Further to our recent jewellery blog 5 Jewellers To Visit In Africa, we thought we would highlight another jewellery business that has taken off. A piece of locally crafted jewellery is perfect if you’re looking for that special gift or to take some of the magic of Africa back home with you.
Based in the ‘City of Gold’ or Johannesburg as it’s better known, the Just Love Trading Company was started in 2013 by mother-and-daughter team, Tricia Rowand and Leigh Herringer. It all began as a mum-and-daughter hobby because people often commented on the beaded jewellery they wore. So they starting sourcing a few jewellery pieces and selling them on to various game lodges and corporates, as well selling jewellery pieces to their friends. They also recently created a pop-up shop in Johannesburg, which was a great success.
The pair really began sinking their teeth into the business when they started designing their own necklaces and bracelets this year – and since then, their hobby has turned into a business which they run as a mother-and-daughter team from home. Each collection is wholly inspired by Africa, her textures and bright colours, fauna and flora and the animals that inhabit this great continent.
Once Tricia and Leigh have come up with the designs, each piece is meticulously handmade by skilled beaders, some of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds. The company sources as much as they can locally and use all sorts of raw materials, beads and semi-precious stones from South Africa and the rest of Africa.
This innovative design team now supplies various game lodge shops, such as the ones at Lion Sands, Marataba, the Madikwe Safari Lodge, all the lodges within the Thornybush Collection, Wilderness Safaris Botswana and Wilderness Namibia, as well as Skukuza Airport.
Tricia has worked in jewellery manufacturing prior to starting the business, and was also behind the “Zanzi” beach towels, which had towelling on one side and wonderful khanga fabrics on the other. Leigh comes from a magazine publishing background where she worked at Marie Claire as a writer and then moved to the Food and Home Entertaining magazine, which she edited for three years. She also edited the Wedding Inspirations Magazine and still likes to keep herself busy with freelance writing jobs when she’s not looking after her two lively little girls.
Both mum and daughter have always been passionate about the vibrant colours and designs of the beaded jewellery of Africa, and have been really excited to be producing their own ranges. Their jewellery range includes some Indie-style pieces that are quite bohemian with lots of tassels and charms. For their ocean/beach ranges, they incorporate shells and sea glass in combination with silver and gold beads, and organic elements such as wood.
They have also recently launched a gorgeous new range of bracelets made from threaded silk chord with a little endangered animal charm on them – so far the charms in the range include a rhino, elephant, turtle, starfish and a dolphin. The silk comes in a rainbow of colours, and all charms are made out of sterling silver and are gold plated.
So the next time you find yourself on safari be sure to pop into the game lodge shop and have a look out for the beautifully beaded pieces from Just Love Trading. Chances are you will fall in love with them as much as we have.
