Bridal Times had the great opportunity to speak with Johan Vandamme about his fascinating journey of becoming a jewelry designer, the JUVELAN bridal jewelry collections and what makes his pieces so special.
Tell us a little about JUVELAN and what inspired you to become a jewelry designer?
It all started around fifteen years ago when I moved from Belgium to Germany to work as a professional ballet dancer. In my free time, I became interested in making jewelry and also became creative in this area. My current husband and business partner, Fredrik Andersson, then had the idea of founding JUVELAN in 2010 – and so we started our own website in 2011 with our first small online shop. For many years I made every single piece of jewelery by hand and I am pleased that we are still able to produce a large part of our jewelery in our own studio in Stuttgart and also work with small, family-run partner manufacturers.
(Left) Johan Vandamme, (Right) Fredrik Andersson
In the early years, we launched a number of colorful everyday jewelry collections, but still didn’t have a real plan, let alone a concept. Back then, our only goal was to design beautiful jewelry that would make women happy. At the end of 2013 we launched our very first bridal jewelery collection. And that was the beginning of a journey we never dared to dream of. We still design jewelry for every day, because everyone needs some color in the sometimes gray everyday life, but the heart of JUVELAN is definitely our bridal jewelry. So it was never my goal to become a jewelry designer, but my inherently creative streak and my previous path in life have ensured that I have chosen this path and today, I am able to create something beautiful with a lot of love.
When it comes to designing jewelry, where do you get your inspiration from?
Lots of things inspire me. Sometimes it’s a form, a feeling, a situation. But mostly it’s the materials I gather for the next collection that stimulates my creativity. I’m always on the lookout for elements that appeal to me, and then experiment with them to find creative ways to combine them.
During my time as a professional ballet dancer, I have learned that the big picture is made up of many small details and how important it is to pay full attention to even the smallest details. This probably also results in my great love of detail, which is reflected in all my jewelry today. I have always been inspired by the individual beauty and elegance of women and have made it my mission to design accessories with attention to detail, each reflecting the personality and natural beauty of the woman who wears them.
What would you say makes JUVELAN so unique and a perfect choice for brides?
Our hearts beat for modern and timeless bridal jewelry, for which we only use high-quality materials such as sterling silver, freshwater pearls, gemstones and crystals. Whether minimalist-elegant or a sparkling statement piece: with us, every bride will find the perfect piece of jewelry for herself and her bridal look. Our collections deliberately do not follow fast-moving trends, but create timeless pieces of jewelry for eternity that will immediately captivate and inspire every woman, no matter what type of wedding dress she will wear.
Can you tell us about some highlights from the 2022 Bridal Jewelry Collection?
The ETERNITY Collection 2022 is definitely made of freshwater pearls. Since I’ve been using pearls in my designs from the very beginning, I’m personally a big fan and very happy that they’ve been enjoying great popularity among brides again lately.
Are there certain pieces, colors or materials that are particularly on trend at the moment?
We experience that many of our designs are still very popular years after their launch, which is why our collections are always available for several seasons. However, in recent years we have observed a clear trend towards gold jewelery and freshwater pearls, with tastefully used crystal elements always being very well received.
What is a favorite piece of jewelry that you’ve created?
Not an easy question, there is much more than just a single piece of jewelry. At the very top of my personal hit list are statement earrings, which are indispensable in every collection because they make my creative heart beat faster when designing them. My all-time favorites are our best-selling “Simply Delightful” earrings and statement “Samantha” earrings.
I’m currently in love with the new earrings “Gabriella” and “Elenora” from the 2023 collection, which we will launch at the end of January.
JUVELAN just recently launched a “Holiday Collection”. Tell us about it.
In addition to our bridal jewelry collections, we also live out our creativity when designing and making jewelry for everyday use. We started that over fifteen years ago and I think it’s important that it always stays a part of Juvelan. This year we launched a Holiday Collection for the first time. It is a very colorful collection with a focus on colorful gemstones from which we have created many unique pieces and limited designs. I think it’s important never to stand still and to keep trying new things. Shortly before the Holiday Collection, we brought out our very first jewelry cases, which are currently being extremely celebrated by our customers and trading partners – which of course makes us very happy.
And besides the JUVELAN Online shop, bridal shops are also able to carry your collections?
In fact, for almost 10 years we have been working with many national and international bridal shops, which have become an important part of Juvelan. Because our dear partners are in daily contact with their brides, we often receive feedback and requests from them, which we can then always incorporate into our next collections. In 2023 we will finally be presenting our bridal jewelry collections at trade fairs again, including the European Bridal Week in Essen at the beginning of April. Since we value the personal exchange very much, we are already looking forward to seeing many of our existing and potential new customers there
Looking ahead into 2023, what is next for JUVELAN?
We start the new year right at the end of January with the official launch of our 2023 collection called ELLIPSE. Featuring 36 new designs, it showcases a new glamorous side to Juvelan that has never been seen before – and yet we’ve stayed true to our style with the collection.
Immediately afterwards we will start the final preparations for the trade fairs that are due to start in April. Incidentally, we will also be exclusively presenting our 2024 bridal jewelery collection there. Then of course there are many other exciting projects that are not yet ready for a decision, but which already make my creative heart beat faster with anticipation.
We would like to thank Johan Vandamme for this interview.
Photo Source: Bina Terré, Juvelan
For further information on the bridal jewelry collections, visit JUVELAN