Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post; I am not affiliated with Unik Dazzels in any way. I purchased these items myself and my opinions and review are my own.
Unik Dazzels was imagined because we are strong advocates that the right accessories are an active propellant in a life of happiness. Each of our pieces of jewelry is carefully designed to make you look unique. Our products are refined and specially made exclusively for you. We believe jewelry has the power to complete and transform your look in a way that compliments your personality. Personal style is the ultimate form of self-expression, as a result of that, all our jewelry is crafted with care and love to illuminate your style and make you Stand Out and Be Different, because…you were born to Dazzel!
Unikdazzels.com
Locally, black, and women owned – What more could you want?
This month’s featured small business is Unik Dazzels (You can check out previously featured small businesses here). Unik Dazzels is an Ohio based jewelry brand, started during COVID, that has grown into an empowering and beautiful community.
As soon as I learned about Unik Dazzels, I knew that I wanted to support the business, and the individuals behind the community. Through Unik Dazzels, I find more than timeless, beautiful pieces of jewelry; I also find friendship, community, and representation.
- Friendship – I know one of the owners of the brand, and one characteristic about me, if you didn’t already know, is that I am authentically passionate in my willingness and efforts to hype up those around me. We do not have to know each other well, but if I see you doing something positive and awesome, I am there for you.
- Community – being a woman owned business makes it that much sweeter. Unik Dazzels has options for any gender with their jewelry, but as a woman myself, I maintain an unwavering solidarity with fellow women. My feminism runs deep.
- Representation – My purchase, as you can see, were the stunning outline of Africa earrings. I picked these for a few reasons. First, it fits my style really well. I tend to gravitate towards handmade and/or unique pieces that, most importantly, have a story behind them. Secondly, a lot of the clients that I work with are from various countries in Africa, and I am proud to show love for a continent, and the people, that I encounter in many ways.
Making the purchase was not easy for me. From the perspective of logistics, it was very easy, the website is very user friendly, they have great customer service, and your purchase arrives quickly and elegantly packaged, as you can see in the picture above. What was difficult for me was putting all that I have heard and learned about being an ally and avoiding cultural appropriation, into real life action.
There are a lot of elements of cultural appreciation vs cultural appropriation that may seem like common sense, but over the past year I have, thankfully, been bombarded with countless commentaries from BIPOC creators on social media; information that I have spent a lot of time reflecting on and processing.
But, although I immediately loved the outline of Africa earrings, I was immediately self-conscious about whether it was appropriate for me to purchase them, or for me to even buy something from the business. Many of the items are representative of black, Ghanaian culture, and I wanted to make sure that I was supporting the business in the right away.
So, I asked the owner.
It was uncomfortable for me, because I was worried about “what if I missed the mark, and I sound like an idiot for asking, am I making this a bigger issue than it needs to be?” Or, “what if she says I can’t buy anything?” I would, of course, respect that, but it would have been a humbling moment to work through.
I am exposing myself with my whole thought process, but authenticity is important to me, and I also want to show that if we want to be an ally for someone, it might mean that we need to swallow our pride and risk sounding silly, which really is a small thing to ask.
The good news is that my question was not weird at all. The owner thanked me for asking and then discussed the products with me, letting me know that there was one item that I should probably avoid, and another item that I could buy, but that I should take the time to educate myself on it’s history first.
The end result was simple. It affirmed for me that my gut instincts about what is and is not appropriate are on the right track (although I will still ask for clarification if it isn’t obvious to me) and I was absolutely approved to purchase my amazing earrings!
Be Sure to Support Unik Dazzels!
Buy something for yourself or find a one of a kind gift for a friend. As always, hyping up and supporting a small business does not require a financial commitment, head over to their Instagram to share some love and support and be sure to share their website with your friends and family!
Do you know, or do you own, a small business that I should check out? Let me know in the comments or e-mail me the details.
I really like the thought behind your purchase. I write a lot about cultural appropriation too and the damage it can do, especially if it’s a culturally significant/sacred item/copy, etc. It’s a great conversation to have within ourselves if we’re perpetuating harm or genuinely supporting something. Thanks for sharing this business, I will check it out!