Feature Friday Q&A with Johanna Brierley of Johanna Brierley Jewellery

Us woman are a sentimental sort so typically the jewelry that mean the most are the pieces with some sort of emotional value...the first gift someone special gave us; our engagement ring; great-grandma's pearls; baby rings from our children; a special birthday gift and the like.  So what about jewelry that is not only sentimental but also lucky?

That is where Johanna Brierley of Johnna Brierley Jewellery Design is the perfect match!  Johanna's unique and timeless pieces of jewellery inspired by lucky stones. Lucky stones are stone with natural holes that Johanna's family has been finding along the seashore in Manitoba, Canada for generations.  And the holes in those stones?  Well, they are exactly what makes those stones symbols of good luck.  And now, you can find Johanna's lucky stones in sterling silver and gold - the perfect sentimental gift!

Lucky stones...

Please enjoy this week's Feature Friday Q&A with Johanna of Johanna Brierley Jewellery Design!

P.S. - As a special celebration for the launch of their new website, until the end of the month you can receive 10% off your entire purchase!  Just have to enter the code: JBJDLaunch

Johanna Brierley

1.  What prompted your passion for jewelry and jewelry design?

Honestly I don’t ever remember a time in my life when I wasn’t totally enthralled with jewellery.

2.  What is your favorite piece or collection?

From my own collection of work, the Lucky in Love necklace – it is the first piece I made in my lucky stone collection and first piece that helped focus my work and encourage me to continue. It is still the most popular piece.

The 'Lucky in Love' necklace in 18k gold.  It's easy to see why this piece is so popular!  It's absolutely wonderful!

3.  What would your perfect “jewelry day” involve / be like?

So many different scenarios for this – visiting an amazing jewellery collection at a museum, stumbling across a book by one of my favorite jewellery artists, sharing my collection with a close friend, experiencing a friends personal jewellery collection, attending an inspirational lecture on jewellery art…

The inspiration & the interpretation - Lucky stones & lucky peanut pendants from Johanna's collection.

4.  Thus far, what would you say is your proudest jewelry moment or memory?

Being asked to make jewellery pieces for the Olympic gold medal women’s curling team.

5.  Where do you find your greatest inspiration?

In all things.  I find inspiration a matter of keeping yourself, your head, your eyes, all of your senses open to what surrounds you.  

Oval Mosaic Luck earrings in sterling silver.

6.  In your personal wardrobe, do you find that you gravitate to one particular jewelry accessory (rings vs. necklace vs. bracelets vs. watches, etc.) more often than others?

I think that is ever evolving.  When I was younger, I was all about rings.  But now as I work with my hands, I find myself gravitating to bracelets and necklaces more.  I’ve just never been a huge earring person.  I’ll wear the same pair of studs for months at a time, but maybe I’ll get into them more one day.  

Five Little Lucks necklace in sterling silver - This is one of my favorite pieces by Johanna!

7.  When putting together an outfit, how do you feel about mixing metals, designs and even new with vintage pieces?

Mix it all.  I think jewellery pieces spend far too much time hidden away in dresser drawers.  Wear what you feel – one day that might be a small sentimental locket another day that might be your entire collection of bangles. 

This amazinf necklace is from her Sticks & Stones collection.  Adorable!

8.  Layering seems to be a trend that is here to stay, for now. What are your feelings on the layered look?  How do you like layered necklaces with layered bracelets plus layered rings? 

Personally, I focus on one kind of piece to layer really well.  If I am going to layer bracelets, I will pile them on but might wear fewer rings or necklaces that day.  This kind of depends on the pieces and overall look of the layers.  If you can do it all, by all means do it all!

One of Johanna's new & exciting designs for the Lucky Stones collection.

9.  What advice would you give to budding jewelry designers? To budding fine jewelry collectors?

Follow your gut.  Do and invest in what you love, I mean really love.

Flash Question - Dream trip destination?

Mexico City

Gold peanut on a sterling silver chain - So simple, so classic, so perfect!

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