meet the maker
Proud Pearls, a brave new jewellery brand with a mission
Love from Holland
Hannelore, the Dutch founder and designer of Proud Pearls, has more than 25 years of experience in international fashion design. She has worked with many international clients including royals, famous artists and musicians. Hannelore’s inspiration is found in daily life as well as around the world. She travels the globe in search of new ideas, influences, materials and possibilities, always open to meet and work with inspiring people from different cultures.
Creative childhood
Hannelore comes from a creative childhood, with both parents always creating and constructing. “My whole childhood was filled with paint, clay and drawing etc. I’m the youngest of three daughters. As my sisters are much older than me, I had to entertain myself a lot of the time. My parents used to have a boat and we spent every weekend and holiday on the water. You could always find me in the forecastle creating things, especially cardboard dress-up dolls which were my favourites. I would make boxes full of paper wardrobes and of course jewellery for all my paper dolls. As a teenager I designed and sewed fashion collections for my Barbie dolls.”
Hannelore tries to instil the same creativity in her own children. “I’m trying to give my children the same creative childhood but it is a challenge with all the technology that surrounds us. I find it important to be bored as a kid: from boredom the most beautiful things can be created (laughs) although my daughters would not agree! My youngest daughter is 13 and uses her Iphone to make very creative films and pictures, so you could say it is a combination of two worlds coming together. My eldest daughter is 17 and was very creative as a toddler but finds more interest in her social life nowadays, she helps me a lot with my social media. I really like the international reach of Instagram, I have met so many beautiful, strong and inspiring women worldwide!”
East meets West
After high school, Hannelore applied to art school and was admitted to the prestigious Willem de Koning Academy in Rotterdam. She graduated as a fashion designer and went on to internships at several international fashion brands and designers. After one of her internships in Indonesia, Hannelore’s interest in Asia intensified. “I was very excited to have the opportunity to live in Asia 8 years ago, with my husband and my two young daughters. We have recently returned to the Netherlands but with a global network of friends and clients my world has become extended. I really advise everyone, if they have the opportunity, to live abroad for a while. Expand your horizon: live and eat local, meet local people, dive into other cultures: it really makes you a better and more humble person with an open mind.”
Fair process
Proud Pearls is designed for women who generously welcome influences from around the world, and who passionately enjoy life with awareness of the world we live in. “A fair process is one of the most important parts of our brand.” Hannelore explains: “we always do research: we work with honest materials to make our own small contribution for a better world, our designs are timeless and contemporary. I would like to make a statement against mass-consumption; why do we need so many new clothes and jewellery? It is really shocking to see the giant clothing factories in the East, they are all so polluting for these fast consuming collections, collections who are replaced in very short periods. I'm hoping for a change of mind and I notice that there is a movement of intelligent and powerful women who make more considered choices.”
International success
You will see both Eastern and Western influences have been creatively and lovingly combined to produce some amazing and unique pieces. The combination of various cultures is what makes Proud Pearls a surprisingly exotic brand: quality and creativity with no borders. Hannelore delights in working closely with the international Proud Pearls team to incorporate their exciting ideas for new collections and involve them in the entire process from design to creation. The unique items are a proud testament to the creativity, passion and craftsmanship of the entire Proud Pearls team. “The quality of Proud Pearls jewellery is very high, all designs are handmade in our studio in the Netherlands, all pearls are carefully handpicked by us- only the highest quality are chosen for use in the beautiful designs. Each item of jewellery is carefully hand-made in our studio in the Netherlands. I'm very proud of our well trained, passionate and professional team. We enable you to wear pearls in a brave new way- be proud to wear pearls!”
pearl braids
Favourite bestseller
Our favourite bestsellers in the Proud Pearls range are the pearl wrap bracelets. Each item is handcrafted from the highest quality materials featuring hand-selected, genuine, baroque pearls and vegan suede. We have two different styles:
white pearl wraps (125cm length / 3mm wide braid)
black pearl wraps (140cm length / 4mm wide braid)
You can wear this item as a necklace or wrapped around the wrist as a bracelet. This season’s colours reflect the three essentials of our living: the earth, the sky and the sea.
Every white pearl wrap bracelet is accompanied by our logo charm and the Tibetan Endless Knot. This is an old Tibetan symbol, a line without a beginning or an end, which signifies both calm and movement. It represents the idea that everything in this world is interconnected. This represents Proud Pearls’ concept of all cultures coming together as an inspirational way of life.
