About Me

About Amanda:

• I am 20-years-old, living with my mom in the country, studying to be an EMT, and a budding jewelry designer.

How the name came to be:

• Ahava is the hebrew translation of my name, Amanda, and translates to mean love. The name of my shop has a bit of word play as the word, Charms, could be a noun or a verb. It could also translate to love charms, love is charming, Amanda charms, etc. I love things like that.

When did you start Ahava Charms? 

• I have been working on this jewelry since June, 2010

Is this your only job? 

• Yes. Living in the country with no transportation can be a challenge. I started to think about what I could do for income without having to leave my home. This is actually what got me going with my jewelry. I found out how to make paper bead jewelry from a non-profit group in Uganda who had a tutorial online. The non-profit is a group of women who make paper jewelry as a way to support their families and get themselves out of poverty. If it worked for them, I figured, it might just work for me. 

When did you realize you had this talent? 

• I've always loved making jewelry but figured that I could never really make a living off of friendship bracelets. My mom is a sculptor/artist and when I told her about the paper beads in Uganda, she immediately thought it was brilliant and that I should try to do the same as those women. I worked on a couple batches and decided that, although time consuming, it was worth it. I started realizing all the possible styles of jewelry I could incorporated these into. 

Where do you find your inspiration? 

• I get my inspiration by glancing through photos on various websites including Tumblr, Pinterest, and Google Images, as well as looking through stores when I get out to run errands. I take different designs that I see, visualize how they would look with my paper beads, and change the designs to make them my own, one-of-a-kind pieces. 

What are your other hobbies? 

• Other hobbies of mine are hiking/fitness, cooking, DIY projects, surfing the internet/social media sites, marathon Netflix watching while I work, and studying to become an Emergency Medical Technician. 

What are your words to live by or favorite quote? 

• My favorite quote is "Not all those who wander are lost" by J.R.R. Tolkien. I've had so many people doubt me and my dreams because I may not do things by the norm or how I should be expected to do things. This quote is what I live by. I believe that since it's my life, I'm going to explore, take the path less traveled, and I'll wind up wherever that path takes me. 

Where is the farthest you have traveled? 

• The farthest I have traveled has been Colombia, South America. My Aunt works for UNICEF and, in 2007, she was living in Bogota, Colombia. She invited me to stay there with her and my Uncle for 3 weeks. It was some of the best times I've had.