When Christie and Rosanna Wollenberg started Otiumberg jewellery in 2016, they felt the term demi-fine jewellery didn’t exist. “It wasn’t until after we’d launched our collection that we first started hearing the term,” says Rosanna. “For us, demi-fine encompasses what we instinctively set out to create with Otiumberg; unique, wearable and long-lasting jewellery that is also price sensitive. The category offers that important sweet spot – between fine jewellery, which is largely price exclusive, and fashion jewellery, which focuses more on trends.”
Christie had been living in the Middle East and through connections had been commissioned to make pieces of jewellery “which would later become and inspire our infamous huggies,” she says. “We both had multiple piercings at the time and would always be covered in earrings. Our friends started to ask for the same pieces so we ended up creating and selling them on the side.”
At the time, Christie was working at Louis Vuitton, while Rosanna was in New York in luxury branding. The combination of their experience and knowledge gave them the confidence to “go it alone”. It was a side hustle at first, but jewellery had always “made sense” to them both.
“We had both seen first hand how demanding the ready-to-wear category was in terms of seasonality and trends,” explains Christie. “We really never shopped that way and instead always sought versatile pieces that stood the test of time. Jewellery felt like a natural extension of our values and the way we sought to express ourselves.”
The duo work in 9-karat gold, sterling silver and vermeil; and last year created their first 14-karat collection for Browns. “We also strive to be a responsible brand that is conscious of its impact,” says Rosanna. “From our annual Life Cycle Assessment, to recycled precious metals and on-going plastic initiative, we are pushing to be a force for good. After all, we want to feel good about the impact we have on our customers and value chain. We’ve recently embarked on the application for B-Corp status and are excited to see how this process improves our operations further. We’re by no means perfect, but we’re trying!”
Everyday jewellery pieces with a point of difference have become the brand’s signature. “Huggie hoops” for multiple earrings are also something they are well-known for. The collections have constantly evolved as they, too, have moved through life. “Largely we design for ourselves,” says Christie.
Among the latest collection features hand-carved quartz earrings, diamond burr cocktail rings and necklaces whose closure is the pendant itself.
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