Australian first for Batman and Superman jewellery

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An Australian jewellery manufacturer has become the first company in the country to obtain a Warner Brothers licence for DC Comics jewellery.

Adelaide-based Guild Jewellery Design has exclusive Australian and New Zealand rights to design, produce and distribute jewellery featuring the symbols of DC comic characters Batman, Superman, the Green Lantern, the Flash and Wonder Woman, among others.

Guild Jewellery owner Andrew Ioannou approached Warner Brothers for a licence to produce comic book-inspired jewellery after noticing a gap in the Australian jewellery market.

“All the superhero jewellery in the market is cheap and, more importantly, unofficial. It seemed like a good idea to get in touch with one of the largest companies in the entertainment industry and ask to produce their jewellery,” the self-professed comic book aficionado said.

Superman rose-gold earrings

“This is a whole new market for jewellery in Australia and it has the potential to have its own cult following,” he added.

The jewellery in the Guild’s comic book collection will consist of rings, pendants, earrings, charms and necklets made of either sterling silver or gold-plated silver.

To prevent the jewellery from having the “gimmicky look of costume jewellery”, Ioannou used sterling silver in all his designs with the occasional use of coloured resin in items that required it.

Ioannou said costume jewellery was good as collectors’ items but used sterling silver because he was interested in wholesaling his jewellery to chain stores as well as comic book stores with fan products.

Batman gold-plated earrings

“We also made the jewellery out of sterling silver because we wanted to make it affordable for fans, particularly for young people,” he said.

Ioannou said the jewellery had already garnered a few interested buyers. Guild Jewellery Design will officially launch its collection of comic book-inspired jewellery at the Armageddon Expo in Sydney on February 26.

Posted January 25, 2011