Jeweller turning raw materials and talent into national gold

From shaping her first wooden ring to winning WorldSkills gold, Lily-Grace Toohill has forged a glowing reputation.

Lily-Grace’s interest in raw materials began long before she set foot in a jewellery studio. “I’ve always been a hands-on person,” she says. “I’ve always loved to learn new skills and find different hobbies.”

First, it was origami, then 3D board games, before eventually woodworking. As a teenager, she built a bed frame and crafted a complete chess set, board and all.

She even made wooden rings she carved herself using her grandfather’s lathe. Little did she know they would be the first of many pieces of jewellery she would create.

By Year 12, she was making miniature, to-scale models of guitars, which caught the eye of her future employer.

“My current boss saw them and was quite impressed. He asked if I’d be interested in becoming an apprentice jeweller at Lacy’s Jewellery Studio,” Lily-Grace shares.

“It seemed like a great opportunity, so I went ahead and became an apprentice jeweller. That decision changed my life.”

Her newfound passion led her to Melbourne Polytechnic, where she completed her formal training in a Certificate III in Jewellery Manufacture.

While the curriculum polished her technical abilities, it was the camaraderie with her classmates that she enjoyed the most.

“To be able to learn and grow in our skills together while also having fun was fantastic,” Lily-Grace says. “It’s so cool now to be able to see what everyone is doing with their skills.”

Lily-Grace’s talents took her to the 2025 WorldSkills National Championships in Brisbane.

Over 3 days and 18 intense hours, she designed and crafted a 3-module pendant from 18-karat yellow gold.

“We received the design of the piece one hour before we began, which made it very tricky to train and prepare for the competition,” Lily-Grace says.

Her first day tested her resolve. “My first day was definitely the worst. Everything just felt like it was going wrong but thankfully I was able to fix up my mistakes and finish the piece.”

Day 2 brought smoother progress. On the third and final day, Lily-Grace unleashed her creativity, designing and making a moving section of the pendant.

“The design had to be asymmetrical, abstract and it had to include a square setting, which is where the stone goes,” Lily-Grace explains. “I knew from the start that I wanted to make a moving element.

“The night before I was trying to come up with a design that incorporated all the needed elements. I decided on making the setting the main focal point and I also made that the moving part.”

Lily-Grace’s innovative decision helped her claim the gold medal in the jewellery category. When the judges also announced her as Best in the Nation for being the highest-performing competitor across all categories, Lily-Grace was stunned.

“I still can’t really believe it if I’m being honest,” she says. “It’s very humbling.”

“I’m very thankful to my workplace for being great teachers and being so supportive throughout this whole experience.”

Looking ahead, Lily-Grace plans to complete her apprenticeship this year, before taking a break for some well-earned travel and learning how to cut stones on her new faceting machine.

Her advice for aspiring jewellers is simple: have a supportive and encouraging workplace and do what you love.

“Find a job that you enjoy and that makes you want to go and create something,” Lily-Grace says. “Don’t just do something because someone else has told you to.”

“Yes, there might be days that can be repetitive or boring, but the fun and interesting parts will make it all worthwhile.”

Find a career that you love on the TAFE Victoria website.