Black pearl wrist wraps
We are proud to present our new black pearl wrap bracelets, these wraps are a little longer and wider for larger wrists and for an edgier appearance. Accompanied by our logo tag, they are available in the following colours: chalk, stone, steel, onyx, midnight or custom colours upon your request. Visit our shop-page to discover both collections of white and black pearl wraps.
we love proud pearls
Pearl-lovers worldwide
We are proud to meet pearl-loving women all around the world, are you following us on Instagram? Follow the hashtag #weloveproudpearls to see an overview of beautiful women, each with their own unique and inspiring style. Add the hashtag to your posts when you wear Proud Pearls’ designs, we would love to follow you back and get inspired!
@stylebeyondage
Beautiful Sonia is a perfect example how to age gracefully, she helps you stay in touch with your power by showing you timeless style with a contemporary edge. She laughingly mentions that she has been “dressing herself since 1952“ a tongue-in-cheek nod to her age. She is a lifelong fan of costume jewellery: the creativity, the colour, the vibrancy and the variety all totally hypnotise her as she is writing in her blog: Stylebeyondage.com (Styling by Serena Duffin & Photography by Erin Reas).
@abigailoneill
What happens when we strip away the buzziness of wellness trends and the business of conventional modern living? We find beautiful ways to enhance our natural rhythm, and with any luck, it’s as graceful and dreamy as that of ageless Australian model and mother of three, Abigail O’Neill. Abigail’s hardcore holistic approach to wellness is incredibly inspiring. The Aussie mama — an author, model and raw chocolate obsessee — is truly living her best life, embracing a mostly raw vegan lifestyle, nourishing herself with sunshine, spring water, fresh air, and pure faith in the power of plants.
@sooziesstyle
Creative, sportive and beautiful Suzie, living in the stunning and diverse landscape of Victoria, you can find her with her tripod and self-timer shooting all photos by herself. Suzie is a great example for all fashionable ladies of 40+ looking gorgeous in our Proud Pearls jewellery.
@turquoise.and.stardust
Meet Melissa, the most positive woman you can find down under in WA, being a flower-child with a free spirit surrounded by butterflies and stardust she creates a beautiful fairyland on her social media, we are proud she is a pearl-lover and we love seeing how she styles her Proud Pearl pieces.
@pen_penelle
Classic beauty Penny is also positive about ageing and always looking gorgeous in her Instagram posts, loving fashion and pearls and loving her life during her 50s. She is a model at Australia’s first mature age talent agency Silverfox group, ‘style has no age limit’.
@redcarpetroxy
Celebrity interviewer, style expert and don’t forget animal lover, Roxy, loves jewellery. You can find her on the red carpet in the USA making exclusive behind-the-scenes interviews from some of Hollywood’s biggest stars and insight into A-list events. Roxy co-hosts a hilarious podcast with actress Tammin Sursok that delves into the truths about being female, being a mother and the general chaos that goes with trying to navigate life with boobs, burp cloths, and the strong desire to have a life. Follow their podcasts here: Roxy’s podcasts
@maria_fiselier
A happy, optimistic and passionate person, Maria! Maria is a classically trained singer, mostly working in the classical and operatic field. However, there are so many more art-forms, styles of music and ways to put your creativity into the world, Maria is lucky enough to be given the opportunity to explore those as well! The goal in her career has always been to reach people, show people the wonder that is music, and by doing so, connecting them to each other.
@sonish_space
Soul fashionista and working mum Sonia lives in Brisbane. Sonia has a love for writing, fashion, and empowering and infusing hope in others. She calls it ‘soul fashion’ because she aims to
connect people with their soul through fashion. Her blogs are a place where you can come to be inspired, empowered and be hopeful for the future.
@damkolbe
Meet Diana, a beautiful senior lecturer, consultant and coach at educational master programs for teachers at a university in Holland. Diana epitomises our company’s support for powerful women in the workforce! She loves to inspire other women, walk in nature and visit museums to see contemporary and classic art.
rock'n pearls
Proud to present our new Black pearl collection 2020
Bold & brave items meticulously made from genuine, freshwater, baroque pearls beautifully combined with stainless steel. Unique interchangeable designs which allow you to make your own unique statement piece by combining two or more items into one contemporary personalised design. Visit our shop to see more of our Black Pearl collection.
