Story

The story behind Organic Reliques

Organic Reliques began with an unexpected meeting between designer Jessica Carlucci and craftsman R. Cripwell, two creative paths crossing at a moment when neither quite knew what was waiting around the corner.

From an early age, Jessica was fortunate to travel widely with her family. Her mother owned a travel agency, opening the door to many different countries, cultures and ways of life. 

Those early experiences left a lasting impression. They nurtured a curiosity about the world and a deep appreciation for the beauty found in different cultures, in ancient craftsmanship and in the natural world, the colours, textures, patterns and quiet details that can so easily go unnoticed.

That sense of discovery has remained at the heart of Jessica's creative life.

Jessica Carlucci

Designer · Artist · Founder

Jessica is a mixed-media artist and the creative force behind Organic Reliques.

With a Bachelor of Arts and three years spent living and working in Italy, she developed a deeper appreciation for traditional artistic processes, materials and the enduring beauty of things made by hand.

Her creative practice has travelled through ceramics, textiles, glass, colour and mixed media. She is drawn to the relationship between material, colour, form and space, and to the way something beautifully made can alter the feeling of its surroundings.

Organic Reliques grew from this instinct - creating pieces that sit somewhere between art and architecture, inspired by the natural world and made to become part of the spaces they inhabit.

A chance encounter

The story of Organic Reliques might never have begun if not for a bathroom renovation.

At a difficult turning point in her own life, Jessica had returned to Western Australia after plans to establish a business overseas came to an end during the pandemic.

While back in Perth helping her family, a friend asked for Jessica's help with a tile design for her bathroom.

Jessica spent several days and late nights working on the design, measuring, rearranging and experimenting until the pieces came together.

She wasn't entirely sure where the idea was leading.

One morning, while Jessica and her friend were having a cup of tea, Rob arrived at the job.

He looked at the design. What caught his attention was not only the idea, but the precision, everything fitted together seamlessly. 

He was intrigued.

One conversation led to another, and that afternoon Rob invited Jessica to the studio.

R. Cripwell

Craftsman

For more than twenty years, Rob had devoted himself to developing and refining the craft of creating the distinctive crystal glass jewel tiles.

Working largely on his own, he had built a process requiring patience, precision and a deep understanding of the material.

But he had reached the end of an era.

After years of trying to find the right way to take the tiles forward, Rob was preparing to sell his studio and move on, allowing a lifetime of knowledge and craftsmanship to quietly become part of the past.

Then Jessica walked through the door.

Rob recognised in her a natural ability with her hands, an instinct for design and a fresh way of seeing what the tiles might become.

He asked her to join him, bringing together his craftsmanship with her design.

And Jessica said yes.

 

Where craft meets imagination

What followed was not something either of them had planned.

It was simply the right people meeting at the right moment.

Rob brought decades of knowledge and craftsmanship.

Jessica brought a fresh eye, colour, design and an instinctive curiosity for what was possible.

Together they began to explore the tiles in new ways, allowing the craft to move beyond its original boundaries and into art, architecture and personal expression.

What began with one bathroom became a collaboration.

And a craft that might have quietly disappeared found a new chapter.

“There have, of course, been plenty of twists and turns along the way. But perhaps that is the nature of making something meaningful. Sometimes the most important paths are the ones we never planned to take.”

J. Carlucci

Organic Reliques

Today, Jessica and Rob continue to create by hand in Western Australia, developing pieces that celebrate colour, material, craftsmanship and the beauty of individuality.

Each piece carries something of the hands that made it, subtle variations, natural character and the quiet presence of something created rather than manufactured.

We believe the things we bring into our homes should have a reason to be there.

Something beautiful.
Something tactile.
Something with a story.

Architectural jewellery for timeless spaces.

 

 

R. Cripwell & J. Carlucci