With Cape Town a global design destination, it’s no surprise that the inner city is a creative cauldron, prompting three of the country’s top female jewellers to set up shiny shop here.
It’s no secret that creativity abounds in the Cape Town CBD. Says Tasso Evangelinos, CEO of the Cape Town City Central Improvement District (CCID): “We’ve long made a concerted effort to encourage all kinds of entrepreneurial expression. The creative economy was thriving before the pandemic and has held its own in the past two years.”
One of the arms of the creative economy, the jewellery sector, is alive and well: the Central City is home to 46 jewellery design and manufacturing businesses. Three of these, namely Dear Rae, Black Betty and Pichulik are all uber trendy and established brands in the overcrowded fashionable jewellery market.
While they all have strong e-commerce sites that draw business from all over the world, their bricks-and-mortar stores are in downtown Cape Town. Here’s why.
BLACK BETTY
Inspired by the healing power of gemstones, Kristen Weixelbaumer founded Black Betty Design in 2012 as a tribute to her great-grandmother, “a closet jeweller”, following a year spent in India. Today, she heads a team of imaginative designers in her jewellery and piercing studio whose work consistently reimagines the bounds of jewellery design.
Weixelbaumer says: “Since our inception we’ve always stepped outside our comfort zone and have invited our customers to do the same. That’s what has made us stand out.”
The studio aims to create “unique and distinctive pieces for those who are drawn to striking jewellery with an emotional connection”.
This relentless pursuit of the inimitable birthed a brand that is now on the cutting edge of trends and making waves as a result.
“We try not to follow outside trends too much but what is currently trending for us is our zapping experience which welds your bracelet onto your wrist without a clasp. More and more people want a forever piece, and this is the perfect way to get one. We’re also blown away by the piercing world right now, it is booming,” says Weixelbaumer, who studied art direction and graphic design.
The studio initially started trading in the CBD and then moved to other commercial hubs. Now it has returned full circle with a sparkling new HQ in Hout St.
Weixelbaumer, who studied art direction and graphic design, comes from an “incredibly creative” family “with interiors and architecture being the main focus”. In fact, the stunning Hout St store was designed by Weix Studio, a family business focused on residential, retail and commercial interior design. “Being able to work on Black Betty’s HQ with my sister, Klaudia, has been an absolute dream. She nailed it!”
From the bespoke hand-painted gold wall by Conscious Colour, the layered and adorned chandeliers (which are next level!) by Jacques Erasmus, the sleek-and-sensuous hand-sculpted torsos and hands by Unplinthed, the cabinetry by Hot Orange, a lot of thought has gone into making everything “as practical and as sexy as possible” and in keeping with the powerful Black Betty ethos.
Which brings us to the name, Black Betty? Betty is a first name that speaks to all women, and “Black” represents a woman’s powerful inner force, Weixelbaumer explains. There is nothing more inspiring than a woman who owns her “black”. And wears Black Betty.
Black Betty, 77 Hout Street
www.blackbettydesign.com
Dear Rae
Karin Rae worked out of a small studio above her parents’ garage when she first founded Dear Rae in 2010. She didn’t have much money, but her creative drive was unstoppable, and she was able to draw on her South African and German heritage. Today the brand has15 full-time employees and operates out of a store in buzzing Bree St.
Rae recalls, “When I was younger, my dad did jewellery design as a hobby. He always had a little bench in his garage where he would make some pieces for fun. When I was 10 years old, he taught me how to saw shapes out of brass sheeting and this sparked my love for this job.”
Each Dear Rae piece is designed and made by Rae and her handpicked manufacturers at her Cape Town studio. Moving out her father’s garage into a gorgeous showroom has taken the brand to the next level.
She says, “Our journey led us to the bustle of Upper Bree Street in the city centre. Surrounded by like-minded creative businesses and local brands, including an array of coffee shops and favourite local hangouts, it has been the perfect fit for us as we establish our flagship store and studio, in the heart of Cape Town.
“Being a luxury brand with a retail space for the public to visit, we often feel quite vulnerable to crime. It has been wonderful to have the support and security presence of the CCID, which also ensures our neigbourhood is neat and well managed.”
Dear Rae, 164 Bree Street
www.dearrae.co.za
PICHULIK
World renowned for its bold, eye-catching designs and the visionary women behind it, Pichulik has long been a staple on the wearable art scene. Founder and joint CEO, Katherine-Mary Pichulik, says part of the secret to the brand’s longevity is finding the right partners.
“Having my business partner Tracey Chiappini-Young on board has been a real game changer. Her involvement in the brand has changed the trajectory of Pichulik, for which I am truly grateful. So much so that I would say that our Shimenawa earrings, the hero piece of the first official collection I did with her, was a defining moment for me as a designer.”
Pichulik started designing jewellery as a hobby. Today the brand attracts the attention of the likes of Megan Markle, who donned Pichulik earrings when she toured South Africa with the Duke of Sussex.
“Our greatest joy is seeing the magic of our team growing and working perfectly with one another. We recently opened our new atelier and launched our FW22 Terra Therma Collection. Part of what has contributed to our success has been that our store is located in the East City in a wonderful hub of independent businesses in the heart of town.
“Our designs are intentionally handcrafted to build the social equity of our crafters and preserve their skills. All of our pieces are assembled and showcased in our studio in Cape Town to promote the development of our local economy.”
Pichulik, 8 Watson Street
www.pichulik.com