About Olivia Dryden
Olivia Dryden is an Adelaide-based contemporary jewellery artist creating handcrafted sterling silver jewellery inspired by the natural world, natural history and the beauty of impermanence.
Her work draws from botanical specimens, ocean forms, ethically sourced animal remains, memento mori traditions and curiosity cabinets. Many pieces are cast directly from real natural specimens, preserving delicate textures, organic structures and small details that might otherwise be overlooked.
Through her jewellery, Olivia preserves fragile and fleeting forms in sterling silver, transforming them into lasting wearable objects. Flowers, leaves, shells, bones and marine specimens become pieces that speak to memory, mortality, beauty and the quiet complexity of nature.
Olivia holds a Bachelor of Visual Arts and Design, majoring in jewellery, and was awarded a Helpmann Academy Fellowship in 2017. The Fellowship supported specialist taxidermy study in London, deepening her interest in natural history, preservation and the ethics of working with once-living materials.
Today, Olivia Dryden Jewellery includes the Botanical, Oceanic and Curios collections, each handcrafted in South Australia and united by craftsmanship, storytelling and contemporary design.
Olivia Dryden, Adelaide-based contemporary jewellery artist and founder of Olivia Dryden Jewellery.
Jewellery inspired by nature, memory and natural history
Olivia’s practice sits between contemporary jewellery, natural history and small-scale sculpture. Each piece begins with close observation: the surface of a leaf, the curve of a shell, the structure of a bone, the shape of a flower or the delicate irregularity of an organic specimen.
The Botanical Collection celebrates flowers, succulents, vines and plant forms cast into sterling silver. The Oceanic Collection reflects marine life, shells, seaweed and coastal textures. The Curios Collection explores memento mori traditions, ethically sourced bones and the symbolic beauty found in natural remains.
Rather than disguising impermanence, Olivia’s work honours it. Her jewellery invites people to look closely at forms that are often fleeting, fragile or misunderstood, and to see them as objects of beauty, memory and meaning.
Artist background
Olivia Dryden studied jewellery as part of a Bachelor of Visual Arts and Design at Adelaide College of the Arts. Her professional practice has included exhibitions across South Australia and interstate, gallery representation, media features and specialist training in taxidermy.
Her work has been stocked by selected galleries and retailers including Art Images Gallery, Kin Gallery, T’Arts Artist Collective and Naomi Schwartz Jewellery Design. She has also been featured in SA Life Magazine and has exhibited with galleries and arts organisations including RSASA, Art Images Gallery, Hill Smith Gallery and T’Arts Artist Collective.
Explore the Botanical, Oceanic and Curios collections, each handcrafted in South Australia and inspired by a different aspect of the natural world.
Artist CV
Solo Exhibitions
2026 – ‘Petals & Pearls’ at Tart’s Collective, Adelaide
2024– ‘Nature’s Wonders’ at Tart’s Collective, Adelaide
2021 – Art Images Gallery, Adelaide
2018 - Window Display at 167 Bermondsey, London
2017 - 'Little Wonders' at Hill Smith Gallery, Adelaide
2015 - ‘Life After Death’ Hill Smith Gallery, Adelaide
Art Fairs & Expos
2025 – Oddities & Curiosities Expo, Melbourne
2025 – Oddities & Curiosities Expo, Adelaide
2024 – Oddities & Curiosities Expo, Adelaide
Group Exhibitions
2025 – ‘The Art of Dying’, Centennial Park, Adelaide
2025 – ‘In the Garden’ SALA, Art Images Gallery
2025 – Loretto Spring Art Fair, Adelaide
2025 – ‘Tart’s on Tour’ Arts Collective Clare Valley
2024 – ‘Celebrate - Tart’s’ Gallery M, Adelaide
2024 – Loretto Spring Art Fair, Adelaide
2023 – Unley Art Prize, Adelaide
2023 – Loretto Spring Art Fair, Adelaide
2022 – ‘Let There Be Light’, Art Images Gallery
2022 – ‘Charmed’, Kin Gallery, Canberra
2022 – ‘Animal House’, Art Images Gallery
2021 – ‘Have a Bauble’, Art Images Gallery
2021 – SALA, Naomi Schwartz Jewellery Design Gallery,
2021 – ‘Introspective Connections’, The Main Gallery,
2021 – ‘Introspective Connections, Nautilus Arts Centre, Port Lincoln,
2020 –‘Art for All’ Art Images Gallery, Adelaide
2020 - ‘Zest!’, Adelaide Fringe, Stationmaster’s Art Gallery, Strathalbyn
2019 - ‘About Face, The Monochrome Series’, COTA, Sydney
2019 - ‘Urban Cow Studio Art Prize’, Urban Cow, Adelaide
2019 - ‘Ocean Textures”, SALA, Naomi Schwartz Gallery, Henley
2019 - ‘Pins & Needles”, SALA, ZU Design, Norwood
2019 - ‘Kaleidoscope 2019’ , Helpmann Academy, AC ARTS
