My personal life experiences, creativity and Buddhist practice have been the bedrock of how and why my Rosie Odette jewellery business was born. A purpose lead jewellery business creating positive and lasting change in the world!
It all started with my great love of gemstones. Not just how they sparkle and come from Mother Earth’s core - hot lava spat out and then forged over millions of years to come out shining, just like the diamond. But With the wonder and magic of the ancient power of gemstones. Gemstones have been adorned on battlefields and worn throughout history to help heal our hearts and to celebrate the power of our souls, bodies and minds. Gemstones have been worn as ornaments of power by royals since ancient times.
This was the reason I was drawn not only to the beauty of gemstones but to the experience of wearing them.
As a jeweller and an artist, I believe in alchemy and making something beautiful from rough, raw materials.
As a Buddhist, I believe that personal adversity is the raw material to transform and create something beautiful and powerful, not only for yourself but also for others.
These principles have been transferred into my Power Rings'. Rings of Power that symbolise deep personal work, resonating with the depth, beauty and power that we all possess within.
To transform any challenge, and declare the quintessence of your glorious dignity and worth, Your very existence as being human.
This I demonstrate through creating outstanding jewellery, symbolising this magnificence, for you to wear.
As an ever developing artist and human being, carving my way through life, the last few years I have been about digging deep in fusing my passion for equality and being part of creating a safe world to live in for women and young people in particular and, having my jewellery business being of support and bringing positive change to the world.
My big turnaround
Back to 2019, I reconnected with an old friend from school, Xeni. She bought the Greek Signet Warrior Ring, from Warrior Collection. It was such a lovely surprise as we always got on at school and here we were 18 years later, having a coffee catch up and she was buying this beautiful warrioress ring. We got chatting and interestingly, what transpired is that we had both suffered from domestic abuse and violence and shared how it had really impacted us over the years. Naturally, we shared a mutual understanding and insight of just how prevalent this issue is in our culture, and still such a taboo topic to talk about.
Running a marathon & my roots
In this magical coffee chat, not only did we re-ignite our amazing childhood friendship, but we also decided to run the Athens marathon together. Both having Greek blood we thought - ‘We have to run the race of victory!’ Offff how we physically paid for that one. But our desire ran deep to raise awareness, not only of the ‘taboo’ issue but to somehow become part of changing these dark times, and alchemising this darkness, into the light. We shared a vision of creating something beautiful, hopeful and ultimately, deeply transformative for humanity. Standing up for the prevention of abuse, not just healing the wounded. Ultimately, changing the cause, and creating ‘new effects’.
Finding Tender
We discovered an amazing charity called Tender. Tender educates young people in schools about domestic abuse and sexual violence through the arts and education.
Having both understood the long-term effects that domestic abuse and violence can cause, we felt really passionate about supporting this incredible charity. As the saying goes 'history repeats itself’, right? Until someone (or many of us) decide to change the game, and ultimately, the times.
But where does the buck stop? Who with? And how do we create this epic and necessary, social change?
Here is Tender’s mission statement:
"84% of the victims of domestic abuse are women. Our solution, Tender works with girls and boys to recognise the early warning signs of abusive behaviour, and challenge the attitudes and behaviours that lead to Gender-based violence." Tender.
What a shocking statistic and what an incredible charity. Forward-thinking, solution-based, powerful, beautiful, and fundamentally, transformative.
Helping the most vulnerable
Statistically, young people between the ages of 16 - 24 are the most vulnerable and likely to be involved in abusive and violent relationships. This is in the home and society. If young people are the future of our world, they are therefore the future leaders of our world….. and that’s why it’s so important!, I believe that tackling this challenging and prevalent issue - through educating young people correctly - is one of the most important and fundamental educational content we should be teaching them.
“I believe that tackling this challenging and prevalent issue - through educating young people correctly - is one of the most important and fundamental educational content we should be teaching them.”
All stats set aside, having lived through it half of my life, and sharing and listening to a lot of stories, is that hurt people, hurt people. Unresolved emotional pain gets numbed through addiction, which can lead to more violence and more trauma, and so the cycle continues.
Becoming a Power-House!
The Athens Marathon finish line. 3:58 finish. Worth every bit of pain.
Educating young people to create the best versions of themself and empowering them to not become ‘the ‘product of what happened to them’ but a powerhouse that can contribute to society in a healthy, happy - value-creating way, is surely the intelligent and heart-led focus.
I stand for giving young people a solid educational foundation to create a culture that inspires a ‘collective consciousness, where respecting each other as human beings are held in the highest regard, surely is the sure-fire way for each and every youth - the future of the quality of our world - to have the best chance for the greatest bloom of their young and limitless potential, and ultimately the happiness and harmony of this world. I 100% believe this to be true.
Driven by our passion for positive change, Xeni and I committed to our 20 mile runs, in the rain, slipping in cow shit, consistently asking ourselves ‘why the hell are we doing this?’ and soon found the answer. We carried on with our gruelling marathon training and finally completed our goal of completing the Athens marathon and achieving the funds we needed to buy two workshops in our chosen school two schools in East Sussex.
Very excitedly we worked alongside Tender to support us in getting our first two workshops up and running. And then covid hit. What a blow it was for many. And the statistics rose enormously for women and children suffering from domestic abuse and violence at home, so much so, that the laws were changed and the government have now legally made domestic abuse part of the education system. Even though this is a positive step forward, it is a drop in the ocean for the funding, precision and expertise needed to really reach every school, pupil and teacher in Britain to a standard that could create great and lasting positive change.
We waited patiently for our project to come off the ground and to our joy, finally, our first two-day workshop project took place in Hove on the 6th and 7th of October 2021 and in Hove again on the 20th and 21st of January 2022.
