ToniMay Jewellery: From A Bondi Markets Stall To 50 Stockists, And The 6 Pieces We'd Start With

This article is published by Dear Blackbird Boutique, a stockist of ToniMay.

ToniMay is an Australian jewellery label founded by sisters Laura Byrne and Alisha de Graaf. It began as a stall at the Bondi markets around 2008 and has grown into one of Australia’s best known independent jewellery labels. The pieces are sterling silver or 18k gold vermeil, set with hand-cut natural gemstones, and they are designed to be layered rather than worn one at a time.

If you have walked into our Warragul store lately, you have probably seen the ToniMay cabinet. It is the one people stand in front of the longest. Here is the story behind it, and how we would start a collection.

Who is behind ToniMay?

ToniMay is run by two sisters. Laura Byrne is the designer and creative director. Her sister Alisha de Graaf describes her own role, in the brand's words, as "boss of everything".

They grew up with a silversmith for a mother. Laura has said that she was "completely in awe of the treasures that I would find in my mum's jewellery box, and that fascination set off a lifelong love affair for the handmade."

She started the label in her early twenties, making every single piece herself. In a 2024 interview she was frank about it: "I think I was so naive to running a business, but it was this naivety that kept me going and pursuing the thing I loved most and that was making jewellery."

That one-woman operation now works with more than 45 silversmiths and a team of fifteen. In 2018 Laura was named Australian Fashion Designer of the Year by Cosmopolitan, the first time a jewellery designer had taken the award. If the name rings a bell for another reason, she also co-hosts the Australian podcast Life Uncut.

Where did the name ToniMay come from?

It is the question the sisters say they get asked most. ToniMay is named after their grandparents, Shirley May and Tony Filippi. As the brand puts it, "it is not just a jewellery brand but a family legacy built on quality, creativity and making memories."

That naming choice tells you most of what you need to know about the design philosophy. Laura's own favourite piece in the range is the Fob necklace, which is both the label's number one seller and a copy of a necklace her mother wore when the girls were children.

What is ToniMay jewellery actually made from?

This is where the brand separates itself from the wall of gold-toned costume jewellery you see everywhere, and it is worth understanding before you spend.

The micron number is the one that matters for how long a piece stays gold. Gold vermeil at 2 to 2.5 microns over sterling silver is a genuinely different product to the flash-plated brass that discolours in a season. The stones are sourced globally and cut by hand, with a lot of them coming out of India, where the sisters visit their stone cutters.

Is ToniMay jewellery worth the price?

It is a fair question, and it is one people ask out loud in forums before they buy. Most of the range sits between the price of high-street costume jewellery and the price of fine jewellery.

The honest answer is that it depends what you are replacing. If you are used to buying a cheap gold-toned necklace twice a year because the last one turned your neck green, a vermeil piece that lasts is cheaper over three years and looks considerably better in the meantime. If you were going to buy solid 9k gold, this is not that, and the brand does not claim it is.

What you are paying for is sterling silver rather than brass, real stones rather than glass, and a plating thickness that survives daily wear. The brand sells roughly 50,000 pieces a year and has donated more than $100,000 to causes including bushfire and flood relief, which is not a quality metric but does tell you something about how it is run.

How should you start a ToniMay collection?

ToniMay is designed to be layered, mixed and stacked, so the smartest first purchase is usually not the biggest one. Here is how we talk customers through it in store. What is on the shelf changes through the season, so think in terms of the type of piece rather than one particular style.

If you are buying your first piece

Start small with a fine chain and a single pendant. The delicate crescent and marquise shapes sit well under a collar, they work on their own, and they are the natural base for anything you add later. This is also the most affordable way into the brand, with the smaller pendants usually the entry point in the range.

If you are buying a gift

The zodiac necklaces are the easiest gift in the cabinet, because you already know the answer. Every sign is covered, in both sterling silver and 18k gold plated, so the only decision left is which metal she wears. We sell more of these in the lead-up to a birthday than anything else in the range.

If you want to build a stack

Stacker rings are the pieces people come back for. They are designed to be worn three or four at a time, mixing gold with silver and plain bands with stone-set ones, so you can add one at a time and the collection still looks deliberate. Start with a stone you like rather than a full set.

If you want one piece that lasts

Go for a larger stone-set necklace or a statement ring. These are the pieces at the top of the range, and they are the ones customers tell us they wear every day for years rather than saving for occasions.

Where can you buy ToniMay in Victoria?

ToniMay is designed and made for Sydney, but you do not have to go there to try it on. In West Gippsland, you can see the range in person at Dear Blackbird Boutique, 14 Napier St, Warragul, open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm and Saturday 9am to 2pm. Being able to hold a piece, see how the stone catches the light and try a stack on your own hand makes a real difference with jewellery.

If you cannot get to Warragul, the full ToniMay collection is online, alongside the rest of our new jewellery, with free shipping on Australian orders over $200, Afterpay, and free click and collect.

Frequently asked questions

Is ToniMay Australian owned?

Yes. ToniMay is Australian owned and family operated, run by sisters Laura Byrne and Alisha de Graaf out of Sydney.

Does ToniMay jewellery tarnish?

ToniMay uses sterling silver with 2 to 2.5 micron 18k gold plating, which is far thicker than standard flash plating and holds up to daily wear. Like all sterling silver, it responds to being kept dry and away from perfume and chlorine.

Is ToniMay real gold?

It is gold vermeil, meaning a thick layer of 18k gold plated over sterling silver, rather than solid gold. Vermeil is the reason the pieces cost a fraction of what the same design would in solid gold.

Are ToniMay gemstones real?

Yes. The brand uses natural gemstones that are cut by hand and sourced from suppliers it has worked with for years, including stone cutters in India.

Who founded ToniMay and when?

Laura Byrne founded ToniMay around 2008 as a stall at the Bondi markets, in her early twenties. Her sister Alisha de Graaf runs the business alongside her.

What is ToniMay's best selling piece?

The Fob necklace, which Laura designed after a necklace their mother wore when they were children.

Sources: ToniMay, Our Story; Life Instyle, Meet the Maker: Laura & Alisha, ToniMay. Quotes are reproduced from those published interviews.