Lockdown jewellery hobby blossoms into business for Mansfield woman

Mae Hunter, of Mill Court, usually works as a recruitment consultant but when the pandemic hit she was furloughed.

To end lockdown boredom the 26-year-old decided to give jewellery making a go after seeing it being done on social media platform Tik-Tok.

She started using resin and sterling silver, pigments and glitter to make a variety of quirky items. Initially she started out making coasters and haircombs before moving on to develop her own range of earrings, necklaces, brooches and other items.

Her handmade jewellery business developed around July/August last year, and she decided to call it “Hand Mae-D By Mae.”Mae said: “It just snowballed. I really got into it. I would show people online what I’d made, and before I knew it people were asking me, can you make me this or that, it just went mad, especially around Christmas.

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“I’d started out just making things for myself. I was using the resin making things with pressed flowers, quirky shapes and all sorts of things. I have always loved jewellery and costume jewellery. I started making things like necklaces, and hair clips, but the earrings seemed the most popular,” said the former pupil at All Saints in Mansfield.

“At first it all went drastically wrong with the resin, if you don’t get the amounts right it doesn’t set!

"But practice makes perfect, I got better at it and overtime. I also make bespoke items, I have done a few earrings with people’s pets, such as sausage dogs, cats and poodles.

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Mae has already made almost a a thousand items.

She added “It’s definitely a business I can see developing, I think after lockdown I will do it alongside my main job and build it up. Ultimately, I’d love to be able to have my own shop, or sell my items in high street fashion stores.”

She has also made cancer ribbons, key rings and earrings that can be any colour to denote particular charity themes. During Breast Cancer Awareness Week she made pink jewellery. Ten percent of all she sold was donated to the charity, a total of £50.

Mae’s business can be found on Instagram and Facebook @handmaed.bymae - Her website launched this year too at www.handmaedbymae.co.uk

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