Meet Aura By Jewel A whimsical line of earrings from Brooklyn – Essence

Born from the expansive mind of designer Jewel Williams, Aura by Jewel is an exercise in creative self-discovery, richly packaged as an homage to Black women. In 2019, Williams reconsidered how she saw herself in stillness. The former biology student has at all times tapped right into a deep creative power and desired to discover recent ways to make use of her talents. With the pandemic still occurring, she had loads of time and much more emotions to get through. So, attempting to channel her energy into something tangible, she took up the method of formation and transferred her knowledge of organic matter right into a meditation on space, color and, ultimately, sculpture. After experimenting with different materials, she finally found her strategy to polymer clay, which today is the source material of her mixed media sculptures that live in the shape of wearable art.

“I have always been a person who likes declarations,” Williams tells ESSENCE.com. “I desired to create something that I could wear to remind myself of the space I used to be in after I constructed this piece, and to reflect on the transference energy I felt to release, to maneuver into energy into something I could see daily “. Each Aura by Jewel piece is hand made by Williams herself. The process is in some ways a form of therapy, offering her an area to channel her emotional care right into a deliberately slow artistic practice. Art is her way of traveling along with her audience, requiring a certain intimacy when creating deeply intentional accessories.

Polymer’s tactical flexibility allows Williams to explore ever-expanding ranges of motion of their designs, hence the “whimsical” motif that provides them their name. A diverse range of colours highlights the wavy base of the earrings and makes them an attention-grabbing addition to any styling. With comparisons to resin and multimodal sculptural works by artists reminiscent of Gaetano Pescethe works consistently attract clients in editorial offices and on catwalks, in addition to private buyers. Recently, Whimsical earrings adorned the ears of a similarly esoteric artist – Kelela. The moving, emotive singer wore custom Aura by Jewel pieces, styled by Mario Hornein promotional photos for her upcoming album, which was released earlier this month. In her celebratory caption, Jewel thanked the artist for heeding her invitation to feel, calling her a “true interpreter of emotions.” It is befitting that an independent, deeply intentional label refers to a project symbolizing rebirth, renewal and release.

Each Whimsical custom earring is expertly handcrafted to order, leading to slight variations in color and tone, although generally consistent in structure. The ordering process is a dialogue with the artist, as intentional because the execution itself. “Initially I said that if I was going to share pieces with other people and be there for them, it was very important that I understood what it was and who it was intended to serve.” And who he intends to serve, Williams makes very clear: black women. “I decided to create the pillars of what is now called Aura by Jewel. So basically, it’s about affirming the humanity of Black women, moving us to rest and know that we too can feel and experience a full range of emotions.” Jewel cites how the Strong Black Woman stereotype and general societal projection have deprived Black women of the power to outwardly express deep feelings without being misinterpreted. By her own admission, Jewel feels this deeply, and particularly after witnessing the fruits of her self-expression, she intends to repeatedly use her art to ask women like her to freely feel what they’ve been forced to rule and suppress.

This practice of feeling and discovering the unknown is reflected in the event of the brand. She is a one-woman band operating out of her personal jazz studio in Brooklyn, New York, where she has optimized focus and leisure. “Jazz is a big part of my process,” he says. “For me, it is the language of feelings that I cannot express in words. It is a form of music that brings a lot of spontaneity in sound. It’s very innovative and it’s not the same every time you hear it.” The continuity of the artistic process allows Williams to search out the boundaries between genre and her work. The worlds not only fit together, but are interdependent, representing a symbiotic relationship between art practitioners and consumers or listeners. Her songs, like jazz, are born from a process of intention that manifests itself in works which might be each personal and edgy, political and timeless.

Over the past 12 months, the brand has gained greater visibility as more fashion insiders – from content creators to other designers and stylists – have supported the brand of their work. The brand is growing and Jewel is doing it herself. In addition to creating earrings, Jewel also manages all promotions, partnerships and marketing. It’s been a natural progression to this point, and continued growth has allowed her to consider carefully in regards to the forms she wants Aura by Jewel to operate in the longer term. Like every thing else, this answer begins with self-reflection. In fact, it is important to her that her work reflects who she is, and that may complicate the problem of involving more hands. It is actually open to the concept of partners, especially on the operational side of the business, and this process would require a fantastic deal of trust. More conceptually, nevertheless, Jewel Williams looks on the art world, exploring the curatorial partnerships that allow her to exhibit in museums and galleries. These types of projects signal a move towards even greater intimacy, allowing for more thoughtful reflection on the sentiments behind the work.

“I just want to invite more conversations about what it’s like to be someone who exists and feels deeply. I know it’s very vulnerable and I would love to see that, most importantly for black women.” The next phase is to peel back the layers, abandoning traditional patterns of artistic practice in an industry context and as a substitute initiating a personalised exchange between artist and user. As a craftswoman drawing her art from a source of tenderness, Jewel Williams prioritizes preserving the conditions that allowed for the efficiency and clarity that facilitated this journey in the primary place. It creates and feels deeply and invites anyone who enters the Aura orbit through the Gem to do the identical.