The Women’s Jewellery Association (WJA) has announced two emerging designers that will participate in an inaugural showcase at the Centurion Jewellery Show. Renata Cambauva of HeyBabe and Sardwell of Renisis will present their collections at a WJA booth inside the MacArthur Ballroom (through the doors closest to the Centurion Design Awards).
“WJA is excited to provide this exciting tradeshow opportunity at Centurion for the first time to our Jewellery Loupe Project graduates. The opportunity to showcase their collections and meet buyers is the next evolution of our mentorship program. This arrangement is made possible with generous support from our partners at the Centurion Show and we can’t wait to invite members of the trade to visit and learn more about these talented women,” says WJA President Susan Chandler.
WJA’s Jewellery Loupe Project, sponsored by De Beers, is a free, six-month business development program for emerging designers within their first five years of business. The program, which was developed in 2019 by former WJA Northern California chapter leader Marie McCarthy of Fiat Lux, is heading into its sixth year. To date, WJA has trained and mentored over 60 emerging designers. Each designer is paired one-on-one with a mentor for the length of the program. Designers attend virtual sessions hosted by experts in design, marketing, sourcing, manufacturing, retail, packaging and pricing. The program culminates with a critique in the fall and mentors provide constructive feedback to prepare the designers to launch their collections.
“We are extremely excited to be partnering with WJA and De Beers on this wonderful Jewellery Loupe Project,” said Howard Hauben, Centurion CEO. “We have put forward emerging designer efforts over the years, but this WJA Initiative is incredibly well thought out, and the mentoring aspect is really spot on,” said Hauben. “We look forward to continuing this partnership for many years to come!”
Renata Cambauva is a nomadic native Brazilian fine jewellery designer. Currently based on the West Coast and constantly traveling, she graduated in Design and Advertising in Brazil. She immigrated in 2002, and worked for over 15 years as a Graphic Designer creating a solid foundation in Marketing and Branding Knowledge, something that she now brings to her brand, Hey Babe LA. With a fresh perspective she infuses some of her Latin American influences and mystery into every piece of jewellery. Hey Babe LA is not only an umbrella created for designs, it also curates community and human hearts who have something in common to share as far as their own creativity, passion and forms to express themselves. The collection has a foundation on the Tree of Life of the Kabbalah and Sacred Geometry which echoes the fundamentals of everything that is formed in nature. Her stunning raw and polished gemstones are ethically sourced from local and family owned businesses, and paired with 14 karat gold. Renata’s pieces often contain design elements that awaken the concept of unity, to remind us that our separation from nature or each other is an illusion.
Sardwell has a strong passion for art and desire to be creative. She lives her life absorbing and savouring nature’s beauty and cultural textures around her. At Rhode Island School of Design, Sardwell created theatrical large-scale sculptural installations and experienced her first intro class to jewellery. After graduating, travelling, and living abroad for many years, her large-scale sculptures became small sketches in metal and lastly, pieces of jewellery. Sardwell apprenticed with various jewellery artists along her international journey to hone her craft. Navigating the Pandemic, Sardwell designed new striking jewellery pieces and the brand, Renisis, was born. Sardwell now shares her artistic lens, process and multicultural artistic journey through the world of Renisis, living at the intersection of jewellery, sculpture and theatre.
