Growing up in Guyana, surrounded by women in her family stylishly dressed and bedecked in elegant handmade bright yellow gold jewelry that is passed down from generation to generation, Cloyette Harris-Stoute, told Caribbean Life, she was inspired to design a line of jewelry.
As such, with hard work and determination, start-up Twin Elegance, a New York-based jewelry brand that creates meaningful experiences for women who are seeking bold, unique keepsake pieces that celebrates them, was launched in 2020.
She said, “with versatility in mind, each piece of jewelry is expertly handcrafted to evoke feelings of confidence and encourage bold self-expression.”
“My dissatisfaction with the quality of many of the pieces that were being sold by wholesalers, led me to pursue the jewelry-making craft. I enrolled in design and metalsmith classes at the Jewelry Arts Inc. in New York City, and later at the Art League of Long Island where I learned how to work with precious metals, gemstones, and different design techniques,” said Stoute, a prominent socialite.
The business woman said her goal was to launch her line of fine jewelry but due to a lack of funding and a dedicated workspace, coupled with her family obligations, she had to put her designing dreams on hold for a few years.
However, her desire to start her jewelry brand, that started in 2011, never wavered, and during a hiatus she kept on sketching new designs.
Today, the online jewelry store www.twinelegance is a flourishing business, thanks to Stoute’s strength of will.
An inspiring leader, who started the women’s empowerment blog, Guyanese Girls Rock, and later non-profit Guyanese Girls Rock Foundation, that runs a leadership development and scholarships program for high school girls of Guyanese heritage in Queens,
Stoute used the downtime during the pandemic to revisit the nagging feeling of not fulfilling her dream and was successful in launching the brand.
Instead of molding and developing the pieces myself, however, she engaged a manufacturer to help her bring her designs to life. “I merged my twin passions; women empowerment with jewelry designing, and launched Twin Elegance with my first collection, Zodiac Queens,” she explained, adding, “I sell demi-fine jewelry, which includes earrings, bracelets, rings, and necklaces made of gold vermeil (18k gold over sterling silver).
The brand’s design concept is centered around elements of strength and self-love, while the collections are thoughtfully designed with heart and pear-shaped features and infused with natural gemstones and symbols that are rich in healing energy and timeless history, shared the jeweler.
Her interchangeable pieces also create added value and offer multiple styling options. The collections are created with women in mind, including fashion-forward women; from upwardly mobile young professionals to c-suite executives and entrepreneurs who have a flair for affordable luxury.
The pieces range in price from $160 – $800. The collections are being sold at www.twinelegance.com, as well as luxury retail platform 1stdibs.com.
Stoute, shared that her goal is to continue building relationships with retail partners such as department stores and boutique owners to create awareness for the beautiful Twin Elegance brand.
