Welcome to the world of Black Betty

Founded in 2012 by South African designer Kristin Weixelbaumer, Black Betty is a South African based jewellery & piercing studio. Our aim is to create unique & distinctive pieces for those who are drawn to striking jewellery with an emotional connection. We create, & pierce with, jewellery that plays with the boundaries between contemporary style & ancient beauty. We use natural hand-cut gemstones & precious metals.

Black Betty values the individual- each one of us is formed with different imperfections, desires & passions. We create our jewellery with this philosophy in mind, allowing each piece to be an expression of your unique personality. Our ear curation experience focuses on your personal choice of piercing jewellery and placement - we want your voice to shine through.

Who is Black Betty?

Kristin Weixelbaumer was born in Johannesburg and grew up in Cape Town. A creative at heart, Kristin studied Art Direction and Graphic Design at Cape Town’s Red & Yellow Advertising School. 

Kristin’s true journey began when she decided to radically change her life and spend almost a year in India. It is here where she found a new connection with herself through yoga, tarot reading, reiki and crystal healing. This process was strongly linked to the healing powers of metals and stones, and so her path of jewellery design was formed. It was a natural progression, one filled with inspiration and raw passion. And it is with these same feelings that she continues to nurture and cultivate Black Betty today.

At the core of Black Betty is Kristin’s drive to understand the intimacy and complex relationship between beauty and imperfection. Kristin doesn’t shy away from the difficulties in life; instead she moves and shakes and creates something entirely new and magical out of these moments - and Black Betty is so much better for it.

Jewellery design melds all of Kristin’s passions: her creativity; her flair for design; her strategic marketing nous honed since her days at college;  and, of course, her love for crystal healing, the power of gemstones and working with Mother Earth.

Today, Kristin wears a piece designed by her grandmother and in so many ways this is where her love for jewellery lies: from something being found in the earth, then moving between the hands of those cutting and moulding and creating, then finally to the wearer who can pass this piece down through generations. Jewellery is personal. 

In Kristin's family, the tradition of heirloom jewellery and the creativity that can come with it begins with a ring designed by her grandmother. Its undulating coils of gold resemble a snake with a black diamond for an eye, and today each other women and girls in the family have their own replica of the design with the eye in their birthstone. Another serpentine piece adorns Kristen's wrist: the diamond snake bangle.

Why Black Betty?

‘Betty’ is a term we use to encompass all women and all that we are: our strength, femininity and unstoppable force. For us, the term ‘Black’ represents her inner force. There is nothing more beautiful and powerful than when a woman owns and rocks her black. She is at her most confident self. She is sexy, courageous, positive, captivating and happy. You can see it a mile away and feel it when she enters a room. Her energy is felt by all. For a woman to be this, she needs to have accepted all of herself, the dark & light. 

Women empowerment is fundamental to Black Betty. We want women to be their best, true selves- flaws and all. The stones we work with are naturally flawed, because this is what makes us unique, this is where our power lies.

Image courtesy of FRUK MAGAZINE | Photo by @ameliaallenphotography | Model @daianesodre for Fusion Models.

We are proud to offer bespoke jewellery design. Each piece is created through a personal journey with our clients. These are pieces that create lasting memories, or even get passed down through generations; being part of that journey with you means everything to us.

Black Betty creates jewellery that honours Mother Nature and all she does for us. We believe in the power of natural gemstones, and want our jewellery to speak to you and release an energy that connects you to your core. We believe the right piece can ground you, help balance you and release negative energies through the stones and the designs.

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