Founded by Catherine Wu, The Traace jewellery line is an extension of Catherine's own philosophy, where beautiful things of human endeavour can speak about our links with the worlds of natural processes and cultural heritage.  It is where time, connection and fragments of memories intersect.  The Traace crafts pieces that are inspired by fossilized life and antiquity and are reframed with a unique perspective.

A range of sources interconnect in Catherine's work.  From her Chinese heritage and idyllic youth in outback Australia, her global travels and love of sunny Sydney, through to her background in menswear design and academic research.  As a young designer, Catherine started a self-entitled menswear label in Sydney before embarking on work as a menswear designer abroad.  Her subsequent PhD in cultural evolutionary theory entitled; 'Darwin's New Clothes: a Neo-Darwinian Metalogic of Cultural Evolutionary Theory', investigates the ways through which we engage with the 'traces' of human histories. 

 Working with predominately fossils, culturally distinctive artefacts and carved gemstones, Catherine, then, brings their stories to life with enamelling-work, polki and old world rose-cut diamonds.  Filtered through her design eye for clean lines and abstraction and, brought to life through artisan craftsmanship, the pieces are set in metals ranging from 9k and 14k gold through to the richer look of 24k on 925 sterling silver. Working closely with a Jaipur workshop, the pieces are handcrafted by artisans using methods which are steeped in the long, rich heritage of artisan jewellers, lapidarists, and goldsmiths in India.

At the forefront of Catherine's vision is to choose fossils and gemstones that are natural, untreated and with inclusions that make statements about the histories which make them unique. Combined with their handcrafted qualities, each distinctive design becomes a testament to preserving their special characteristics with contemporary relevance.