Imagine quitting your day job for something creative that brings you so much happiness? That's exactly what Robyn Gibson did. A former accountant, she wanted to do something that inspired her more, so she swapped her calculator for jewellery design, and her business Vive Jewellery and then her range, Just Charming was born.

 

The Just Charming collection consists of solid sterling silver charms and cufflinks for every occasion, that can be personalised by engraving names, dates and/or short messages. They're awesome for birthdays, births of babies, anniversaries and make the perfect gift for this Father's Day (Sunday 18 June). Have a look at the personalised cufflinks to get an idea of this special and "forever" gift.

Robyn, a mom of two boys, Alexander and Simon, gave her husband Scott a pair of cufflinks after the birth of Alex, which soon became among his favourite items, and which led to friends asking for similar cufflinks (you can shop for the cufflinks here. On the site, you'll also find an incredible range of necklaces, bracelets, bookmarks, jacket pins and keyrings).

Here, Robyn answers some of my questions:

How did you go from corporate into jewellery making?

I qualified and worked as a chartered accountant for many years. After living and working in London for one of the big banks, I started to feel like I needed to do something more creative and the idea of being my own boss was an attractive option too. When my husband and I  moved back to South Africa, I took the plunge and started my business, Vive Jewellery 15 years ago.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What was the process of going into jewellery making?

It wasn’t easy starting out as there was so much I had to learn. When you start your own business you need to become a jack of all trades as you are responsible for everything! My background in accounting helped me so much on the business and legal side, so that part was relatively easy. However setting up the contacts and know-how on the jewellery manufacturing side was something new for me. It’s taken small steps and time to make progress. 

I’ve made plenty of mistakes and encountered a lot of frustration along the way but I’ve learnt and grown so much. Sometimes when I look back, I can’t believe how far along the road I am today. With perseverance, passion and commitment, you can achieve your dreams!

When did you set up Just Charming, and why?

Just Charming is a brand within my business, Vive Jewellery. It came to fruition because of a pair of cufflinks that I made for my husband, Scott. When our first son, Alexander was born, I wanted to give him something special to commemorate his birth.

After all, moms often get eternity rings and special pieces like that. I came up with the idea of a small figure of a boy inside a circle and engraved his name and birth date on the circle. My husband absolutely loved them and wore them all the time. I soon got requests to make them for other people and so my Just Charming brand was born.

The signature look of the brand is a figurine or design within a circle which then gets engraved with names, dates and/or special messages.

The brand has evolved from the cufflinks to include: charms, keyrings, bookmarks, jacket pins and ostrich leather make up bags with a charm zip puller.  

Describe the products in six words

The perfect gift for every occasion….

 

What do you love most about your products?

They make people feel happy and loved due to the sentimental nature of the pieces

What are your favourite/most inspired pieces?

I love my bright green ostrich make-up bag, with a boy zip charm that has been engraved with my boys' names and birth dates.

Can we expect anything more in the range, coming up soon?

Yes – I’ve designed a new ostrich leather coin purse with a charm zip puller. It’s perfect for storing loose change – it also has a useful side pocket for keeping your parking ticket or a credit card. It’s a great size because it’s not big and bulky so it fits easily into any handbag.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What are your hobbies?

Contemporary dancing, yoga, pilates and running

 

What jewellery do you wear every day?

My mom’s gold wedding band that I inherited after she passed away.

 

What does a regular day involve?

Exercise of some kind, lifting my kids to and from school and their various activities and of course work! There are never enough hours in the day!

 

What is always in your fridge?

Double thick yoghurt and Champagne

 

What’s always in your handbag?

My bright green Just Charming ostrich leather make up bag filled with all the girly stuff I need in case of emergency: lip balm, lipstick, hair band, dental floss, nail file, bag hanger hook and a mini comb.

 

What’s in your cubbyhole?

Tissues and chewing gum

 

NB: Father's Day orders close on 2 June, so make sure you're in time to buy Dad something awesome from Just Charming.