Hello Pretty is Winding Down

After more than ten fulfilling, magical years beginning in the good old days of 2012, Hello Pretty is retiring and heading off to the beach with a drink with a tiny umbrella.

Read our goodbye letter

Jewelry

Jewellery SALE now on!

Ok. It's January. It's been Christmas, and holidays, and just generally... a lot. BUT: we have some incredible sales on jewellery (and more) on Hello Pretty and now's the perfect time for you to give yourself a pretty little pick-me-up.

In the photo above we have a solid rose gold and quartz ring from MD Jewellery Design that is on special with R500 discount! Usually R1 500,   now only R1 000  . For. Solid. Gold! No, there's no catch.

? Click here to shop.

These three beauts are from Glove Jewellery. Glove is special to us because they're one of our oldest sellers on Hello Pretty. The products featured in the list above are:

Left: Handmade sterling silver lion picture disc necklace.    Was R310, now R155.  
Middle: Sterling silver / rose or yellow gold plated custom initial necklace.    Was R320, now R140  .
Right: Sterling silver giraffe picture disc necklace.    Was R310, now R155  .

 

Left: Sterling Silver & Resin Earings. by Natasha Wood.     Was R750, now R650  
Top right: Dainty Flower Bracelet by La Mae Jewellery.    Was R780, now R650  .
Bottom right: Brass Goldfish Necklace by SMITH Jewellery.    Was R875, now R400  .

 

Top left: Dawn Bracelet. Was R200, now R100. Made by Lula Creations.

Top right: Dusk Bracelet. Was R200, now R100. Made by Lula Creations.

Bottom left: Reclaimed Porcelain Necklace. Was R600, now R300. Made by Nonnapot.

Bottom right: Black Diamond Rose Gold Studs. Was R1 950, now R1 600. Made by MD Handmade Jewellery.

Hey ? HP Seller, Silver Song Jewellery

I am Suzanne Groenewald, jewellery designer and manufacturer of Silver Song Jewellery. I draw my inspiration from the beauty and lure of nature, specifically trees and leaves. I have a fascination with gemstones and love working with unique gems. Most of my pieces are designed around specific gemstones. I work with all kinds of metals but prefer to use silver, for its beautiful colour and character. 

I believe that jewellery is a precious treasure, regardless of the cost or material used. It is something personal and valuable, to be adored and admired. Personally I love to look at all kinds of beautiful jewellery, to admire the workmanship and design of it, to buy it and to make it, to wear it, to hoard it and to share it. I simply love all things about jewellery! Through making jewellery, I hope to share my passion thereof with anyone who wants to look at or buy my pretty shiny things.

Mid last year I took on an exciting new endeavor and opened an online store on Hello Pretty. I did this in order to share my jewellery with a broader audience and I am very happy to be part of the Hello Pretty community! Every jewellery piece that I make is uniquely designed and manufactured by hand. I never stock a large selection, as my focus is on uniqueness and quality, not quantity. Starting this online store has definitely been my business high since it forced me to rethink and reconfirm my design principles and the direction in which I want Silver Song Jewellery to go.

My advice to any new Hello Pretty sellers out there: Go for it! Let no one stop you from doing what you love and from sharing your passion with the world.
 

This blog post is one in Hello Pretty's guest blog series. Each post is written by a person who is running their online store though South Africa's favourite art, design & craft marketplace.

If you'd like to more view guest posts in this series, and other posts where we interview local businesses, click here.

Wanna write a guest post on Hello Pretty? Email us at info@hellopretty.co.za to find out more.

Studio & neighbourhood tour with A Ring To It

Hello Pretty was lucky enough to be invited to a studio experience tour by Stacy Beukes, the insanely talented jewelry designer behind A Ring To It. 

A Ring to It jewelry design is renowned for interactive pieces that tell a story. This studio tour was no different and we began our morning with a chat by Stacy explaining the rich socio-cultural history that informs her studio space as well as each design and final product.

Much like Stacy's unique laugh, the studio experience tour proved to be inspiringly special. The talk provided a rich contextual background with stories from Stacy's childhood and her parents childhoods - these form the foundation upon which Stacy creates her pieces.

