The Harmattan wind
Harmattan Jewellery is named after the Harmattan trade wind which is a seasonal desert storm that blows across the Sahara from end November to middle of March. The rugged beauty of the wide open spaces of the Saharan desert inspired the creation of Harmattan Jewellery.
The logo is designed as a desert wind.
The Story
Harmattan Jewellery was created by Marianne McCaughey whilst living in Cairo, Egypt in 2009. The inspiration to create meaningful jewellery came from being emerged in the breath taking nature and fascinating culture of North Africa as well as being surrounded by the most exquisite gem-stones, ancient beads and precious metals in the old bazars of Cairo. This is truly an area where the adventure is still alive.
Sharing this romantic adventure by creating a connection to the natural world and our common ancient history through imagination, good craftmanship and design is the inspiration and driving force behind Harmattan Jewellery.
Marianne
I have always been deeply fascinated by adventure, travel and the natural world, and loved stones and fossils since I was very small growing up in Denmark. This led to me finishing my degree in geology in 1996 from Copenhagen University and a fascinating career within the field of geology. However, being creative and creating beauty and good design was a big part of my Danish upbringing and I was missing a creative outlet. I found that in the bazars of Cairo, combining the beautiful gem-stones that can be found there with ancient beads and metals to create beautiful pieces with a connection to the natural world, different cultures and antiquity has been my passion ever since. I have become a self-taught silversmith and jewellery maker by following a multitude of courses. Currently, I am studying for a degree at Oxford University in Archaeology with special emphasis on ancient jewellery. This is tremendously fascinating and further deepens the love of the subject. I love to talk about these things and you can visit me at selected art fairs (see events).
