Please introduce yourself and your brand
I am a Brighton-based jewellery maker. I make pendant necklaces by breathing new life in to vintage brooches. I also make beaded pendants, necklaces and earrings form my large collection of beads which I have been hunting and gathering for a number of years.
‘Organica’, mixed textures of vintage and natural organic forms: 1950s and 60s gold and silver-tone brooches of abstract organic and floral forms with a wire-wrapped rock crystal shards, in natural form, or electroplated in precious metal dust to achieve a rainbow lustre. The long gold-tone chain is a vintage find. £36 each.
How would you describe your style and your creations?
Unique recreated vintage jewellery with a contemporary twist: each pendant necklace I make is individual and given a modern twist with wire-wrapped bead drops. I search out brooches from antique fairs and boot fairs, and have a large collection of vintage, new and semi-precious beads which I use to embellish my designs.
I mix textures and colours, which gives my pieces their uniqueness. In a single brooch pendant I might use a combination of faceted sparkling Swarovski beads and smooth creamy fresh water pearls to complement or contrast with the brooch’s colour and design.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
The creative process: I use the shapes and the colours of the brooches to inspire my designs, and enjoy it even more when a customer enjoys the outcome.
What can we expect to find on your stall at The Fairy Tale Fair Brighton this summer? And are you looking forward to taking part?
I am especially looking forward to the fair, as I will be selling my jewellery to raise money for a local cat shelter charity.
I will be bringing pieces from my most popular ranges: ‘Organica’, ‘Meadow’, and ‘Flower Power’, and especially for cat lovers, and exclusively for the fair, I will be selling cat-themed pendants necklaces, each unique, comprising glass lamp-work cat beads (£12- £18 each).
‘Meadow’, refined Englishness: inspired by English hedgerow flowers, these comprise vintage enamel posy brooches with glass crystals wire-wrapped around each posy’s stem. They hang from pretty embroidered silk floral-pattered which ties behind the neck.£30 each
‘Flower Power’, floral or leaf brooch often suspended from a wire-wrapped single drop of semi-precious, crystal or vintage beads. £24 -£38 each.
20% of the proceeds from sales of from my cat-themed range will be donated to the Lost Cats Brighton (www.lostcatsbrighton.org.uk), a charity that shelters lost cats and helps cat ‘owners’ become re-united with their missing companions. I will also donate 10% of all my sales on the day to the charity.
Do you have any plans or ambitions for the future?
I am constantly on the search for new beads, vintage jewellery, and inspiration, and experimenting with fresh designs.
How can we find out more about you?
You can find out more about the collections I will bring on 15 August, as well as my other ranges, and work-in-progress projects from my website:
www.deannaokeeffejewellery.com
Contact me if you are unable to come to the Fairy Tale Fair on 15 August, and would like to know about future events where I will be selling my jewellery.
Also, if you see something you particularly like on my website and want to make sure I bring it with me to the fair, please get in touch.
I look forward to meeting new and existing customers on 15 August.
