Unveiling the Art of Bag Charms: A Journey with Design by O.H.
One question I often get is what made me start making bag or purse charms. The answer goes back several years to 2017 when I saw a bag charm (image below) in a shop in Accra, Ghana. I was fascinated by the use of local recycled glass beads in the design, but less excited about everything else about it because I felt it was missing a few key things. First was the quality- it was made of inferior metal bead findings that easily tarnished and wire wrapping that left a lot to be desired even by the inexperienced beader. Second was the color scheme which did not adequately highlight the beauty of the beads. As someone who did art from childhood through secondary school, and who comes from a family of artists and creatives, I felt much more could be done with this bag charm to give it that “oomph” factor. Nonetheless, I bought it and hung it on my handbag for many years. I, however, could not shake off that nagging need to figure out how to improve it.
My interest in and wearing beads from Ghana started in childhood and has grown over the decades since. My maternal grandmother, Afua Okyerewa Adjei, made a pair of simple bracelets for me as a baby and waist beads when I was a bit older. This tradition is still practiced in Ghana today. For my traditional Ghanaian wedding, I was gifted a set of earrings and a necklace made of sand cast beads and gold by my aunt and uncle, and a gorgeous necklace with antique Millefiori beads handcrafted by a close family friend, whom I consider a big sister. For me, it is interesting to see how these different types of beads have simultaneously remained traditional and modern in their use in Ghana and all over the world.
So, a little over two years ago, I decided to get creative and explore ways to
make a bag charm that checked some major boxes for me:
- Colorful
- Artistic
- Sophisticated
- Excellent quality
- Unique
- Intentional
- Fun
It started initially as a hobby but somewhere along the way I caught the entrepreneurial bug based on peoples’ interest and feedback. This excursion led me to establishing Design by O.H. Why that name? “O.H.” is my nickname interestingly bestowed upon me by myself in nursery school. I found it challenging to write my name “Yaa Ohenewaa”, “Yaa” meaning girl born on Thursday, and “Ohenewaa” meaning queen. So, I truncated it to “Yaa O.H.” with the periods in between the letters as written. Note that it is O.H. not OH! That became my nickname in my family and with a few select close friends, eventually becoming simply “O.H.” over the years. Until now I have kept that nickname restricted to my inner circle, but I am ready to share that with the world because it is who I am- quirky, fun, introverted, and creative. “Designs” is meant to capture the broadness of my creativity.
It has been an exciting, interesting and oftentimes challenging journey of combining interests with entrepreneurship, particularly for someone like me who has never been down this path before. As a physician working full-time (more like 1.5 full time!), a mother and a wife, juggling daily commitments with starting a business is an ongoing learning experience of prioritizing, staying committed, stepping out of my comfort zone, and going where I would have never dreamt of a few years ago. I will share more of that experience over time.
For now, I will end with this- one of my major goals of creating Design by O.H. is to create products with intention and attention to detail. My use of sandcast glass beads from Ghana is a nod to my rich heritage and the beautiful beads hand made by local artisans over centuries using sustainable practices which help to reduce waste in a world where fast fashion seems to dominate. The process of creating traditional beads in Ghana is a direct connection to nature and a grounding force through the use recycling, terracotta clay (for the molds), termite mound clay and firewood (for the kiln), cassava stem to create the holes in the beads, and stone for polishing. Each bead is literally made by hand, and no two beads are the same. By combining these beads with others from around the world, including Czech beads which have an equally rich history, my aspiration is to create one-of-kind quality pieces that have meaning, and elevate and complement the style of the wearer. Each piece has a name and meaning with the intention to inspire and/or reflect the personality of the wearer. I look forward to growing Design by O.H. with you. Until next time, remember to be unapologetically you and unafraid to stand out!
- O.H.