Janine Binneman: An Interview with a Mermaid

7 January 2022

Janine Binneman is one of South Africa's leading jewellery designers and maker of bodacious bling. Her ombre-gemstone rings are much desired and are part of her iconic style.

The first time I met Janine Binneman she was on the loo. We were sharing a room with a whole bunch of other women at a mutual friend’s Hen’s Party. When I dropped my bag off in the bedroom, Janine shouted “Hi!” from the other side of the loo door. She was pregnant and was chatting on the phone to her husband. 

If you’re wondering about the relevance of this story, it really sums up who Janine is. Despite being heavily pregnant, she showed up. Despite not being able to imbibe in the celebratory champagne, she joined in. Despite being pregnancy-tired, she was fun. Despite being on the loo, she greeted me. Janine participates greatly in life. She shows up unapologetically, as she is, and doesn’t shy away from awkward issues and conversations (even those conducted from the loo.)

Towards the end of last year, I asked Janine if I could “formally” interview her. So, if you want to know all about South Africa’s most famous gem hunter, fun seeker, colour alchemist, mermaid, artist, animal lover, and creator of bodacious bling – stand by… you’re in for a treat.

On beginnings + evolving

Janine grew up in Oudtshoorn and is of Greek heritage. She studied at Stellenbosch University, graduated cum laude and describes herself as a “blue-haired mermaid that is gem and animal obsessed.”

Although Janine was a successful jewellery designer before she earned the title of Mermaid-Gem-Hunter-Extraordinaire, her obsession with colourful gems is something that's grown over time. She’s always loved colour - the brightness, the bling - but it took almost two decades for her to forge her reputation as a specialist designer of colourful-gemstone jewellery.

It was a trip to India nine years ago that changed the trajectory of Janine’s jewellery business. Frustrated by the lack of choice from gemstone suppliers in South Africa, she jumped on an aeroplane to India. And so her passion for gem-seeking was born. 

She also attended the Bangkok Jewellery show, which not only blew her mind, but also gave her access to some of the world’s most rare and phenomenal gems. She’s passionate about her craft and loves that all gems are embedded with a unique story that’s unfolded over millennia.

In case you thought that Janine’s journey to what’s is now her iconic style, was straight and smooth, think again. It took years of trial and error to refine the colourful-gemstone clusters that are now a hallmark of her design aesthetic.

In her early days as a designer, she was primarily commissioned to create pieces according to her clients references. And while the pieces were always infused with Janine’s personal style, they weren’t 100% true to her personal design preference.  

Like all young designers, Janine couldn't turn work away when she was starting out - she needed to make a living. She made everything from baby-mobiles and standing figurines to nipple jewellery. She was once even commissioned to make an encrusted platinum fairy wand. And while those phases of her business- and style development were fun and challenging, she always intuitively knew that she was in the process of honing her own unique, design style. 

It’s taken her 25 years, a ton of metal, and a fair degree of incredulity to be in a position where she’s able to turn away work that’s not aligned with her design aesthetic. 

Nowadays, it is specifically her reputation, persona and design style that attract her customers. When clients come to Janine, they know what they're coming for: maximalism, colour, character, quality.

On Humanity + Jewellery | A soulful Connection

Humanity and jewellery have gone hand in hand since time began. Jewellery made from fish bones, shells, stone and animal bones has been discovered and dated back to prehistoric times. 

When I asked Janine to explain her understanding of humans and their relationship to jewellery, she answered that while jewellery can certainly be pure adornment, she feels that jewellery is best when it’s a soulful extension of the wearer. She explained it like this: 

“If you go and speak to a psychic, what do they ask I ask you to bring? Typically, they ask you to bring along a ring or watch that belonged to the person that you wish to learn about. That’s because we create action through our hands and our wrists. It stands to reason that the pieces of metal that we wear are imbued with the energy of our actions. 

