When you want playful, trendy, classy handmade jewellery, Jerusha Daley is the woman to know. The 21-year-old artist is passionate, creative, and ambitious.
During the day, Daley pursues an associate degree in business and entrepreneurial studies at the Excelsior Community College, but at night, she chases her dream of creating a fashion and beauty empire. Though she admits it is difficult to balance both, her goal of making Jem Jewels a household name in Jamaica keeps her going.
Growing up, Daley was always intrigued by magazines and would read them all the time to keep up-to-date with the different fashion trends. She never knew that producing and designing her own jewellery would be her fate, but through her love for fashion, Jem Jewels was born.
Taking a trip down memory lane, Daley recalls over a year ago, when she began testing her skills by making her first silver ring set. She admits that her creations were far from perfect.
"The process was very tedious because I didn't know the proper techniques in shaping the wires. As a result, the ends of the rings were jagged and sharp and there were plier marks all over the rings. It was a disaster," she told Flair.
She also had difficulty in getting the sizes, but after a lot of practise and enough determination, Daley has moved from disaster to flawless.
"I want whenever people think trendy and custom handmade jewellery, that they automatically think Jem Jewels. I want to eventually spread my art to the rest of the Caribbean and then the world, but my overall aim is to revamp handmade jewellery; giving it more spunk and life to match this generation's beauty trends," Daley explained.
HER INSPIRATION
With a number of designs and styles now under her belt, Daley explains that she takes inspiration from everything around her. From nature, different textures, and modern fashion trends. Being a visual artist also helps to bring her designs to life. "Sometimes it feels as if I draw or paint with the materials," she expressed.
Daley is a woman of many talents, as she also practises make-up artistry. One day, she hopes to juggle both. As her love for fashion grows, she admits that jewellery design and production is just the beginning for her.
In the future, she wants to tap into all aspects of fashion industry, specifically professional styling, and a make-up line.