2019 - ‘Dissonance’, SALA, BIMBO, Norwood
2019 - ‘Botanical Inspirations’, Art Image Gallery, Norwood
2018 - ‘Summer’, Art Image Gallery, Norwood
2018 - ‘Youthscape 2016’, RSASA, Adelaide
2017 - ‘Wet, Wild & Wooly’, RSASA, Adelaide
2016 - ‘Authentic Adelaide’, RSASA, Adelaide Town Hall
2016 - Helpmann Academy’s ‘Kaleidoscope’, Peter Walker Fine Art
2016 - ‘Youthscape 2016’, RSASA, Adelaide
2016 - ‘Rainy Days’ Exhibition, RSASA, Adelaide
2016 - ‘Characters of the Fleurieu’, RSASA, Signal Point Gallery, Goolwa
2016 - RSASA Major Fundraiser Art Ballot, ‘Selection Royal 3’, RSASA, Adelaide
2016 - Fringe Exhibition ‘Out of the Box’, RSASA, Adelaide
2015 - ‘The Tugs of War’ - Royal South Australian Society Arts, Adelaide
2014 - ‘EXIT’ Graduation Exhibition- Adelaide College of the Arts, Adelaide
A Remnant Reminder, 2020
Education
2011 - 2014 Bachelor of Visual Arts and Design, Adelaide College of the Arts
Gallery Representations
2020 - to present - Art Images Gallery, Adelaide
2022 - to present -Kin Gallery, Canberra
2019 - Courtesy of the Artist, Sydney
2015-2017 - Associate Artist, Hill Smith Gallery, Adelaide
Grants, Residencies & Awards
2021 - Helpmann Elevate Mentorship, Kirra Lea, Hobart
2017 - RSASA Diploma of Fellowship (FRSASA)
2017 - $20,000 Helpmann Academy Fellowship supported by James & Diana Ramsay
2016 - Merit Award, ‘Youthscape Exhibition’, RSASA
2016 - Highly Commended ‘Characters of the Fleurieu’, RSASA
2015 - Helpmann Academy Artist Residency at Sanskriti Kendra, India (6 weeks)
2015 - Associate Artist – Hill Smith Gallery, Adelaide
Professional development
2026 - Meet the Owner Series, Art Images Gallery, NPS Council
2026 - Opening speaker & award presenter, RSASA Youthscape Exhibition
2025 - ABC Radio interview, Evenings with Spence Denny
2023 - SA Fashion Week, Jewellery on runway, Naomi Schwartz Jewellery
2023 - Radio interview, Ali Clarke Breakfast show
2022 - Master of Ceremonies (MC), RSASA Youthscape Exhibition Opening
2019 - Podcast interview by Jason Dunstone, Square Holes
2018 - Phone interview with Mercury Press, London
2018 - Volunteer: restorations, Museum of Life Sciences, London
2016 - Conducted workshop with 40 children, Majuli, India
2016 - Radio Interview, ABC Mornings with Geoff Hutchison
2016 - Radio Interview, ABC Afternoons with Sonya.
2016 - Organizing committee for ‘2016 Youthscape’
Publications
2026 – SA Life Magazine, March
2020 – SA Life Magazine, July
2018 - Collage Adelaide, Natalie Carfora, 12th May (Online)
2018 - Royal South Australian Society of Arts history Volume 2, Adam Dutkiewicz
2017 - RSASA Kalori August issue
2017 - Eastern Courier, 28th June
2017 - Adelaide Review, 3rd July Jane LLewellyn
2017 - The Advertiser, Louise Nunn, 10th April
2016 - Assam Times, November, India
Taxidermy
2018 - Fox cub, private class, British Academy of Taxidermy, London
2018 - Aus. frilled neck lizard, British Academy of Taxidermy, London
2018 - Baby python, private class, British Acad. of Taxidermy, London
2018 - Crow, British Acad. of Taxidermy, London
2018 - Rouge -Jackalope, British Acad. of Taxidermy, London
2018 - Hamster & Mouse, British Acad. of Taxidermy, London
2018 - Squirrel, British Acad. of Taxidermy, London
2018 - Bat skeleton articulation, British Acad. of Taxidermy, London
2018 - Guinea pig, A Field Guide Taxidermy, London
2018 - Pole cat, A Field Guide Taxidermy, London
2018 - Hedgehog, A Field Guide Taxidermy, London
2018 - Wild rabbit, A Field Guide Taxidermy, London
2018 - Song Thrush, A Field Guide Taxidermy, London
2017 – Small Rabbit, Rest in Pieces, Melbourne
2017 – Mouse, Rest in Pieces, Melbourne
Frequently asked questions
Who is Olivia Dryden?
Olivia Dryden is an Adelaide-based contemporary jewellery artist creating handcrafted sterling silver jewellery inspired by botanical specimens, ocean forms, natural history, memento mori traditions and ethically sourced curiosities.
Where is Olivia Dryden Jewellery made?
Olivia Dryden Jewellery is handcrafted in Adelaide, South Australia.
What inspires Olivia Dryden’s jewellery?
Olivia’s jewellery is inspired by real botanical specimens, marine forms, bones, natural history, taxidermy, curiosity cabinets and memento mori traditions.
What is memento mori jewellery?
Memento mori jewellery is jewellery that reflects on memory, mortality and the passing of time. Olivia’s Curios Collection draws from these traditions while reinterpreting them through contemporary sterling silver jewellery.
Where can I buy Olivia Dryden Jewellery?
Olivia Dryden Jewellery is available through the online shop and selected Australian stockists including galleries in Adelaide and Canberra.