and even made their way onto the big screen. What is it like to literally grow up surrounded by some of the most beautiful pearls in the world? What happens when an entire family comes together around one passion and a shared vision? And what does true craftsmanship mean when it comes to pearl jewellery? Ruby Autore, daughter of the brand’s founder, Head of Marketing and International Jewellery Manager at AUTORE and founder of AUTORE MODA, shares with me the story of pearls, her family and the making of AUTORE. Welcome to the first part of this Blingsis conversation. Enjoy the read!
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AGATA JANKOWIAK: What are your earliest memories connected with pearls? As a child, do you remember the office in Sydney more vividly, or perhaps images from the farms?
RUBY AUTORE: I actually do not remember a specific moment when I was first introduced to pearls because they were simply always around me. Whether at home or going into the Sydney office with my parents, pearls were just a very normal part of our family life. I think because of that, I probably did not fully appreciate how extraordinary they were when I was growing up.
One of my most important memories came when I was 18, just after finishing school, when I travelled to one of our pearl farms with my dad. That was probably the first time I truly understood how special and beautiful this industry is. Seeing the farming process firsthand gave me an entirely different appreciation for what sits behind a single pearl. It is incredibly hard work and a genuine labour of love. People spend extended periods of time in very remote locations, away from their families and friends, caring for these oysters over years without ever knowing exactly what nature will ultimately produce. That experience really changed the way I looked at pearls. You realise that they are so much more than a beautiful piece of jewellery. There are years of human dedication behind them, but ultimately the pearl itself is still a gift of nature. That combination is what makes this industry so special to me.
AUTORE is a family brand. How many members of the family are actively involved in the business today? Who focuses on nurturing tradition and heritage, and who is more of a “future person,” driving innovation? And what is your role within the team?
There are five members of our immediate family, and we are all involved across the wider AUTORE business today: my father Rosario, my mother Jane, myself and my two brothers, Luca and Alessandro. My father founded AUTORE in 1991, so he naturally holds an enormous amount of the knowledge, history and relationships that have been built over the past 35 years. My mother Jane is our Creative Director and has played an integral role in developing AUTORE’s jewellery identity and design language. My brothers and I are involved across different areas of the wider Group, with my brothers having a strong focus on pearl grading, the farming operations, finance and production.
I sit on the more future focused side of the business. My role within AUTORE focuses particularly on marketing, strategic development, brand, customer experience, jewellery, product development and B2C growth. I also founded AUTORE MODA in 2020. I do not really see heritage and innovation as opposing ideas. For me, the opportunity for the next generation is to protect the knowledge and reputation that have taken decades to build, while finding new ways for customers to discover and experience pearls.
We will talk about your farms and the pearls themselves in a moment, but I would also love to ask about the part of AUTORE’s work that is dedicated to jewelry design. You cultivate some of the most beautiful pearls in the world, but you also create truly exceptional pearl jewelry. What is the design ethos of the brand, and how do you balance classic elegance with creativity in your collections?
Our philosophy has always been that the pearl should be at the centre of the design rather than simply an addition to it. Because we work with pearls from the farm onwards, we understand how individual they are. Pearls are individually selected for their proportions, colour, lustre, shape and relationship with the gemstones and metals around them.
We see a place for classic pearl jewellery. There is a reason a beautiful South Sea pearl strand is timeless and so popular. But AUTORE has never wanted to be limited by the traditional perception of what pearl jewellery should look like. Our more creative collections use diamonds, coloured gemstones, movement and symbolism to show what is possible with pearls in fine and high jewellery, and pieces are inspired by either architecture or nature. We have received 11 international jewellery design awards, which I think reflects that commitment to continually pushing pearl design forward.
Jewellery design at AUTORE is very much driven by my mother, Jane. It is incredible to watch the way she sees things and how she can take an idea, a pearl or a gemstone and bring an entire piece to life around it. She is incredibly talented, and I feel very lucky that I get to sit next to her every day and watch that creative process happen firsthand.
What exactly is AUTORE MODA? Could it be described as the younger, more contemporary sister of classic AUTORE?
Yes, absolutely. I founded AUTORE MODA in 2020 with the idea of introducing South Sea pearls to a younger demographic and changing the perception that pearls are something reserved for special occasions or a certain stage of life. The idea behind MODA is really everyday pearls. Jewellery that feels contemporary, accessible and easy to wear, whether you are going to work, out to dinner or simply wearing a T-shirt and jeans. I wanted to create pieces that women feel comfortable wearing anywhere and that naturally become part of their everyday jewellery wardrobe.
