Starting out as an Artisan Jeweler and Designer specializing in loomed cuff bracelets, Danielle Nicole Enright moved on to lead her own female empowerment brand, ABRAU, adding curated fine jewelry pieces and expanding to worldwide and celebrity clientele. ABRAU is proud to be considered a “Pay it Forward Company”, donating a portion of her proceeds to numerous local and National non-profits.
Since 2011, ABRAU has been included in gift bags for the Academy awards and has been worn on celebrities and on the silver screen. She has been featured on national podcasts and local publications and television segments, such as WCAX’s Made in Vermont. You can see Danielle’s handmade jewelry pieces worn on TV shows like, The Vampire Diaries, The Voice, The Young and the Restless, and most recently, her pyrite necklace was chosen as a season staple on Law & Order Organized Crime. Her curated jewelry has also been spotted in magazines like Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire and Condé Nast Traveller.
In 2021, ABRAU was awarded “Most Impactful Business Award” by DotCom Magazine for the mentoring that she does on the side. She has already been nominated to win the same award in 2022, for her continuing efforts. Danielle is proud to have amassed a large following of ladies on Instagram who have called her “inspirational” and an “icon” and who have been inspired by her ability to stay humble and personable, sharing her own struggles as an entrepreneur.
FWM: Tell us about your female empowerment brand, ABRAU.
ABRAU was a serendipitous journey from day one. I started making jewelry in 2010 after I lost my legal career. I enrolled into an art therapy class as a way to cope with this huge loss in my life and immediately noticed that when I was journaling or painting, all of my anxiety, worries and stress melted away. I felt calm, serene and present in the moment. During that same time, someone had given me a worry stone that had the word “Acceptance” printed on it. When I would rub this stone, I felt calmer. It was a physical tool that I could use to battle my anxiety and uncertain future and it truly helped me. When I lost the stone, I decided to tattoo the word “Acceptance” (in Sanskrit) on my wrist. As much as I loved my new tattoo, I also wanted to be able to cover it up at times. I was drawn to the boho-style wrap bracelets that were on the market, but they were out of my price range, so I decided to make one for myself. Let’s just say, it was” love at first gemstone”. I fell in love with everything about looming and I felt empowered after finishing a bracelet. After I honed my looming skills, I listed a bracelet that I made on Ebay and it sold within a couple of hours. That first sale was such a pivotal moment in my life; I knew right then and there that not only did I have “something”, but that I could never go back to the way my life was before making jewelry. I needed this feeling in my life, every day.
The name ABRAU (pronounced uh-bray-you) is a name that my oldest son called me from the moment he could say mom. I asked him why he called me that and he said, “I don’t know, it just popped in my head.” When I looked it up on the Internet, I saw that Lake Abrau was located in Europe where my ancestors are from. When I was looking for a name for my jewelry, a friend of mine suggested that I come up with a name starting with an “A” so my business would pop up first in directories. ABRAU was the first word that came to mind.
My jewelry straddles the line between modern minimalism and earthy elegance, but what really sets my brand apart is the symbolism that I attach to each piece, either with literal symbols, words, shapes or with semi-precious healing gemstones. I encourage my customers to use my jewelry in the same way as I used my worry stone. When they buy, for example, my feather bracelet, they can look down at their wrist, feel the feather and remember the symbolism or mantra that I’ve attached to it: “your problems are as light as a feather,” “live lightly,” “let go.”
FWM: ABRAU jewelry will be in the luxury celebrity gift lounge honoring the 2022 Grammy Nominees and Presenters. What will the celebrities receive this night? What excites you the most?
I was invited to display a mini-collection of my handmade jewelry at the gift lounge honoring the 2022 Grammy Nominees and Presenters. ABRAU will also be included in all of the celebrity and press swag bags. My display includes many new designs like genuine black diamond wrap bracelets, druzy gemstone necklaces and geometric earrings. The celebrities will be able to try on these pieces which is the most exciting idea for me. The celebrities and press will be going home with my “Through” necklace. This is a new style that is minimalist but full of meaning. It features a hand-forged circle with the chain going through the middle of it. It symbolizes the necessity of moving through difficulties versus trying to take short cuts, “the only way out is through.”
There has been chatter that due to the rise of Omicron in LA, this event could possibly be canceled, which would be hugely disappointing for me because I have worked so hard on my collection and this opportunity. However, I was reassured that if this does happen, my invitation will stand for the Oscars and/or similar celebrity award ceremonies when the pandemic subsides.
FWM: ABRAU has been a celebrity favorite. Who has worn your jewelry?
Candice King f/k/a Candice Accola from The Vampire Diaries wore my gold-filled, ruby drop medallion necklace; Allison Siko of Law & Order SVU and Law & Order Organized Crime hand-picked my gold-filled pyrite bezeled gemstone necklace; Cait Fairbanks from The Young & the Restless wore my Sterling Silver “Tessa” Spike Earrings. I recently sent my fine silver, hand-woven “Live Lightly” feather bracelet to Jennifer Garner; My boho-style beaded shoulder grazing earrings were sent to Kelly Clarkson and my favorite piece—the pyrite moon lariat necklace—was sent to one of my favorite actresses, Drew Barrymore.
