Picture this… Summers spent visiting pearl farms in Tahiti, living and sailing on a catamaran, and chasing waves in Fiji. Winters spent surfing her home break on Maui, and visiting winter wonderlands on the mainland. Chasing around her curly haired, towheaded toddler named Leo, jetting off to New York… you get the idea.
This is just a small slice of the life of Ella May jewelry designer, Danielle Kiersz.
Since she was a little girl Danielle and her mom, Deanna, have been making jewelry together. The two created their company, Ella May, in 2011. But it wasn’t until Danielle’s first trip to Tahiti in 2013, when she introduced black pearls into the equation, that Ella May became what it is today.
“I fell in love with pearls” says Danielle. “My mom and I started to include them in leather wrap bracelets, put them on chains, and add them into baby teething necklaces. Once we started playing with pearls in our designs we never looked back.”
And, why would they? As a local company, Ella May has become synonymous with black Tahitian pearls. Lately, much to their fan base’s delight, the two have taken it one step further by integrating South Sea and Edison pearls into their designs.
Ella May is a true mother/daughter team. Deana makes the pieces done with chain while Danielle does the knotting, and they work together on all the leather creations.
“To be honest I couldn’t do it without my mama. She’s the expert jewelry maker and also holds down the business while I’m traveling.”
“I’m so grateful for the beautiful life that I get to share with my partner, son and family” says Danielle. “Even though it’s not always easy traveling with a child, being a mom inspires me to work hard, and traveling always fuels my passion for design.”
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