"Adjeley so how did you come up with a name for this?" This is the number one question I am asked when someone scrolls through our collections and pieces. I always begin with a smile before answering the question because of the opportunity to share the story behind each of the names given to them.
Every piece we design has always been inspired by someone, some place, a song or album, a piece of art, a book or an article I have read about or a movie or series I have watched. I know it sounds like a lot of things come into play just to design and name a piece but that is the truth.
Take for example our Obieley earrings, I named it after my eldest sister. She has been a supporter of my jewelry making for as long as I can remember. We designed the stud top of the earring in one of her favourite eye-shadow colours. My sister is a lover of neutral tones when it comes to make-up and as an ode to her we used a neutral colour that suits the different shades of our beautiful black skin.
Lola was named after a female character in the RedTV series The Men's Club (TMC). As cheesy as that sounds, yes I named it after her (that lady is too serious with her love interest Louis and it can annoy me sometimes). When we had finished designing that piece she was the first thing I saw when my girls handed me pair of those earrings. I immediately named it after her.
One of my good friends upon seeing the name and the style of the earrings asked "Did you name is after the lady in TMC?" I replied with an emphatic YES! because I knew someone would get the message I was trying to convey with it. I mean "that lady likes love too much" was the reply I gave to my friend.
I came up with the name Charming bracelet for our signature charm bracelet some years back, after making several pieces of them for friends and family. I found it quite interesting that most of them would wear it on the hand they would usually greet people with. I usually would get feedback from them about how it was a conversation starter between them and whoever they were meeting or greeting. So to play on the word 'Charming' I decided to name them Charming bracelets not only because it was a charm bracelet but because the word 'charming' was also a way of replying to a greeting when you meet someone. As odd as that may sound it really has worked in our favour as it continues to be a fan favourite (new releases coming soon).
The Bea series (pronounced 'bia') of necklaces has its name from my Akuapem roots. In fusing African Prints and pearls together with the European technique of soutache. I wanted to pay homage to my Eastern Region roots. Initially I had wanted to name each variety of this design by each of the Akuapem names that ended with 'bea' like Asabea, Kwaafobea, Amanobea etc. Let's just say the name Bea is here to stay.
Everything created has a name, behind that name lies an inspiration and a story. There are many stories of each pieces we design in the studio. Eclecticism which is the core of our brand and has made it easier for us to be very versatile and unique in what we do and how we name each handmade piece we make here in the studio.
We have named a lot of pieces after friends, family, clients, characters and even coined up some names ourselves; this shows you the power of creativity. We love that many of you have found ways to connect with them and share them with your loved ones, for this we are truly grateful. Now that you know, keep your fingers crossed we might name a piece after you.
