Do judge a book by its cover’ is the thought that lingered on our minds hours after we met Annerose Muyombano and while our belief system was being reduced to ashes inexorably, the timeless splendour of Annerose’s jewels remained the only certainty.

Indeed this 33 years old german-rwandan jewellery designer reflects her creations: intense, sublime, sophisticated yet simple, playful and above all genuine. It is therefore no surprise to us that Anne rose started modelling at the age of 16 in Miami, New York and Germany for high end jewellery brands where what could be called a ‘skin story’ started: the sensorial evidence of the precious stones and their magical ability to make one feel beautiful were decisive: “I really felt beautiful and empowered presenting all the amazing rings, necklaces and earrings. I will never forget the sparkle the diamonds left on my skin and when I decided to create my own company it was clear that it would have to deal with jewellery”. But “Did the world really need another jewellery brand?” was a recurrent question keeping on haunting Annerose Muyombano to which she answered in 2011 with ‘Muyombano Jewellery’, a florilegium of shapes, textures and colours. A unique brand was thus born, expressing “pure aesthetics, feminity, strength” and heralding an invigorating and differentiating point of view on Africa.

“There is so much Africa in me that it constantly influences my work. However my priority is to show that there is no such thing as “typical African“. To be honest I am allergic against this stereotype. African Fashion and Jewellery can be very diverse and represent a wide range of Africa”.

In fact Muyombano Jewellery is deeply anchored in African traditional shapes but transcends them through a modern sophistication. At the heart of her metallurgy – stainless still is omnipresent in all her work- lies something essential, almost telluric: the shapes are pure, minimal, the circles are recurrent, multiplied, amplified in the “pure” collection, they become slightly acid, tangy and playful thanks to the coloured acrylic glass in the “candy” artwork, they turn into basic micro tubes in the “Naja” collection sublimed through a very European touch; they all convey the same eternity that diamonds have.
 “Diamonds and precious stones are timeless – I adore them, however I wanted to challenge myself by using other materials and show that they can also be timeless when you combine the right design with perfect craftsmanship.” This combination of “African grace” and “European sophistication”, this syncretism of tradition and modernity are sitting at the very core of Annerose personal geography. Born in Burundi of a Rwandan father and a German mother, in a family where politics and history were often discussed at the breakfast table, self-expression and open-mindedness were the fundamental pillars on which Annerose Muyombano insatiable curious spirit would lean on, a curiosity to which the designer credits her artistic eye. “Even though I know exactly how I want things to be, I love experimenting, exploring new places, cultures etc. My parents (both teachers) taught me to be open minded and curious. It is important for me to understand the dynamics of the world.”

Annerose and her family moved from Burundi to Germany – where she still leaves now- when she was six. After her studies in management, she modelled for a few years and started her professional career working for the Rwandan Embassy and for the Further Education Institute in Berlin. But Annerose curiosity was doing its work and it did not take long until she grabbed a piece of paper one day and started drawing.

Self- taught designer she is in a constant learning process – at the moment she is experimenting with rough diamonds and rose gold- and in search of perfect craftsmanship which makes her say that she will probably never feel accomplished. Well, her creations are. Perfect finishes, exquisite lines, subtle coatings, poetic hollows and unexpected colours orchestrate style and give the opportunity to whoever wears Muyombano jewels to go beyond fashion and to express one’s personality. ”I don’t like every trend that is being introduced to the fashion world. My customers are the same – they are individualists, have a great sense of style but they are no fashion victims. I want to inspire and surprise them with my work, give them pieces they can use to enhance their uniqueness.”

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