For designer Anita Quansah, making jewelry isn’t just a job; it’s an art form steeped in a rich family tradition.
Born in London, Quansah moved to Nigeria with her parents at the age of three. She grew up with her grandmother, a designer who made jewelry for African royalty.Her passion for design goes back to her childhood where she would often dress up. Her grandfather was a chief of tribe and the family felt its duty to perform elegance on every social occasion.“I remember my grandmother had a chest full of embroidered, rich velvet materials, shimmered with so many metallic threads, heavily embroidered with jewels,” she said. <br /><br />”She would dress my siblings and me up and adorn our necks with beautiful coral necklaces and golden heavy pendants.”Years later and after a collaboration with Christian Lacroix, Quansah decided to launch her own brand, where she designs jewelry in her grandmother’s tradition.“She’s been a great muse, a great inspiration, a great mentor,” Quansah told CNN. “She never complained – no work was too much for her. She was very patient. She never gave up. She always believed that if one way doesn’t work out, you must try another way until you get better and reach your goals.”<br /><br />Pictured: Omenyi Clara Azuka Menkiti“No one in my family followed her path and she left so much of a gap for me to fill,” continues Quansah. Her grandmother was the head designer for the king of Onitsha Obi of Onitsha.Now instead of royalty, Quansah’s designs adorn celebrities like Alicia Keys, Thandie Newton and Keisha Buchanan.Quansah’s heritage is ingrained in her designs. “I wanted to design jewelry that tells a story of celebration of my culture, craftsmanship, uniqueness, diversity. Of happiness and joy,” she said.Despite the intricacy of her designs, Quansah’s philosophy is simple: “Create something that is a piece of wearable art. Something that you can pass down generation to generation,” she said.