Also, metal is created from the earth, from living matter. So are we. There’s memory there. And I believe that “memory” is like energetic DNA that is intertwined in our gemstones. I believe that the earth and gemstones resonate with us. That's one of the reasons why I love birthstones. For example, when people don't know where to start with the design process, I ask them what their birthstone is. This helps them know where they fit in and where their people fit in. For me, jewellery works best where there’s a connection to something greater than simple adornment.”

Janine is passionate about retaining memories and legacies via the pieces she makes. She reflects on inherited pieces of jewellery, and how they carry the rich history, experiences, joys, loves and teachings of generations that wore them previously. It’s certainly a beautiful sentiment to imagine that somehow, the energy that passed through the hearts and hands of our grandmothers and into their jewellery, still remains.

“My business is constantly changing, because we are all changing. But, I love that I can take my clients back to where they come from. I love that I can take the memories and the history and the ideas from other people, and create an heirloom. Not an heirloom in the monetary sense, but an heirloom that’s enriched with precious memories. Like a little time-capsule of love.”

On Culture + History | Memory Making with Metal

I asked Janine whether people from different cultures experience jewellery in different ways. She replied that while jewellery means different things to different people in different cultures, almost all jewellery grows from a need for memory-making and memory-keeping, as well as the desire to create and own something of great beauty. The intrinsic value of the materials, however, is almost secondary to the sentiment behind it. 

She explained how certain cultures reclaim things like tin bottle tops, crush them, and turn them to the beautiful pendants and earrings. Despite being of little monetary value, these pieces are passed down. She outlined the phenomenon of Indian silver, where they melt old coins, add it to bits of copper and zinc, and make jewellery from it. There's no real “value” in the metal, but even the poorest person - an untouchable who clean streets for a living - will be beautifully adorned with Indian silver jewellery. The substance or material is irrelevant – it’s about feeling beautiful, regardless of who you are, where you are, or what you're doing.

On Ethics and Aesthetics | Karmically Connected

Listen closely to the lyrics of Ms Dynamite’s song "It Takes More" and you’ll hear: How many Africans died for the baguettes in your Rolex? While words like these, and films like Blood Diamond, have shed a light on the ethics around gemstones and mining, we still have a lot to learn. I asked Janine about how she approaches the ethics of precious metal and gem mining.

Janine explained that where precious metals are concerned, most gold and around 98% of the silver in South Africa comes from reclaimed sources, not directly from the earth. She makes it her business to know where the metals she uses originate from, and only works with suppliers who have are committed to fair trade and ethical jewellery production.

When she purchases gemstones from Africa – Janine buys from female artisanal miners. She explained that these woman literally keep villages alive through artisanal mining practices. She laments that some of the big, well-known gemstone companies are complicit in the corruption, disruption, and destruction of some of the African countries where they source gemstones from. 

Nowadays, stones carry full provenance – or are at least supposed to. There's apparently a test that reveals whether the stone originated in Botswana, Zimbabwe or South African. And while this has been an important step to trace “blood diamonds”, it’s also led to the creation of synthetic diamonds. While lab-grown diamond may have reduced blood diamonds and other unethical mining practices, they’ve sadly also eliminated jobs that once sustained small-scale, ethical, artisanal minders. 

On Creativity and Strategy | Just do what you do

The synergy of creativity and business can be tricky. How does one create what you love, while creating things that others have a desire to purchase. I asked Janine how she approaches honouring her own creative preference, while keeping her business focus? 

Simply, she does what she love. And, she’s never had a formal business plan (other than to dominate the world and be famous and fabulous .) She’s learned through time and observation what’ll work and what won’t. 

Sitting listening to Janine talk, I can’t help but think that it’s also her strong sense of authenticity that attracts her “tribe.” Her authenticity allows other people to be authentic too, which is both delightful and refreshing. Her clients have discovered that her online persona is 100% aligned to her real-life personality. Furthermore, she’s learned that when she shares something personal, particularly on social media, it always lands on the ears of those who need to hear it.

On Anxiety and Creativity | A Therapeutic Friendship

Anxiety and depression seem to be markers of our era. Roughly 284 million people globally struggle with some kind of anxiety disorder and roughly 264 million people globally live with depression. 

