North East jewellery designer Kellie Daniels is quite literally leaving no stone unturned when it comes to expanding her business, as Emma Walker discovered.
From aquamarines and amethysts to rubies and rose quartz, the American-born designer, who has made her home on Tyneside, sources the finest gems and crystals for her Salome jewellery brand.
And the designs, which celebrate the stones in their natural form, are finding favour as far afield as London and New York.
Founded in 2015, Salome’s bespoke, handmade, collections stocked at Newcastle’s The Biscuit Factory – were quickly snapped up by Edinburgh’s high-end Covet store and Wolf & Badger, in London’s prestigious Mayfair.
Such was the brand’s success that Wolf & Badger’s New York store and Hemline, in New Orleans’ fashionable French Quarter, followed suit. And sales of Salome’s necklaces, earrings and bracelets have outstripped even Kellie’s most optimistic expectations.
“Obviously I knew from the success of the collections in Britain that there was a strong and growing market for my jewellery,” said Kellie, “but even I had no idea it would catch on as quickly in the US as it has.
“Within two weeks of going on sale, I had repeat orders from both shops and as a result I am working around the clock to meet demand.”
The collections crafted with stones sourced from locations as diverse as California and the South Pacific are designed to reflect the beauty of the natural world and, because of variations within the stones themselves, no two pieces are exactly alike.
Among the collections within the Salome brand are the newly released L’Etoile Collection which features star cut stones in rare blue aventurine, noir quartz, and smoky quartz and the more stylised Le Reve, which explores movement, suspension and light through natural stone and metal.
Henrique Pinto, manager of the Wolf & Badger store at Grand Street, New York, NY, said: “The collections have been incredibly popular and the customers love them as much as we do.
“Salome’s Tribal Collection featuring stones such as jasper, sapphire, aquamarine and labradorite – has received the most attention from customers, who truly appreciate the wide range and variations in style.”
The full range, along with Salome's other collections featuring precious gems such as ruby, sapphire, pearl, emerald and grey opal can also be purchased online at www.salomedesigns.co.uk.
