My name is Benedicta
Awere-Malik and I'm the creator
of Didi Rose Jewelry.
I’ve always loved making things by hand. I learned to braid hair when I was seven, learned to sew at eleven, and because my mother was a baker, I’ve always baked. I don’t remember how old I was when I started experimenting with recipes from her cookbooks, but I vividly remember frosting and decorating my first birthday cake when I was nine. Around that same time, I also used to make beads from wire - cutting the wires into small pieces, removing the copper core, and frying them lightly in palm oil so they’d melt and resemble raw, uncut coral. I’m talking about the little red electrical cords we used in Nigeria in the ’80s.
Just like any woman from Southern Nigeria, I love jewelry and I always have...
My grandmothers were true lovers of gold and coral. Many of the pieces I create today are inspired by these incredible women. My maternal grandmother wore patterned hoops and rustic pendants, while my paternal grandmother was known for her long coral necklace, which she’d tie into a lariat.
I’ve always loved the look of gold jewelry. It looks especially striking against my dark skin. And silver? Don’t even get me started... I adore it.
While I was in college, I started selling 18k gold jewelry as a side hustle. That’s when I met a Lebanese goldsmith who taught me so much about gold and precious stones. I was obsessed with layering necklaces, often wearing five or more at once, along with stacks of bracelets. I still wear multiple bracelets on both wrists today.
After graduating with a diploma in Business Management in 2003, I looked for a job but couldn’t find one. I was no longer in the gold business at the time, and one day, just out of boredom, I pulled out a coral set I had worn to my grandmother’s funeral and decided to revamp it.
I had reacted badly to the metal in the original piece, but I really loved the beads. I had a few visions of how I wanted to redesign the necklace, but I had no idea where to start. I checked the classifieds in the newspaper for bead stores in my city and found a couple. The first one had a very rude owner, but in the second shop, I met a kind woman who became instrumental in teaching me how to make jewelry.
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After revamping my coral necklace, my friends asked me to make some for them —so I did. And just like that, Didi Rose Jewelry was born.
Didi was my childhood nickname, and I’ve always loved roses. There were a few times I walked away from making jewelry, but I always came back to it. In 2009, I finally made the decision to forge ahead and never stop.
I had always created elaborate pieces using beads and wire, but I longed to design jewelry that could be worn every day—not just for parties or special occasions. I started by learning how to set stones in simple prongs and sent some sketches to a company in Israel to bring my designs to life. They were meant to make the base settings for me to add stones into, but they stole my designs. That experience made my mind up for me: I had to learn how to solder and fabricate on my own.
In 2017, I found myself in a different country with plenty of time to learn. I was close to material sources, which meant I didn’t have to spend a fortune shipping tools and equipment. I knew I was ready.
When I first came to America, Swarovski crystals were my go-to stones - until I was introduced to the world of gemstones, and a whole new addiction began. I couldn’t believe the variety of turquoise. Until then, I’d only known the Sleeping Beauty turquoise shown to me by a Lebanese goldsmith named Richard. I now buy and use a wide range of natural gemstones in my work.
There were plenty of nail-biting moments, burnt fingers, smashed thumbs, and countless hours of watching videos, but I taught myself the basics. Everything else came through constant practice. I took a few stone-setting classes in 2020 and 2021, and I continue to learn. I’ll always keep taking classes and improving my craft.
