Cherise Castle-Blugh: My handmade is heart-made

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‘The treasures I create are elegant, timeless and will make the perfect heirloom to be passed down within a family.’ – Cherise Castle-Blugh.

Cherise Castle-Blugh: I envisioned a way to turn my jewelry-making hobby into a sustainable enterprise

My jewellery is a combination of passion and perfection, all lovingly crafted by me. Inspired by my love for anything art, Pablo Picasso’s words live with me – “Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life.” I see my jewellery-making as soulful therapy which allows me to focus on positive life experiences and enhance my creativity.

I envisioned a way to turn my jewelry-making hobby into a sustainable enterprise that would create new opportunities for individuals in my local community and beyond. As a self-taught jewellery artist, I have grown my passion from the ground up – continually refining my products while aspiring to make a positive impact through my business. Since my inception three years ago, I have inspired, trained and taught individuals to enhance their own creativity through various means and have worked with suppliers worldwide to source innovative and eco-friendly components for my designs.

I favour jewellery that is comfortable enough to wear every day, or such that compliments your special event attire. My handmade jewellery designs contain an inherent “Wow! That’s handmade?” factor. It seems that because I pay particular attention to every detail, the “handmade” does not show. I always answer with a smile, “My handmade is heart-made.”

Being a secondary school teacher by profession, I am a jewellery designer with insights into various cultures of the world which I infuse in my work. This, together with my abounding love of nature, art forms of all kinds, and people, inspire my collections. The result is a line of jewellery that marries the beauties of various cultures and transcends to the soul. There are no boundaries to my designs. I seek to infuse life in minimalist lines. There is a transcendent quality to my work; each piece is significant and luxurious without being showy. I aim to achieve a tasteful luxury through attention to subtleties.

As a jewellery designer, I share my appreciation for beauty and I encourage compassion in our daily lives through my collections. One of my jewellery brands initiates and inspires love. The jewellery in this line tells an individual’s love story, be it a mother for her son or daughter, husband for a wife, niece for an aunt or otherwise. Another of my brands is for the fun, quirky person we all have within us, and I am still able to capture the essence of what every woman wants to feel – sophisticated, exquisite, elegant and glamorous – in yet another brand. The many brands of Cherise Castle-Blugh Designs are kept alive by the many emotions and lifestyles that any one individual experiences – both ladies and gents. Cherise Castle-Blugh Designs cater to experiences. Each jewellery piece has a story or a meaning, and is meant to deliver blessings to the wearer. My jewellery is meant to be intimate; all collections are handcrafted in limited edition to preserve the integrity of each piece.

My sometimes simple, other times bold designs showcase my talents for craft and design. The treasures I create are elegant, timeless and will make the perfect heirloom to be passed down within a family.

My passion for jewellery making and my love for natural gems is leading me to study Gemology. I choose to work with gemstones and auspicious symbols to inspire an inward as well as outward beauty.

For anyone with artistic dreams, I hope you won’t put off exploring your artistic side any longer. We are all born with an innate desire to express ourselves and art encompasses a wider range of activities than you may have ever imagined. Within each of us lies a spark of creativity. Creativity promotes economic growth and by extension, economic development. In our economy today, becoming an entrepreneur certainly has its rewards. Creative persons boost economic growth with their innovative products and services and can invigorate the economy with new ideas.

Having a good support system is also encouraged. My team is quite small (husband and son), but is ever supportive. The support has to be there, it doesn’t matter if only one person believes in you. I  am always happy to give advice and answer questions and help my customers select the perfect gents or ladies jewellery accessory. My original designs are now sold in the San Fernando Fashion Week Store and at Craft Fairs throughout Trinidad and Tobago.

Readers may keep up with Cherise-Castle-Blugh’s work on her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/belgems/

June 2016 – Issue 22   www.sweettntmagazine.com

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