If I said East Orange, New Jersey, what would come to your mind?  A gritty city with very little to recommend it probably.  Well, there’s a proverbial rose in East Orange and her name is Adrienne Lockett.  She is an extraordinary jeweler.  I have known Adrienne for at least 15 years now.  I can’t remember the first time we met.  I do remember how strong an impression her jewelry left.  It was handmade, of course, a lot of silver and strongly connected to African symbols, particularly the Adinkra symbols of Ghana.

She has now had several shows at Zawadi and during the lulls, we have talked about her creativity and the business of making and selling jewelry.  It is easy to underestimate the skills that go into making a piece of jewelry from silver or amber where it has to be crafted to a particular vision using heat.  Adrienne learned silver smithing from taking multiple classes and has worked to perfect her skills.  She is especially known for  her use of Adinkra symbols.

Her life as a jeweler is one of  frequent travel.  2015 is just beginning and  as she looks at her calendar, she already sees Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, New Orleans and the weekend of the 24/25th, Washington D.C. at Zawadi.  Though it is not far, it requires her to assess the taste and character of the city she is visiting.  Not every city is the same and so the business woman must be balanced with the artist.

We welcome our beautiful East Orange flower and are pleased that this time she will be doing a very special discount for her old and new customers.