There are also several beautiful models and Instagram influencers, like Destiny Hunter (_daughternature), Emilia Muniute (@emiliamuniute) and Dorien Buret de Longagne (@dorathebelgianexplorer) who have represented my brand since the beginning. They are all rising stars.
FWM: Your jewelry has been a global phenomenon. How is it making a difference in people’s lives?
I recently received a message from an Instagram influencer in New Zealand who said, “New Zealand loves you!” Other girls on Instagram will say things like, “Wow, you responded? I love you!” I feel a sense of pride but also bewilderment because I never set out to create a global brand. I set out to make a living doing something that I love because I lost everything. I set out to pay it forward to people who helped me when I was struggling. I set out to share with others how I overcame obstacles. I will always continue to Pay it Forward because I’ve seen what that one act of kindness from a stranger did for me and the ripple effect that it has had. Of course, it’s nice to be recognized and make a living doing something that I love, but ultimately I will always be a “Pay it Forward” company and a “People over Profits” company. What makes me the happiest is when someone says, “you’ve inspired me to create my own business” or “because of you, I hung on, you gave me hope.” Those are the words that I live for. I’m being the person that I never had growing up for other young girls and women. I take the time to truly connect on a very deep level with people and I share my anecdotal stories with them. I make sure to reach out to people who I feel could use a friend and I remind them that there are good people in the world and if I can do it from where I started, they can too.
FWM: Share the top-sellers.
My feather bracelet has been a best seller since 2011. Also, my handmade hoop earrings, infinity necklaces, turquoise gemstone bar earrings and my wrap bracelets with gemstones sell out very quickly. I will often only release a limited amount of my handmade jewelry because I want my customers to feel as though they are wearing something as unique as they are.
FWM: What is the philosophy behind ABRAU?
ABRAU is an inclusive brand that encourages women to empower other women. In my early life, I faced many hardships that I attribute to being a female in an era where coping skills weren’t taught and where my appearance and/or relationship status seemed to be valued over my intelligence. Since becoming an entrepreneur, I continue to face obstacles that I believe only other women can relate to, concerning gender bias.
My mission is threefold:
- To inspire women to use their own struggles to create something that no one can take away from them, something apart from a relationship, like a craft or a business;
- To create an inclusive brand where everyone feels welcome to shop (accessible pricing), to learn (mentoring) and to connect (sharing my own story with others);
- To use my platform to spread kindness and to help others (donating to charities and non-profits).
FWM: Giving back means a lot to you. What charities do you support?
I’m so proud to be considered a Pay-it-Forward company. I started giving back really early on in my career as a way to pay it forward to someone who helped me. Through the years, I have either donated jewelry for silent auctions or have given a portion of my proceeds to charities and non-profits like Making Strides Against Breast Cancer; Hunger Free Vermont; American Foundation for Suicide Prevention; Josh Pallota Fund; Make-A-Wish Foundation; North Country Animal League, Black Lives Matter and most recently The Jennifer Riordan Foundation. Since the pandemic, I’ve also been giving to individuals through GoFundMe.
FWM: ABRAU was awarded “Most Impactful Business Award” by DotCom Magazine for the mentoring side. Tell us more.
There were two women who made a huge difference in my life. In 2008, when I lost my legal career, not only did I enter art therapy, I also started volunteer work with a local nun, Sr. Patricia McKittrick (“Sr. Pat”). It was an unlikely duo, as I was not religious at the time and hadn’t gone to church since I was younger. We’d stop at Starbucks to pick up baked goods that were going to be thrown out. We’d then drive around Burlington, VT and pass out platters of food to the homeless. Sr. Pat stopped and had conversations with each of them. What I learned by listening to their conversations was that everyone had a story, a life before becoming homeless. Many of these homeless people were veterans or had a disability or history of abuse. After that time with Sr. Pat, not only did I start counting my own blessings, but I started thinking about what I could do for others to help them.
The other woman was a complete stranger to me. I was at a store with my oldest son who was approximately 7-years-old at the time. I was a single mom trying to buy groceries and my card declined. I was so embarrassed and was about to run out of the store. This woman swooped in and whispered to me, “I’m going to buy your groceries, but please pay it forward.” Since I’ve never been able to locate her, she has no idea what that single act of kindness did for me to change my life. She gave me hope and reminded me that there were good people in the world who cared. Sometimes people just need one person to believe in them or one person to look up to. Sometimes all it takes is one person to make a huge impact in another’s life.
FWM: What can we expect for Valentine’s Day?
I just received word that another handmade necklace was chosen to be worn on a popular TV show. I can’t release the name of the show or actress just yet, but I’m hoping that I will be able to before Valentine’s Day. I also plan on creating more love-inspired pieces because I believe love and kindness is the answer to many of the world’s issues. I’ve also been asked to design a piece for The Jennifer Riordan Foundation and I’m thrilled to collaborate with this non-profit, as Jennifer’s philosophy of kindness and paying it forward aligns with ABRAU’s core mission.
FWM: Please share your social media.
I enjoy making videos / reels and I have several social media promos that I’ve made and posted on Instagram (@abraujewelry). Here are two videos that I’m most proud of:
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CBNsTKFgws4/
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CXjSQFzpZwi/
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