By ‘Odidi Matai-Sigudla
Meryl Queisser, the owner of Meryl’s Jewelry Fayre, found peace and comfort in jewelry making while going through a rough patch in her life. She came to consider the idea when attending a country farmers market in Cape Town accompanied by her husband, Carl-Heinz Queisser, when a lady of one of the jewelry stores at the event suggested she start making jewellery.
“Why would she tell me [I] should design and make jewelry? It wasn’t something I would have ever thought of doing,” said Queisser.
The following morning while having coffee with her husband, they noticed a crafts shop across the coffee shop that they never saw had been there before, she added. “Now, what are the odds of that?” Queisser says, still in disbelief.
Even though she had no previous formal lessons or training, she had decided to buy the needed material and try it anyway, hoping it would help her feel better. “I believe it was God’s work because I sat down and made a pair of earrings. At the end of that week, somebody came and approached me and said she’d like to see them (the earrings), and she bought them. And that was the start of me making jewellery,” said Queisser.
Previously, she named her business Que Jewels SA, incorporating the shorter version of her surname, Queisser. But she later changed it to Meryl’s Jewelry Fayre. She kept it that way because of the positive reactions she received from clients.
With God being her inspiration, her unique pieces, from handpicked gemstones, freshwater pearls, crystals, and silver imported from Singapore and China, are designed to bring praise and glory to the One who gifted her with this talent. By planting that seed within her ten years ago, her faith in God got her through the dark patch she was going through and gave her a creative way out that helped her emotionally and spiritually.
She now enjoys spending time with her family, participating in community markets, and getting involved with the church. She still spends most of her time making jewelry.
She adds that she is happy when people buy her jewelry because she believes every piece she makes is made for someone specific, and it doesn’t worry her if her jewelry doesn’t get sold quickly.
“Sometimes there’s jewelry that sits there for a very long time. But I know the right person will come, that that piece will speak to them. And it will inspire them, encourage them, and know that piece was made with love for them,” Queisser said.
