When the doors of Limbo Jewelry opened at 6 p.m. for Danneel Ackles’ Link Collection Launch Party, attendees who were lined up immediately made their way to the display of her collection. The lustrous jewelry caught everyone’s attention, and we were all excited to see it in person. Staff were available to answer questions and assist with letting anyone try any of the pieces on- which, of course, we all did.
With both food and drinks provided, it was a true party atmosphere. Limbo Jewelry’s owner and designer Edson Enriquez, jewelry crafters, and Danneel wandered about the room mingling to discuss everything from their summer fun thus far to the making of her unique collection.
We were able to speak with Danneel about the jewelry line and she immediately showed us the various pieces she was modeling. She was proud of the end result and the way many of the pieces are convertible. Husband Jensen Ackles attended the party in support of Danneel and even wore a couple pieces (the Dual Ring and Unite Choker Necklace in silver), demonstrating the versatility of her line.
Already a fan and customer of Limbo Jewelry, Danneel was asked if she would be interested in collaborating with Limbo to create her own line. Knowing that the company employed an all female jewelry crafting team, with every piece handmade in Austin, she jumped at the opportunity to work with them.
“I want it to be like Gucci for the masses,” said Danneel, “I want to make things that last.” She enjoyed the process of creating her line, start to finish, and even hinted at future projects. Danneel also spoke to the lack of quality in many of today’s products, and her desire to create high quality pieces at more affordable prices. She recalled living on a ‘waitress budget’ and worrying about making ends meet while still wanting to buy good pieces that can be passed down to her children one day. Limbo works with sterling silver, gold, and platinum. Nothing is plated, meaning everything is made to last and they even provide a one year warranty if any of their pieces break.
We sat down with designer Edson to discuss the creation of Danneel’s Link Collection. They began with a few creative meetings where he requested Danneel bring her own jewelry or photos of art and architecture she loved to provide a starting point for the design. “She wanted simple stuff, things you can layer or wear multiple ways, and I thought ‘oh that’s cool, we’ve never done that before.’”, he says.
Edson took home the ideas Danneel gave him and began brainstorming. At their following meeting, she brought an additional necklace she loved that perfectly represented his direction for the line. Upon seeing it he was happy they were so clearly in tune. From there prototypes were created and fine tuned leading to these incredible final products.
“We are super different and from different backgrounds in a lot of ways, but we’re also exactly the same; we’re both human and there’s no difference,” said Edson. The message of the Link Collection is rooted in unity and how everyone is connected and linked together. In a lot of jewelry the structure of the piece isn’t the main focal point, but Link aimed to showcase it as not only a strength but the leading design.
The Dual Shift Earring is one of Edson’s favorite pieces from the collection. The inspiration for it struck him on a flight. He started sketching the idea and realized the shape could be used in different ways, which incorporated Danneel’s initial desire to create adaptable items giving wearers various options. “Within 24 hours I’d designed 30 or 40 concepts and we narrowed it down to the 19 we ended up having for the collection.”
Once Edson and Danneel selected the final designs, the all-female team of jewelry crafters took over. We were able to meet with four of the six crafters- Brittany Bernstrom, Chelsea Rodriguez, Hamaila Qureshi, and Hannah Parks (team members Amie Goetz and Jennifer le Dissez were not present)- to discuss their experiences working both at Limbo and with Danneel. “The best part of working at Limbo is the studio where we make everything here in Austin is just six women. It’s all of us together all the time, collaborating together, and it’s a really good environment,” said Hamaila.
During the first creative meeting, Danneel came to visit the workshop to meet everyone involved and see the full jewelry-making process. “She was super down to Earth and welcoming,” said Brittany. “She was excited to see everything we were doing and our whole process.” Chelsea added, “She wanted it to be super accessible jewelry and something most people could afford.”
Their favorites from the Link Collection were the Unite Choker Necklace, the Mesh Ring, Mesh Hoops, and the various convertible earrings. They liked that so many of the products were multi-functional and unique, allowing the wearer to have multiple looks from a single piece. Brittany elaborated, “We questioned the chain design at first [of the choker], but then once you see it on, you’re like ‘oh that’s fantastic!’”
Both Edson and the jewelry crafters were also delighted with Danneel’s plan to donate 20% of the gross sales to Creative Action, an Austin based non-profit group that helps young people “develop skills for long-term academic, personal, and career success through high-quality, socially and culturally-relevant arts education programs led by professional Teaching Artists.” They have helped over 20,000 youth in the Austin area with the aim to promote the arts. It’s a cause close to the hearts of those working at Limbo who all share a love of the creative arts and the need to continue growing that community.
Conversation flowed throughout the evening as people meandered about the store, appreciating the gorgeous jewelry and additional artwork and novelty items. The Launch Party was a definite success and the Link Collection is a beautiful line with an inspiring message of unity and togetherness.
