We can’t keep it a secret any longer—we’re so excited to announce the launch of our first-ever holiday jewelry collection today! In celebration of #GivingTuesday, we’re taking you behind-the-scenes and sharing with you how each piece is not only handcrafted, but helps to give opportunity to the women making it! In this season of “more more more”, we invite you to join us in giving better.
In the celebration of Giving Tuesday, the focus of our Holiday Jewelry Collection is timeless, quality gifts that speak to the lives of the maker, the wearer and the exquisite craftsmanship in between.
This collection is handcrafted from the finest materials, from hand-rolled Ugandan beads to Kenyan cow horn to exquisite brass. Each piece is designed with elegance and simplicity in mind, so that it’s guaranteed to be a piece you’ll treasure for years to come.
And in that spirit of gratitude, we’re so thankful for how hard the team worked to bring these pieces to life. Jewelry is still new for a lot of the women on our team (sandals are more their jam) and in order to get the collection ready in time for the holidays, we called on everyone to help out with beading! But, no surprise, this awesome team of women took on the challenge with grace and determination—many of them even volunteered to work weekends!
Josephine, our Accessories Team Leader (pictured above right!), taught the team most of the designs and the team went from learning to doing in a matter of days.
One of our favorite things about this newest collection is that each piece is named after a women on our team in Uganda as a tribute to their personality. Below Stella (one of the kindest and most genuine women on our team) is rocking the Stella Earrings and Necklace, which we created to match our ‘Kindness’ piece!
Florence, meanwhile, has a bold statement necklace named after her, to match her brazen personality. While Florence may not be the loudest on the Sseko team, she is certainly the boldest. When we first got the Finishing Machine at our workshop (the big heavy machine we use to smoothen our sandals at the end of the process), all of the women were afraid. It was Florence who boldly stood up to the challenge, and now she runs the Finishing Machine like a pro!
As we said, moving from sandal making to full jewelry making is no small feat. We’re so proud of these women and how hard they worked to bring this collection to life. And it’s our hope that anyone who receives these pieces senses the love and care fused into them.
The best part? Every single jewelry piece comes with a small hand-sewn kitenge bag! Your gift is ready-to-go when it arrives at your doorstep. All you need to do is print out one of our Downloadable Holiday Gift Tags, sign it and attach it to the bag!
Join us in giving better, not more this holiday by gifting pieces handcrafted to tell a bigger, braver and bolder story. Shop the full collection here! >> Holiday Jewelry Collection