ABOUT
Mooi Jewellery, Est. 2008
Meet the Maker ... Charlene Wheat
About me
A married mum of three (2 children and 1 Cockapoo), I have been creating jewellery since 2002, from my workshop in Tyne & Wear, in the North East of England.
Starting out with a scientific background, a break in employment due to the birth of my daughter in 2002 triggered a change in direction. My passion for jewellery started as a hobby that slowly grew with family and friends requesting pieces. Over the years I have developed my silver smithing skills and techniques myself and through jewellery courses.
In 2008 I decided to take the plunge into the world of building a jewellery business. Over the years the business has evolved from making various types of jewellery into what it is today.
Once I began to make jewellery for customers, I was hooked…it fills me with a great sense of gratification and fulfilment knowing that the pieces I make hold great meaning for the wearer and will be treasured.
Mooi
Mooi is a collection of handcrafted Sterling Silver jewellery that showcases unique, minimal and wearable pieces.
In 2003 my family and I moved to live in The Netherlands for a few years. “It was an amazing experience.” It was during this time that I came across the word ‘Mooi’ (pronounced ‘moy’ as in toy).
“I love the word ‘Mooi’…it is Dutch for beautiful and it sounds beautiful when spoken, and I thought it captured the spirit of the company.”
My designs
“I am really enthusiastic about and love to create unique pieces of jewellery by hand, using modern and traditional techniques.”
Designs in the Personalised Collection are hugely rewarding to make, as I know I have created a piece of jewellery that tells your story, which makes you smile and reminds you of a special person, time or place.
In other collections, such as the Sea Glass and Molten, I take inspiration for my designs from nature, especially from my local coastline and create visually stunning pieces that are simple and fresh, each with its own individual story.
The majority of the designs use sustainable Sterling Silver (listed as Eco-friendly). As all items are handmade, they are all unique….No two pieces will be identical.
I am committed to excellent customer service. It can sometimes be a struggle to find the piece of jewellery that is right for you – I am here to help solve this by offering fully customisable pieces or something totally bespoke.
My Ethos
I have always tried to do my bit for the environment and wanted to carry this through to my business. I see more and more problems and devastation in the world. It has raised my awareness of the issues and in response I have introduced changes to make as little negative impact on the environment as I can.
I try to source raw materials and supplies locally from within the UK. I use recycled silver in the majority of my jewellery designs. I have a collection of jewellery which incorporates genuine sea glass and pebbles which I have collected from my local coastline and beaches when on my travels.
Whilst sea glass and other beach-finds are not precious stones, they have an amazing beauty and over the many years they have taken to form, retain an essence of the past and their own story. These stunning finds are also known as ‘Drift Glass’ and ‘Mermaids Tears’.
Packaging waste has a major impact on the environment. I wanted to minimise this as best I can in my business and will always look to improve on this. All my packaging is now made from recycled and natural materials, which are reusable, recyclable and/or biodegradable.
Browse the beautiful selection of jewellery in the shop, and if you still can’t find what you are looking for, please do not hesitate to contact me about your perfect piece.
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