There is also a much bigger relationship between MODA and AUTORE. My hope is that we introduce someone to their first South Sea pearl through MODA and, as they grow, their relationship with the AUTORE Group grows with them. Over time, they may transition into AUTORE fine jewellery, investing in more significant pieces, exceptional pearls and eventually perhaps high jewellery. The pearl is what connects the two brands. MODA has access to the same South Sea pearl expertise and farming network as AUTORE, but gives customers an earlier and more accessible entry point into that world. For me, it is about creating a lifelong relationship with pearls. You might buy your first pearl from MODA in your twenties and one day celebrate an important milestone with a piece of AUTORE fine jewellery.
Craftsmanship and artisanal mastery are once again taking centre stage in luxury jewellery. What does true craftsmanship mean to AUTORE, and what role does it play in defining the brand’s identity?
For us, craftsmanship starts long before a pearl reaches a jewellery bench. There is extraordinary skill involved in pearl farming itself. There are people whose hands and eyes have spent decades understanding oysters, selecting them, seeding them, caring for them, monitoring their health and knowing when they are ready for harvest. Then there is another level of craftsmanship in grading and matching. Every pearl is unique, so grading by Shine, Surface, Shade, Shape and Size requires a trained human eye and years of experience. Creating a perfectly matched strand from thousands of individual pearls is an incredibly specialised skill in itself. Finally, there is traditional jewellery craftsmanship: design, engineering, stone setting, polishing and understanding how to work with an organic gemstone that is completely individual. So when we talk about craftsmanship at AUTORE, we are talking about a chain of human expertise that begins in the ocean and ends with the finished jewel.
I have had the pleasure of witnessing some of your most important successes. I was applauding you as you received the INHORGENTA Award in the Best in High Jewellery category for the spectacular Enchantress Necklace, and at THE SHOW in Hamburg I had the chance to try on the earrings that later “starred” in the series Queen Charlotte. But I’m curious: from your own personal perspective, what do you consider AUTORE’s greatest success?
Those moments are incredibly special. Winning international design awards and seeing AUTORE jewellery worn on red carpets or appearing in productions such as Queen Charlotte are things we are enormously proud of. But personally, I think our greatest success is the business itself and the incredible infrastructure that Mum and Dad have built over the past 35 years. Dad started AUTORE in Sydney in 1991, and today we are a vertically integrated pearl company that can follow a pearl from an oyster in Australia or Indonesia, through cultivation, harvesting, grading and distribution, all the way to an internationally recognised piece of jewellery.
But I also think AUTORE’s contribution goes much further than simply selling a product. Pearl education has always been incredibly important to us. The development of the AUTORE Five S’s Classification Guide created a system to help people better understand, evaluate and appreciate South Sea pearls. Being able to contribute knowledge and education to the wider pearl and jewellery industry is something I think is incredibly special.
For me, the greatest achievement is everything Mum and Dad have built around the pearl. The farms, the people, the knowledge, the grading and distribution infrastructure, the jewellery, the education and the reputation that has been established over more than three decades. The fact that it remains a family business makes that even more meaningful. We now have the opportunity as the next generation to take everything they have created and think about what AUTORE can become over the next 35 years. I feel incredibly fortunate that we have been given that foundation and the opportunity to continue building on it together as a family.
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About AUTORE
AUTORE is a family-owned luxury fine jewellery house based in Sydney, Australia, specializing in South Sea pearl farming and award-winning design. Founded by Rosario Autore, the company has established itself as a leader in the global pearl industry, recognized for uncompromising quality, exceptional lustre, and continuous innovation.
About AUTORE MODA
Founded by Ruby Autore, AUTORE MODA is rooted in a family pearling operation that goes back over three decades. Ruby started AUTORE MODA to apply the family’s pearling background to jewellery designed for everyday wear rather than only special occasions. Growing up, she was exposed to the technical side of the process early, grading pearls, matching them by size and lustre, and deciding which pearls suit a full necklace versus standing alone in a ring or pair of earrings. AUTORE MODA was built to take that sourcing and put it into more contemporary, wearable designs, pieces meant to be worn regularly, not kept for one occasion a year.
