shopping
ADJANI
A little piece of Italy in the heart of Pretoria
U
pon entering the Adjani store, situated in Garsfontein, I immediately noticed all the colours that I am surrounded by. Adjani Schoeman, the owner, fell in love with the art of glassblowing and although she was studying to be an interior designer, in her heart she knew that there was a future for her. She did research and discovered that it can be done at a smaller scale via Flameworking. Hence, Adjani began.
Words Carli Manser Images Supplied
After a friendly greeting, Adjani and I sat down in her studio for a chat. Why did you choose Murano glass? “Murano just refers to the island in Italy where it is imported from. Murano is renowned for its long tradition of glassmaking. We receive the stock in long, thin pieces, almost looking like a straw and from there we mould it into beads which we then shape. Glass, however, is very temperamental. It is a delicate process of melting, movement, shaping and cooling.”
What qualities do you believe a piece of jewellery should possess? I like simplistic shapes, clean lines and colour. Quality and value for money should also be factored in. Tell me more about Adjani’s team? We are a close-knit team of three. Lawrence oversees the flameworking. He shapes every piece of glass by hand and takes it through the whole process. Then we have Monja, which brings our glass to life by making it into jewellery pieces. Do you have a message for prospective customers? “Wherever you can, try to support local businesses. If you want something that is so unique and so specially made, Adjani is your go-to. We are always open for custom designs too.” What can we look forward to from Adjani in 2020? “I am currently in the process of extending
my Africa range, which I am very excited about. It will include beautiful pieces with the protea design that is currently on the homeware. Our products will be on display at Kamers in Johannesburg and Tierlantyntjies in Pretoria, in April. Then I will be exhibiting in Paris in September and Miami in October. I am also hoping to boost my online shop and attract more buyers for that. We are planning on revamping our studio and adding a little coffee shop for shoppers. So yes, 2020 will be an interesting year for Adjani.” So Pretorians, make your way down to Adjani’s to see some Fun facts incredible pieces, l Adjani recently handmade with launched their “Love” range, glass all the way just in time for Valentine’s day! from Italy! l
m 076 680 9305 1 www.novelle. co.za
With their new gold collection of jewellery, each glass bead is hand-painted with gold lustre before being fired in the kiln.
Hello Pretoria • February 2020 • www.hellopretoria.co.za
11
