Her Biz January 2021 Winner

Sussex Sungirl wins Her Biz with awe-inspiring jewellery-making business

Award-winning bespoke jeweller Vicky Tawamana wins Her Biz, the free women’s start-up programme.

Based in Winchelsea Beach, East Sussex, Sungirl Silver creates items of jewellery and silver wear for clients as well as offering affordable training courses, helping others gain creative skills in a safe and supportive environment.

Interestingly, ‘Sungirl’ is English translation of Vicky’s surname Tawamana.

Speaking about her experience with the Her Biz programme, Vicky said “Having discovered Her Biz on Facebook, I was pleasantly surprised at how professional and informative it was.  Lisa and Helena delivered comprehensive business planning workshops and were helpful and supportive throughout.  As a result of the programme, I have accessed funding, rebranded and feel ready to leap forward with my business.”

Vicky started her career whilst at school setting up a market stall to sell designs. With a pure, raw talent for crafting jewellery and design, Vicky pursued her passion and won her first award from the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths at just 19 years old. From this, Vicky continued to create bespoke jewellery while also pursuing ways to teach jewellery and silversmithing techniques.

Boat Brooch

Bringing a wealth of expertise to her business, Vicky is trained in traditional gold and silversmithing techniques, pushing boundaries by mixing metals and crossing over techniques to create bespoke effects in the final product.  After being recognised for her work, Vicky won a bursary of gold for one of her items, the beautiful Boat Brooch which was exhibited nationwide on a year-long tour.

Vicky said, “I feel a fundamental connection with the ideals of the Arts and Crafts movement, namely that the satisfaction of creating is derived from knowing and performing all the processes from concept to delivery and that a simple, well made, handcrafted object is a thing of beauty. I approach all tasks with this in mind, whether I am working as an Artist, Jeweller, Smithy, Tutor or Writer.”

In addition to making, Vicky wanted to use her passion for manufacturing and design to inspire students to create beautiful objects and acquire the technical know-how needed to have a successful career in jewellery-making. With this, Vicky set up an independent learning and development project at the local community centre, offering private studio lessons and mentoring students in establishing co-operative business situations, exhibits and selling work.  

The mantra of Sungirl Silver is to create a unique object of beauty for clients, tailored to their taste and requirements, and to offer students an opportunity to develop a niche skill set of jewellery making and leave with a keen feeling of satisfaction in their work. In addition, Sungirl Silver promises to deliver a reliable service and take on smaller-scale jobs where industry giants may not, continuing to support cottage industries in the process.

Lisa Young, Her Biz Start Up Coach, said “Vicky is very passionate about her work and mentoring her students to enable them to produce bespoke pieces of jewellery. Vicky has a clear vision of the path she needs to take to enable her business to grow and succeed and we wish her the best of luck for the future, another worth winner of the Her Biz business plan competition”.

The providers of Her Biz, Let’s Do Business Group and NatWest are continuing their work to support female entrepreneurs in East Sussex and Kent following the recent announcement that the Her Biz contract is confirmed for another year.

It’s good news for female entrepreneurs across the counties and Sungirl Silver is an encouraging message for those thinking about starting a business to access the support needed. Inspiring, growing enterprises like Sungirl Silver are proof that support for women in business is a worthwhile cause and all-female business support programmes such as Her Biz remain vital to bridge the gap in gender inequality.

Her Biz is now recruiting for the next workshops in May and July. Please visit www.letsdobusinessgroup.co.uk/events for more information.