Myself and Xeni attended these workshops. It was inspirational and deeply powerful to witness these young seedlings not only wanting this education but also to see how the workshop was so well crafted, tackling such complex and difficult topics in a space of safety, integrity and really successful results. These students were so bright and thirsty for this education and the statistics from the questionnaires following the art and education activities in the workshops were outstanding.
A few statistics and feedback from both schools:
Tender:
As part of the two-day project Tender robustly evaluate the changes in attitude that identify the impact of our work through questionnaires. We also gather information from young people about their understanding of healthy and unhealthy friendships and relationships.
“We looked at the difficulties a victim might face in leaving an abusive relationship and challenged some victim blaming attitudes. In the pre-project questionnaires, 8% of students felt that victims who stay in abusive relationships may be partly to blame for the violence. In the post-project questionnaires, this had dropped to 0%” Tender.
Peer Learner Responses
At the end of the second day, the group of young leaders created a filmed presentation sharing some of what they had learnt. This filmed sharing was shown to the whole of years 9, 10 and 11.
The audience completed questionnaires and below is a summary of these findings based on the received questionnaires.
- 77% of peer learners recognised the prevalence of violence and abuse in relationships.
- 77% were able to correctly recognise that women are most likely to become victims
of violent relationships. - 69% correctly recalled that 1 in 3 women in Britain will experience abuse in a
relationship at some point during their lifetime. - 87% of the peer learners were able to recognise a range of early warning signs that a
partner might become violent or abusive. - 71% felt if a friend were in an abusive or unhealthy relationship that they would be able to help
- 58% of peer learners enjoyed watching the presentation and, more importantly as a result of the sharing;
- 85% felt that they had more knowledge about where to seek support or advice about unhealthy relationships.
- 77% felt more confident in recognising violent or abusive relationships.
- 78% felt they now had more understanding of what healthy and unhealthy relationships are.
“Being able to talk about issues which would otherwise be taboo” – Male, Year 11
“More people should have a chance to take part in this project, it has taught me things everyone should know”. female year 10
Xeni and I felt elated at the results and so impressed by the work that Tender and the student’s enthusiasm, we went away wracking our brains for how we could raise more funds so we could contribute to and support Tender in achieving their goal for every school in Britain having a ‘Blue Plaque’ of Tender education standards.
At 42, I am clearly not going to run a marathon every year, it took me a year to get over the last one. Nope. I felt into what and how I wanted to contribute to Tender, and how I could align their cause with what I do. I remembered my Acorn Charm, from the opulence collection. A very special piece of jewellery that I felt perfectly symbolises not only the work that Tender do but also the limitless potential the young people to grow into strong and fine human beings.
Rosie Odette Acorn Charm in Support of Tender
Story of the Acorn Charm Necklace - "From the acorn grows the great oak tree" RO.
The Oak tree is one of the most loved trees in the world and with good reason. It’s a symbol of strength, morale, resistance and knowledge. Throughout history, the Oak has been represented in different mythologies and sometimes linked to powerful gods. In Greek mythology, it was a symbol of Zeus, the God of Thunder.
The oak is considered a cosmic storehouse of wisdom embodied in its towering strength. It grows slowly, but surely at its own rate. Oak is often associated with honour, nobility, and wisdom thanks to its size and longevity.
Oaks are known to easily surpass 300 years of age making them a powerful life-affirming symbol. A living legend representing all that is true, wholesome, stable, and noble, I created these solid gold charms to symbolise the strength, courage and wisdom of each of you travelling along your unique journey of life. No matter how hard the wind blows, we all possess the inner fortitude to turn bitter winds of adversity into a joyful, fragrant, summer breeze.
Our Acorn charm is symbolic of the limitless potential that each and every young person possesses to grow into the great oak.
A unique, hand-crafted acorn charm made in solid 9K gold designed specifically to support the TENDER Charity focused on preventing domestic abuse and sexual violence in young people through art and education.
To support the cause, 25% of the sale price from the Acorn Charm Collection is paid to Tender, a registered charity (number 1100214)
This product was designed for those who want to invest and contribute to a long-term societal change by breaking generational patterns of abuse.
A truly timeless, unique piece of jewellery. Hand carved with love and cast in solid gold, these decadent 9 carat solid gold acorn and leaf charms, decadently hang from a solid gold chain. A beautiful, simple yet stylish look, these exquisite charms are great to wear layered with other pieces or stand alone. I am a huge fan of mixing my metals,
These charms are available in white, rose and yellow gold. This piece is made to order.
PRE-ORDER YOURS NOW
My personal challenging life experiences have forged who I am today and are now the wellspring of my creativity and now, a beautiful opportunity to create hope and value for others. Our vision is to be part of this movement of transforming violence in Britain to holding up and respecting the dignity of all lives. Particularly young people. We dedicate ourselves to be part of funding every school in Britain and we look ever forward to seeing a healthy change and transformation of our society. Just as the acorn grows into the great Oak, the growth may be slow, but it will be sure.
Rosie Odette Purpose, Vision and Mission:
- Rosie Odette's purpose is to create beautiful, and timeless jewellery connecting the wearer to their personal power, humanity, and inner beauty. To inspire that we all have the potential to blossom, regardless of our story, background, or personal suffering.
- Rosie Odette's vision is to create a movement of female empowerment and female equality in society through jewellery.
- Rosie Odette's mission, in support of Tender, is to educate young people in schools across Britain about healthy relationships in order to prevent domestic abuse and sexual violence.
Just how rare and amazing gemstones are born out of adversity, being tempered and forged by the crushing elements of mother nature, we too as human beings have this transformative power and potential to come out shining, just like a diamond.
If you would like to have a further read below about what Tender does please click the link below:
What Tender Do - https://tender.org.uk/what-we-do/
With love,
Rosie Odette.X