African Daydreams Blog

We're really excited - Tapiwa has featured us on the African Daydreams blog, a site that showcases the best of African design. Take a look at the post and some of the amazing other designers featured - we're proudly African!

African Daydreams blog

Latest Look Book Images from Our Crystal Passion

I have a treat for you - the latest look book images from the new Our Crystal Passion range, featuring our top Zimbabwean model. How gorgeous are these pieces - I want everything?! The great news is that Aude and Sieglinde will be in Vic Falls on Monday to bring in the new collection. I have emptied my shopping list in expectation! Enjoy...

Wedding Theme Feature

Thanks you to the team at The Frosted Petticoat for featuring Devon's silver crocodile skin cufflinks in their fantasy wedding theme - Audrey Hepburn meets The Crocodile Hunter! What an inspirational, eccentric concept - just the kind we like! We love the mood board they put together showing our cufflinks...

Moodboard by The Frosted Petticoat - see their delicious chocolate favour creations on Etsy, facebook and their website by clicking on their namelink above.

Wouldn't you love to attend this gorgeous wedding? And we most definately agree - Crocburn would have been the power couple! Imagine how many pages in Hello this wedding would take to cover???

Devon Stewart on Etsy Lush

Congratulations to Devon - one of his amazing new rings has been featured on the Etsy Lush site! This is it - and it fits me perfectly!!!!

Now available for $165 plus postage - see our Ndau Collection Etsy Shop for more info if you have to have it - before I do!

Blog feature

Take a look at the post written on all of us at Ndau on the 20 Best Twenty Blog feature 

So rewarding to see all our hard work out there in the first world!

We've been discovered!

Exciting news - 20 best twenty have chosen us (Ndau) as one of their new discoveries and as a result we're featuring on their site, blog and Twitter posts. We'll keep them updated with lots of new images, so keep an eye on their site and posts. Thanks 20 best twenty for loving us - we love you!

Gretchen Comly Trunk Show

Well, all of Gail's hard work has paid off - here's her cuff in Gretchen Comly's upcoming trunk show...

If you're in Charleston, Carolina on the 12th May 2011, don't miss the show! And take a look at Gretchen Comly Design - the jewellery and knits are amazing and you'll see the Ndau cuffs featuring here and there against a backdrop of New York. Well done Gail!

Meet the Designers - Tato Louizidis of Ndau Jewellery and Leatherware

(Please note that Tato Louizidis is no longer a designer with Ndau, but has left to start her own business!)

As Gail has mentioned in a previous post, Ndau has added two new designers to their already talented line up - one of whom is Devon Stewart, who I've already blogged about. The other is Tato Louizidis and here's some information about her background and inspirations and of course, some pictures of her creations!

"Tato was born in Yerevan, Armenia but grew up in Harare, Zimbabwe. Having a father who is a jeweller, she was exposed to and inspired by jewellery and gemstones from a young age. Pursuing this dream, she then went to study jewellery design and manufacture in Cape Town, South Africa for 3 years and did a further course in diamond grading and evaluation. After studying and working in Cape Town, Tato has now moved to Victoria Falls to work as a jewellery designer at the Ndau studio.

As a child, her interests have always been fairytales and fantasy. Her world was one of fairies, mermaids, pixies, unicorns, princesses, dance, colour and love stories; and it is this same love of fantasy that inspires her today. At 24 years old, her tastes and interests are defined by her childhood world and she strives to find fantasy in her surroundings and world today.

Her designs are feminine, intricate, creative and romantic; with each piece translating a story to the wearer. Her design method is to pick a theme that inspires her and create a range to represent this.

Having a Greek father, Tato was surrounded by Greek myths and legends from an early age and soon fell in love with the magic of Greek mythology. This was her chosen theme for her final year body of work and dissertation to which she wrote a personalised story book of her favourite myths from her point of view and created jewellery to represent each story.

 Arachne's curse

Narcissus' vanity

Narcissus and Echo

Echo, water nymph

Daedalus and Icarus' flight

Pandora's box

Phaeton & Apollo

Eros' love games ring

Eros' love games necklace

Aphrodite's pearls necklace

 Aphrodite's pearls earrings

Everlasting love

Birth of the seasons

The ever changing seasons

Demeter, Goddess of agriculture

Argus' 100 eyes

She has also brought to life a timeless classic - A Treasures of the Ocean range. Since moving to Victoria Falls and being exposed to ethnic African art and wild surroundings, Tato has been inspired by the beauty of the mighty Zambezi and has chosen a feminine take on the mother of all waterfalls - a range of lilies indigenous to the Zambezi. (as seen on our Facebook site)

Currently, she is stirred by a world that glitters: the age of cabaret and burlesque, and is creating a range to suit this theme with a modern twist. Expect feathers, beads, ribbon, lace and gemstones."

Tato has brought a fresh delicacy to the Ndau range and having had a sneak peek of the new burlesque range, all I can say is watch this space...

A Willow Pattern love story

As Gail said, it has been a long time since we've posted anything on new on the blog - we have been overwhelmed with work as my other blogs, Facebook site and Ndau's blog website will show! I can now make it up however with something really gorgeous.

Kelly has been working on a new collection of antique Chinese blue porcelain shards set in sterling silver, which I am very happy to share with you:

Kelly explains: " 16th Century Chinese blue ceramic ware was traded from the East in return for ivory and gold in Africa. The Monsoon Trade Winds blowing from the Northeast of the globe in the months of November to April brought Eastern traders to the East Africa coast. With the change of the monsoon in May to October, winds were now blowing out of the South East, sending the same traders home bound.

These shards of Chinese blue porcelain were found buried in the sands of the old dhow harbour on Lamu Island in Northern Kenya, close to the Somali border. I collected, shaped and set them in silver to show off the beauty and age of each piece."

One of my fondest memories is of my grandmother reciting the story of the Willow pattern to me a teatime when I was young. To me, these pieces capture a sense of romance and wonder as well as history in sterling silver - and I feel that one of those rings has my name on it...

Long Overdue Update!

Well - it is 2011 and already three months into it. I have not managed to be reliable on this blog site, but will endeavor to improve....

Exciting news for the new year - A new addition to the Ndau family - (no, not my granddaughter, we will get to her just now!) Devon and Tato (ex Zimbabwe, ex Cape Town) joined us in January on our design team. They have bought with them wonderful new concepts, designs and loads of enthusiasm. The studio is humming with activity and we look forward to showing you some really unique pieces from their design tables.

Kelly has recently returned from her trip to the Seychelles. She has no doubt got lots of lovely 'treasures' scavenged from the beach to be turned into something special in the studio - look forward to seeing these!

Christie has recently taken two weeks down time - to have a baby!! Our beautiful Maya was born last week (2nd March) and all went well in Lusaka. Christie is bringing Maya to the Vic Falls studio on Monday to introduce her to the 'Team' and hopefully, for Christie to get back into the work mode???!!

Other news is that Ndau, in collaboration with Devon and Tato, will be represented at the HIFA Event to be held in Harare in April. Kelly and Joe are bussing to Harare (damn budget constraints...!) and Savanna Wood have very kindly loaned us teak furniture to use on our stand. I look forward to photos from Kelly and Joe to put here on the blog of our exhibition. Good luck to the two of you and enjoy the show.

I have been busy with starting off our new furnishings range. I have posted a picture of one of two beautiful antique chairs covered in a very large crocodile skin - simply stunning and Kev feels very special sitting in it!!!

I have posted a few new photos of pieces made recently and hopefully it will not be so long again for news updates!