Written By: Nani Hapa—Designer Awa Kamara works with wood, shell, camel bone, vinyl records, recycled glass, clay, gemstones, brass, silver, hypoallergenic 14K gold-filled metals and leather to create handmade jewelry fusing her own personal cultural fusion—African grace (Sierra Leone is Awa's ancestral home), Austrian conservatism (Awa was born in Vienna and grew up in Salzburg) and a twist of New York eclecticism (Awa studied at at Parsons The New School for Design in New York).
In addition to being utterly fabulous, Awa Jewelry donates a portion of its web sales to the following organizations: (1) Shine On Sierra Leone (a foundation focused on creating sustainable development, healthcare, literacy, education, technology and microcredit programs to promote thriving self-sufficient communities in Sierra Leone); and (2) The New Hope Movement (a campaign aimed at reducing maternal and infant mortality in Sierra Leone).
For more information about Awa Jewelry, visit www.awakamara.com, and shop the collection at Awa Jewelry's Etsy Shop: www.etsy.com/people/awakamara.
(Photo Credits: © Awa Kamara)