We got a lovely peek inside the studio where Stacy and her apprentice Cynthia demonstrated the process of making a hand crafted silver necklace. It was awe inspiring to see how much how much work is involved in each step of the process.

Stacy provided explanations for every aspect of the design and manufacture process. Each tool has a rich history behind it. Every decor item in her studio has a story.

Over bagels and bubbles we discussed the inspiration that informs Stacy's new range called 'Kinners'. We all nostalgically reminisced about 90's iconic symbols.

We each received a beautifully individualized name necklace which is Stacy's take on the cheap plastic white block name necklaces we all got as children.

​​It was such a great end to the studio experience. Sitting in the sun at a gorgeously decorated table layered with pinks and tropical leaves we got to bond over things that make us uniquely South African.
Stacy's jewelry pieces managed to spark those sweet memories we all have from childhood and I haven't been able to stop thinking about them since.

Dress your Love Story

A few posts back I introduced a new blog series that we're doing focused around fashion / decor & frangrance pairing. For this week's post I'm going to build a few outfit possibilities that match a beautiful new Chloe perfume called Love Story.

If you're familiar with the brand you'll probably have noticed that Chloe fragrances are unique and quite identifiable. I'm no expert at articulately describing fragrance notes, so I will just say that this is floral and light. It has that classic Chloe thing going on, but it's a youthful, whimsical, girl-next-door take.  And can I describe a fragrance as romantic? I'd say this one is. The packaging is really pretty too. I'm not a "Save the box!" kind of girl, but I saved the box (it's stashed in my cupboard next to my iPhone box, which I also couldn't bear to part with).

We have no shortage of feminine, floral, whimsical things on Hello Pretty, all made by South African hands. It's kind of our thing ? Here are some that will complement your Love Story.

First up, House of Kallie's Rose Gold & Morganite Solitaire Ring. BE STILL MY HEART.

This magnificent thing is new on the site. I mean though... a pink gemstone in rose gold? What could go better with something called "Love Story"?

And some more of the plenty I mentioned earlier:

1. Mandarin Collar Blouse from Every Mooi Nooi
2. Sterling Silver Stacking Rings from The Daisychain
3. Small Protea Leaf Earrings from Reverie Designs
4. Sterling Silver Wire Ring from The Daisychain
5. Sterling Silver Kitty Playing with Wool Pendant from Jessica Jane Jewellery
6. Afternoon Light Necklace from A Bird Named Frank
 

1. The Sam Wrap Dress from Samsama Designs
2. Coeur de Rose Peep Toes from LanziLove
3. FRUITSALAD Pineapple Earrings from Miss H Jewellery Design
4. XOXO Bracelet from Jewellery  by Jessica
5. Black Diamond and Rose Gold Ring from Chongo & Wells
6. Misu Dress from Cinnamon
7. Peach Blush Flat Pumps from LanziLove

This pretty little flower crown in the photo below is the Pastel Dream, from Sunkissked Handmade. She has loads of them ande they're all pretty. There is also a bunny-ears option, and a unicorn option.

In the studio with Smith Jewellery

In the studio with Smith Jewellery on http://hellopretty.co.za/blog

 
I was recently lucky enough to spend some time with the lovely Anna of Smith Jewellery, and got to have a good ol' snoop around her office and studio - guys. So. Many. Shiny. Things.

It's obviously all absolutely gorgeous - I darted from pretty thing to pretty thing like a kid on a sugar high in a Reggies. (There was one hairy moment where I backed into something glass, and the seconds that it took to settle again were of the longest in my life.)

I asked a bajillion questions, and Anna was completely lovely and super informative - we've saved some of the juicy bits for you below:
 

In the studio with Smith Jewellery on http://hellopretty.co.za/blog
In the studio with Smith Jewellery on http://hellopretty.co.za/blog
In the studio with Smith Jewellery on http://hellopretty.co.za/blog
  • Can you describe a normal day at the office?
I always start the day with a coffee, then I sit at my desk and go through my emails from the evening before. I then set my to-do list. By noon, I inevitably have some kind of errand to run. But I come back in time to have lunch with my assistant, where we chat about our lives and deal with any work issues that may arise. After lunch, I sit behind the bench working with Anine. Unfortunately, most of my day is spent doing admin versus actual benchwork.
 