Janine has been open about sharing her own struggles with anxiety and this has helped many people feel less alone and less stigmatised. The process of creating helps her greatly in this regard, although she’s had to specifically commit to being creative without having a strategy and end product in mind. In other words, to create for the sake of the process. 

One of the therapeutic creative outlets for Janine has been Studio Muse with Mirjam Macleod. Over several weeks, they explored The Seven Personalities of the Soul through creative expression, with the entire focus placed on process and what the creativity evokes, rather than how it measures up against an outcome.

“I come back and I feel energised. It really has taught me to just breathe. To be there and be present for two and a half hours. And I'm so much better for it. My anxiety levels drop. I can feel how it calms me down how it elevates my mood. My brain is also quieter.”

Janine’s other antidotes to anxiety are preparation, exercise, and two maxims passed on by her grandpa, Stratis, that she lives by. The first is: You cannot change the nature of the beast, it is what it is. The second is: I will not empty my head, to fill yours.

Like many accomplished women, Janine experiences imposter syndrome from time to time. She still gets nervous when she’s about to hand over a piece of jewellery to a client because she’s passionately invested and wants it to be perfect. She also shared that the minute she’s no longer nervous when handing over a piece of jewellery, she should change jobs. Imposter syndrome seems to be an unlikely tool that can help us stay humble and keep striving.

On Animals

The highlight of many people’s day is logging onto Instagram to catch up with Janine’s dogs and cats. The love for her animals brings smiles to so many and I asked her what role they play in her life. Her answer was: the main role! It’s one of the reasons she prefers having a home studio – so that her “therapy” animals are always close by. I can relate.

It makes such a big difference to have them around me. I could not be in a workspace without animals.

Forging Forward

I asked Janine where she sees the world of jewellery going and in what direction she’d like to take it.

Janine would love to educate people about gemstones - specifically coloured gemstones. She feels that many bling-seekers are fixated on diamonds, and because of that they’re missing out on a whole world of exciting options. Apparently, you can get much bigger and prettier gemstones, that cost less.

“Just open up your eyes and let me show you what there is!” 

She opens up a draw, hands me a stone, and says “Just hold this and look at it.” I’m told that the astounding beauty that lies in my hand is called a Kornerupine. A rare boro-silicate mineral that ranges in colour from colourless, white and grey, to green, blue, brown and black. The one I hold in my hand is a warm brown.

I’m told it’s one of the rarest minerals on Earth and that Janine managed to find just four pieces from Kenya that she’s had cut. She explains that most Kornerupine will have inclusions – little things that live inside the stone – which is a testament to their history. I tell her that they remind me of the concealed treasures that are hidden within amber. 

She passes a small box to me and inside lies a purple-Citrine ombre gem that I’m told is Ametrine. Janine explains that the stone consists of Citrine and Amethyst, which are both quartz. The amethyst part is formed by one kind of chemical, and the citrine part is formed by a different mineral that’s part of same family. When the stone crystallised, a bit of iron might have gone one way ,and a bit of, say, magnesium may have gone the other way, turning one section purple and the other yellow. The whole universe conspires for this to happen. It’s a miraculous act of alchemy – as miraculous as the moment when each and every life is created. 

On Mermaid Mentorship and Magic

I feel that Janine has a lot that she could teach other women and asked her if she could envisage playing a coaching or mentorship role to female entrepreneurs. Her reply was perhaps one we all need to hear:

“I'm not about giving you another rule – life has too many rules as it is. I'm here to teach you know how to listen to yourself, so that when opportunity presents, you can listen and respond in the way that’s true to yourself.” 

I’m in the process of bending her arm to create a course of some sort…watch this space.

My last question had to be: If you had all the time the world, an endless budget, and simply for the joy of it, what would you love to design?

Her reply was as magical as our interview. A mermaid tiara.

Image description: (Clockwise) 

Janine Binneman in her studio, Janine snuggling her beloved Poh, jewellery cases made 100% locally in SA from recycled PET bottles, Janine's jewellery pieces, Janine's pooches Lulu and Long Dog, Janine's iconic ombre gemstone rings