KENYA – Self beautification has been part of Africans, both men, women and children. One trend is the use of jewellery, be it gold, diamond, metals, gemstones, glass, rubber, wood or pearls.
Africans decorate their bodies with Jewelry to represent status, wealth, prestige, power, to express tribal association, age, civil and marital status, style or beauty.
In the search of uniqueness and a contemporary statement piece, I came across the metal works of Theresia Kyalo.
Kyalo is a Kenyan with a law degree and has found wealth and purpose in using metals to create unique statement pieces of jewellery that are not just eye-catching but desiring.
Kyalo’s artistic designs are not just for women but worn by fashionable and daring men as well who want to take their fashion statement to a different level.
She names the pieces of jewellery in Swahili in relation to the body parts that they are worn on, be it the face, fingers, neck, ears, head or lips. “I did this because I am a very literal person and I thought it would be not only punny and a play on words but actually educational.” She explains the creative idea and story behind her unique masterpiece jewellery designs.
The 24-year-old, gifted in drawing lines in the process wanted to experiment with something unique, consequently, the idea of making the lines tangible gave birth to her unique jewellery brand after experimenting with brass and metals.
“Over the past one year, I’ve grown to be so in love with metal and metal works. People always ask me what I intend to do with my line drawings and my response is always “Apart from the artworks and prints that I make, I’m working on something.” Well, I’m ready for you to see what I’m working on.” She revealed.
Kyalo released Body Pieces in 2019 which attracted a lot of positive support and love for handcrafted brass earrings and face rings.
She calls her designs Body Pieces as they are worn on parts of the body.
She wrote on her Instagram post, “The body pieces I’m working on seeking to deliver a story of craftsmanship in each of the pieces. This body of work is really an amalgamation of all my artistic abilities. I present to you #bodypieces a series of metal works made by yours truly with love.”
Apart from brass metals, she has also incorporated her sophisticated jewellery designs with Ode to Adinkra Symbols. This design comes in the form of bones and brass fused together to create the Adinkra symbols of the Akan tribe of Ghana and Gyaman tribe of Cote d’Ivoire.
Kyalo’s work can be found in stores established by international brands such as Adele Dejak and Love Studio. She has exhibited her marvellous works at events and run workshops to impact young artist across Africa.
This piece is called ‘Utosi’. Utosi means crown in Swahili. I’ve always been fascinated with headpieces and this specific piece is worn to fit the crown of one’s head.
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Renate is a lawyer, publicist, and writer. She believes that education and information is the key to developing and shaping Africa. In her free time, she paints beautiful art pieces on canvas. Renate believes that life is a perception, and you live it the way you perceive it.
