Have you observed how gorgeous Nigerian women are at various events? From birthdays to weddings…name it. There is an item that always adds colour to our dressing and brings out the glam in us and that of course is the neck piece and they come in beautiful colours and shapes however, it takes skills to put them together which is what my Leading Woman has been doing for several years after leaving her job in the formal sector to pursue her passion with full zeal. She has built an empire for herself in the business of bead making and has also received international certification. She is Abimbola Kunle-Osunkunle and she is the MD/CEO of Cornucopia.
Cornucopia is a jewellery company dedicated to providing finely handcrafted contemporary jewellery to women. Every piece of jewellery is created as a tribute to the woman; her strength, her beauty and her uniqueness. Hence the pieces are made from precious and semi precious stones, sterling silver and gold filled metals sourced from various parts of the world. In line with this, we say we “adorn the woman from within….”.
Abimbola has a B.Sc in Economics from the University of Ibadan. She worked in the banking sector for about six years before resigning to pursue her passion by starting a jewellery company. Her company Cornucopia, specialises in the design, manufacture and sales of finely handcrafted jewellery for all occasions. She has run this business for about seven years.
Abimbola Kunle-Osunkunle
Abimbola has a certificate in Entrepreneurial Management from the Enterprise Development Centre(EDC) of the Pan-Atlantic University. She is also an Accredited Jewellery Professional (AJP) certified by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and she is happily married to Kunle Osunkunle, a Pastor, and they are blessed with three children.
The company has grown from a business that started from the dining table of its owner about six years ago to a business that has a location on Isaac John Street, GRA Ikeja, a prime area of Lagos, with a view to opening more locations in the nearest future.
Abimbola had a fairly uneventful childhood, “I was the only girl amongst three boys. I loved and still love to read, and that made me very imaginative. I believe that was where my creativity sparked off.” She says.
Sharing about her vision with me, Abimbola informs me that “our mission is to be the go-to company for beautiful contemporary handmade jewellery in Nigeria. In line with this mission, we are constantly working on building our capacity, in order to meet the increasing demand for our pieces. We have a dedicated team of crafts women who are continually churning out our beautiful pieces.”
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“Also, because of our desire to add value to women, we deliberately employ young women who have a desire to further improve their lot and further their education. The skills they learn during their time with us become a useful source of income during their sojourn in higher education and in life. We desire to provide our esteemed customers with the highest quality of service; hence our sales consultants are made up of highly qualified, warm and enthusiastic staff that are committed to ensuring that our clients have a pleasantly unforgettable shopping experience.” She concludes.
On the themes of her jewellery, Abimbola has this to say “Our jewelleries are themed to reflect the different types of jewellery we have available for different occasions, while at the same time sending an inspiring message to the woman. The themes are as follows firstly, Floral Festival: this theme encourages the woman to embrace her feminity, and it’s made up of casual, everyday jewellery like earrings, chain-necklaces mixed with gemstones, bracelets with Swarovski crystals and more. Second is called Touch of Bohemia: this theme urges today’s woman to enjoy her uniqueness, sand under this, we have ethnic inspired necklaces with chunky chains and colourful jewelleries. The last is: Colours of Spring: it tells the woman “take on the world as your runway”, with our signature coral and pearl necklace sets for special occasions like weddings and so on. Abimbola reveals.
I asked when and why she started her company and she responds “I had decided early in my career that I wanted to work for myself because I wanted to own my time and make a living doing something I liked. I did some exploring and realised I was good with my hands, especially with jewellery designs. I decided to quit my banking job then and put all my energy into starting a jewellery business. This was early 2006.” She tells me.
It definitely has to be passion that drove Abimbola to move from banking to jewellery-making, you can bet she is fulfilled in what she is doing. Hear her response that tells it all “It’s very important to follow your passion, as this is what keeps you motivated and happy, this is what propels you to be innovative and helps you maintain excellence and you are happy to get up every Monday. When you are pursuing your passion, you see what others do not see, you see potential for your business and that’s actually very exciting as it propels you to do more and usually, there is a correlation between your efforts and your results.” She educates.
As an Accredited Jewelry Professional (AJP) certified by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), Abimbola says it all adds up. Again, she speaks “It’s key to keep learning and to be a professional in whatever field you find yourself. The AJP is a diploma by GIA that’s awarded after a course in gemstones identification and the essentials of jewellery selling. The GIA is a prestigious institute in the US dedicated to promoting education and research in the field of gems and jewellery. It’s important to keep abreast of happenings in the jewellery industry not just locally but globally, because competition is not limited to Nigeria.” Says Abimbola.
Truth be told, there are real beads and there are those that are not however, Abimbola helps clear the air on this “The truth is that we should never compromise on quality. The make-believe beads tend to fall apart after very little time and some of them are even sold expensive. At Cornucopia, our pieces are pieces you can confidently wear over and over again. We also offer after sales services on pieces purchased from us and we educate our customers on proper care of their jewellery so as to get the best out of them. Some of our clients have been using pieces gotten from us for over 5 years; in fact, some find themselves wearing it day in day out for weeks. This is a testament to the care that goes into creating pieces that are durable and timeless in style.” She educates.
Abimbola has been able to sustain her business through willing to go the extra mile for her customers by listening to them, understanding their needs and their evolving style however, for women working in fields they are not passionate about, Abimbola has this advice for you “I was very fortunate to start my business before the ‘golden handcuffs ‘ of corporate employment got too tight. And I also had from the very beginning a very supportive husband. So I would advise that women identify what they are passionate about. If possible, start early, and if not, don’t be discouraged, just keep your eyes on the goal of starting your own business, if that is what you desire. I had to deal with a major salary slash, and so had to forgo some wants at the beginning, but as the business has grown, I have seen the dividends of my efforts over the past few years and I have no regrets at all.” She testifies.
Abimbola ends the conversation saying “as an entrepreneur, continuous learning is very key to remaining relevant. Focus is also very important so we are not swayed by the daily distractions that come our way.”
Kemi Ajumobi