 
In the studio with Smith Jewellery on http://hellopretty.co.za/blog
In the studio with Smith Jewellery on http://hellopretty.co.za/blog
In the studio with Smith Jewellery on http://hellopretty.co.za/blog
  • What inspires your work?
Everything inspires my work. I am equally inspired by culture and nature, so I'm always on the look out for a new shape or design that I can bring into my work.
 
  • What's a normal design/production process for one of your one of a kind pieces (Like my dream floral hair clip, or the awesome hummingbird cufflinks you were busy sculpting from wax the day I was there)
So in both cases these were commissions. The hair comb I designed for my own wedding, which took place in one of Cape Town's greenbelts, so it was a natural step to create something inspired by plants. The customer who wanted the cufflinks had seen my other ones and asked me to make a pair or bee eater cufflinks specifically for her. I am just really trying to create a wax model as close to the bird as possible.

 

In the studio with Smith Jewellery on http://hellopretty.co.za/blog
In the studio with Smith Jewellery on http://hellopretty.co.za/blog
In the studio with Smith Jewellery on http://hellopretty.co.za/blog
In the studio with Smith Jewellery on http://hellopretty.co.za/blog
  • Is there anything specific that you do that you especially love doing/making/designing? - what is it about your job that you feel most passionate about?
My favourite piece of jewellery to wear are earrings, so I naturally start designing a range/collection from there and design around it. I like the shapes or design to find their own purpose, so I play a lot with orientation and scale when creating the rest of the range.

 

In the studio with Smith Jewellery on http://hellopretty.co.za/blog
In the studio with Smith Jewellery on http://hellopretty.co.za/blog
In the studio with Smith Jewellery on http://hellopretty.co.za/blog
In the studio with Smith Jewellery on http://hellopretty.co.za/blog
  • Any tips for potential clients that you wish everyone knew?
Yes, the design and manufacturing process takes time. When asking for a commission, it's always best to have at least a months lead time. Sometimes parts of the process have to be outsourced, which means being subject to someone else's time frame. Also, the more concrete your idea of what you want, the quicker things can happen. Having said this, I've also been known to finish a custom piece within a couple of days, so it really does depend on the design.

 
Nice hey? So nice. So you should DEFINITELY visit her Hello Pretty store. Because, you know, Christmas and stuff. *bats eyelashes*
 

Win with Heart Jewelry Creations! - CLOSED

Win with Heart Jewelry Creations and Hello Pretty!

Hey hey hey, just think while you've been getting down and out about the liars and the dirty dirty cheats of the world, we've been working hard to put a smile on your face - we're kicking of this week and December with an awesome giveaway!

Heart Jewelry Creations is giving away a R500 voucher to spend in their Hello Pretty store! A whole five hundred bucks, to spend on anything you like - if that doesn't make you feel like dancing on your own, making moves up as you go, I don't know what will.

To enter:

Take that Monday.

Good luck Pretties!

Entries close at 10am on Friday 5th December. Hello Pretty's standard competition Ts and Cs apply. Note that only one extra entry per channel will be counted.

Win with Peach State! - CLOSED

It's always a little bit cooler when you know that nobody else has it. Such is the case with Peach State. This jewellery is hand-made from vintage buttons, so your Peach State jewellery is and always will be one-of-a-kind.

To make your Monday a bit better and brighter, we're giving a piece away to one lucky gal and her bestie - we know you're two of a kind, so it's only fitting that you're kitted out in one of a kind accessories!

To enter:

  • Leave a comment here, taging the friend you'll share the prize with
  • Get an extra entry by tweeting @HelloPrettySA and @ItsPeachState and letting us know in the comments below.

Good luck Pretties!

Entries close at 10am on Friday 21st November. Hello Pretty's standard competition Ts and Cs apply.
 

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