“As a child I was happiest stringing small glass beads onto a cotton thread…”
So was instilled a life-long passion for beads & jewellery within German-born Gabriele Schenkel, one-time guest here at Hotel Mockingbird Hill. Gaby fell in love with Jamaica and the north-east region in particular when she stayed with us, and returned seven years later to live here. Further stimulated by her acquisition in 2002 of some of the renowned Millefiori beads from the Venetian island of Murano, Gaby has now built upon the passion of her childhood and started designing & making her own range of beaded jewellery, drawing constant inspiration from the flora, fauna and marine life of her Jamaican coastal environment:
“I like to hike in the countryside where I find most of my inspiration to combine different colours & shapes. The perfect harmony of a flower or the different shades of lush greens that I experienced during my first stay in Jamaica at Hotel Mockingbird Hill triggered my creativity and inspired me.”
Blending her professional background in music with a fine appreciation for colour & shape has allowed Gaby to compose a delightful, harmonious range of jewellery. Many of these beads, especially the African trade beads, have been around for hundreds of years and been traded & displayed around the world before finding their way to Gaby’s workshop here in Jamaica. Non-indigenous but a splendid example of Jamaica’s appeal to all corners of the world…a fitting metaphor for much of Jamaica’s own history perhaps, and ongoing development & change… We are thrilled to be offering Gaby’s wonderful creations at Mocking Bird Hill, representing not just the best of domestic arts & crafts but also empathic examples from around the world.
