Charzain Jewellery—Island inspired pieces with an unusual story and name!
The name Charzain was my mom’s idea and is a combination of my name, Charity, my sister’s name, Zanira and my Mom’s name, Ingrid. Who is Charity? My name is Charity-Claire Snijders-Sprockel, born on the beautiful island of Curaçao, where I lived most of my life. From 1997 to 2004 I lived and studied in the Netherlands and in 2004 I married the most patient man I ever met, a characteristic I do not really possess.
Jewellery making was not in my plans when I relocated to Curaçao back in 2004. Family is usually what we miss the most when we are living abroad. To spend some quality time together, my mom invited me to join her in a jewellery-making course. So, together we kept each other company every Thursday night for two years. These are moments I will never forget.
However, at the end of the course, I didn’t put this new skill to work. It was only until 2014, 10 years later, that I decided to pick up jewellery making again. I came across my current gemstone supplier by chance and then this hobby of mine got completely out of hand.

I make jewellery with ethically mined gemstones. In our country, we love colours, decorations and festive energy. Charzain Jewellery crafts creations that are inspired by that feeling. In the beginning I was very insecure to put my creations out there, even though my family (grandmother, mom and aunt) always loved my creations. Today, my grandmother (96) is still my best customer.

In December 2014, I gathered the courage and participated in my first market. I did not sell much, but received encouraging reactions, and this is what motivated me to consider turning this creative journey into a business.

GEMSTONES:

Which ones do I use? All of them. My only requirement is they must be ethically mined. That is important to me. I am against taking everything from the miners’ community and not giving anything back. Most of the time, miners work under extremely hard conditions to provide for their families. So, it’s important to me that these communities can share in the profit other than just to provide for their families. My suppliers give a lot back to the miners’ communities and I share that vision. They build schools and homes so these miners’ communities can enjoy long-lasting fruits from their hard work.

The gemstones I use are different, known, unknown and they come in different colours, but they are all created through nature’s conditions, such as pressure, heat and radiation. Some of the gems I use include Amber, Amethyst, Pearls, Lapis Lazuli, Quartz, Ruby, Emerald and Sapphire stones. I also use less known but also beautiful stones such as Citrine, Labradorite, Spinel, Amazonite, Opal, Obsidian, Jadeite and, one of my favourites, Apatite. This bluish-green gemstone has impressive characteristics. Maybe I like it that much because blue is also my favourite colour. I am in love with all the blue tones of Topaz, Sky blue, Swiss blue, and London blue Topaz.

My inspiration comes from the beauty and nature of the gemstones. Working with these gemstones is a way of enjoying and admiring the mighty works of Jehovah our God. Behind each stone there is a history of years of pressure and natural conditions. The result is what we experience as beautiful and valuable stones.
Charzain Jewellery is 100% handmade jewellery. Because the lapidary is such a craftsman, he brings forth the most beautiful part of the stone and this is exactly what I aspire to show in my jewellery. For me, this is what gives value and honor to the lapidary’s work too. Mind you, I mainly use “bead quality” gems. For this reason, I am able to bring you a large variety of gems.

If you have an eye for detail, great taste, and you value quality and want to wear something beautiful and unique, I invite you to follow my page and take a look at our beautifully handcrafted jewellery, made with you in mind.