Conversations: Isabelle B. on the Origins of Honu Handmade Jewellery

Vanessa Goma-Kick, my long-time friend and founder of the podcast Born To Hustle, invited me to tell the story of Honu Handmade Jewellery. Vanessa is one of those rare voices who shine a light on women and mother entrepreneurs with complete sincerity: she has supported me, and my brand, from the very beginning. Over two episodes, we talked about what carried me here: a heritage, a culture, and the wish to bring beauty back into a life.

Two men, one heritage

My maternal grandfather was a caster. My father, in his youth, was an apprentice jeweller. I never knew my grandfather, and my father I only knew as a shopkeeper: the circumstances of life forced him to give up his plan of becoming a jeweller. I saw neither of them at work.

And yet, I own a few pieces my father made at sixteen, by hand, without casting. And on my workbench, I have hung one of his silver brooches. I call it my little star: it watches over me, and whenever I struggle with a technique, I look at it and the solution comes.

I believe this urge to work metal was passed on to me. It is a heritage written in DNA, rather than something learned. Today, I am perhaps doing what my father never could.

Congo in the DNA

I was born in Brazzaville and grew up between Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire. The beauty of Congolese women has always struck me: they know how to make themselves beautiful, and to stay so in any circumstance, through carefully chosen accessories: clothing and, of course, jewellery. This philosophy of the refined little touch is a cultural anchor, written into their DNA.

The slogan I chose for Honu Handmade Jewellery, "More than a Jewel, a DNA", expresses my family heritage as a passion for working metal, but also this anchoring in the culture of the accessory. To me, jewellery is a matter of identity: it expresses who you are, and that is exactly what I offer my clients. The unique jewel that lets them assert themselves, express their innermost "self", their character, their singularity.

From escape to atelier

For seven years, I worked for the same organisation, a company where I was an employee. By the end, I was exhausted, morally and physically. I needed a break and, above all, to bring beauty back into my life. In 2023, I took up jewellery the way one takes up gardening: simply to breathe. I wanted to see whether something could come out of my hands and, to my great surprise, it did, which encouraged me to go further. I started through a few online courses given by Caroline, a trainer in jewellery and fine jewellery and the founder of objectif-bijoux.com. Caroline is one of those rare people who share their knowledge with sincerity, effectiveness and simplicity. Then in 2024, I decided to take the leap and create my fine jewellery brand, Honu Handmade Jewellery. I obtained all the approvals needed to practise my new profession.

I also enrolled at a jewellery school in Lisbon, the Triboulet school (Triboulet.pt), because I needed to reassure myself about the foundations I had acquired on my own. Beyond earning my certificate at this school, I met wonderful people, my master jeweller Miguel and his wife Elsa, who encouraged me from the start and still support me today in all my projects.

Solid silver and the Tahitian pearl, living materials

Solid silver is my main material. It is pleasant to work, but it holds a secret: during polishing, copper bubbles sometimes rise to the surface, what is known as firescale, and it is unsightly. It is something of a nightmare for me, but it is also a challenge that each of my creations sets me.

The Tahitian pearl came to me through my friend Audrey, my soul sister of thirty years, who lived in Tahiti and introduced me to this marvel. I then understood that a pearl is alive: it is born inside an oyster, its shape and colour are a surprise, and if it is poorly cared for, it loses its glow until it dies. That is also why pearls belong in my slogan: each one has its own DNA.

Why do we speak of a "living pearl"?

A technical note: the Tahitian pearl is not a living organism in the strict biological sense of the academic definition (it has no active metabolism once formed). But it is described as "living" in traditional jewellery vocabulary because its organic matter remains reactive: it evolves with its environment, draws nourishment from contact with the skin, which rehydrates its matrix, and can permanently lose its glow if it is not worn and cared for. Jewellers even speak of a "dead" pearl when its lustre has faded for good.

This terminology is established by Polynesian pearl farmers, by the great international jewellery houses (Mikimoto, Tasaki, Wan Pearls) and recognised by reference bodies such as the GIA (Gemological Institute of America) and CIBJO (the World Jewellery Confederation), which classify pearls among the organic gems as opposed to mineral gemstones.

My favourite technique is ramolayé: I carve the motif directly into the mass of the metal, using traditional cutting tools called gravers. I do not draw my pieces before making them: the inspiration comes at the bench, the jewel reveals itself as I go. I note down afterwards what I have created. No piece is cast, none is mass-produced. It is meticulous, precise and slow work. It is what is now called slow luxury, and it is my way of working and of respecting the material.

Three collections, one coherence

Lagon is my first collection. It springs from my attachment to the marine world, and it is also where the name Honu was born: in the Polynesian language, Honu means sea turtle. The turtle embodies longevity, resilience, the ability to adapt, on land as well as underwater.

Joséphine B. is my second collection, Art Deco in inspiration, a tribute to Joséphine Baker. It is a message close to my heart. When I set out to polish these mirror-finished geometric pieces, the firescale reappeared several times: I had to start over, again and again, until I reached the precision I wanted.

Brut. was born of a creative accident. One day, I wanted to melt down jewellery offcuts that did not suit me. My torch faltered, it did not go all the way, and under the flame, shapes took form. I kept them. Each Brut. piece carries the mark of that moment: the material left deliberately raw, like the surface of a meteorite.

My commitment to sea turtles

In the second part of the conversation, I talk about my partnership with Renatura Congo: an obvious encounter with a Congolese NGO that has worked, since its creation, for the conservation of sea turtles and the preservation of their ecosystem. This bond, I owed it to the sea turtles, which I am passionate about, but also to my adoptive country, the Republic of the Congo. In concrete terms, my commitment takes the form of a direct contribution from my revenue: 1% on all of my jewellery, and 5% on the pieces of the future Kalunga capsule.

Thank you to the whole team at Renatura Congo for their daily dedication and for the remarkable fieldwork they have carried out for more than twenty years, alongside local communities, fishermen and the sea turtles that come to nest on the Congolese coast. What you do matters. Honu Handmade Jewellery is glad to be able to contribute.

Thank you to Vanessa Goma-Kick for giving me this space to tell what does not show in the jewellery, the story that came before. Born To Hustle is her podcast: two interviews a month for women and mother entrepreneurs, what she calls the Momagers, those who carry a family life and a professional project at the same time. Vanessa gives a voice to these women who build, who doubt, who begin again, and who end up charting their own course. I was fortunate, and glad, to be welcomed among those voices.

To be found on the podcast's YouTube channel and on the main listening platforms.