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 Jewelry has been included in gift bags for the Academy awards and has been worn on celebrities and on the silver screen. However, Danielle states that she feels most blessed to have acquired customers all over the world, many of whom have sent her emails or letters telling her that her jewelry has made a difference in their lives, “I love making people smile and to think that what I do has contributed to someone’s happiness is an absolute blessing!” Danielle also enjoys giving back. She donates a portion of her proceeds to many Vermont and national charities, including Women Helping Battered Women, Hunger-Free Vermont, American Cancer Foundation, and Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Danielle is a mom of three children and lives in Vermont with her husband who is in the United States Air Force. All of her pieces are shipped out from her workshop in the Green Mountains and to this day, she handles every order herself. She states, “I want to make sure that every single order that ships out has been packaged by me personally. I enjoy being hands-on, I enjoy designing, I enjoy connecting with my customers and I love writing personalized notes to them. I bless each order that goes out and I hope my customers can feel that positive energy.”
When did you find your passion for jewelry design?
My passion for jewelry design began when I lost my career in the legal field in 2008. I was working as a Paralegal for the United States Attorney’s Office and was well on my way to establishing a solid, lifelong career in the legal field when I had a traumatic experience and lost my job. I entered into therapy in order to cope with this huge loss and that’s where I discovered “art therapy.” I initially started painting as a way to cope and then I stumbled upon a Youtube tutorial for jewelry-making and the rest is history. I fell in love, instantly. The challenge of creating something whole out of pieces was almost metaphorical to my own life at the time. Learning to perfect and master a new skill also kept my anxiety at bay. As a child, I was musically and artistically inclined and I grew up in a very artistic family. By making jewelry, it was almost as if I was rediscovering parts of myself that I had forgotten about.
Tell us about your female empowerment brand, ABRAU.
ABRAU is a brand that was initialized during my own loss but it’s also a brand that has been built up over time to not only prove my own resilience but to give back to others. It’s a brand that is inclusive and reflects empowerment, resilience, hope and strength. I am so proud to be considered a “Pay it Forward Company”, giving back to others financially through donations to nonprofits and also through my own mentoring. ABRAU is a reflection of how we as women in particular can overcome and succeed despite every obstacle in our way.
In 2021, ABRAU was awarded “Most Impactful Business Award” by DotCom Magazine for the mentoring that she does on the side. Danielle has amassed a large following of ladies on Instagram and she has been called “inspirational” and an “icon” by thousands of young women who are inspired by her ability to stay humble and personable, sharing her own struggles as an entrepreneur. Danielle feels most blessed for the female connections that she has made and her ability to inspire other females to start their own businesses. Danielle states, “to think that I’ve inspired another female to start their own jewelry line or business is the biggest blessing and reward of my career!”
Your jewelry is a favorite among celebrity clientele. Tell us more.
I love to create curated fine jewelry pieces for celebrities! I love the challenge of creating a piece of jewelry from someone else’s vision. Some of the pieces I’m most proud of were created for specific characters on television and it’s always so rewarding to see models and celebrities enjoying and wearing my work. There are many celebrities that I work with who want to remain anonymous and I absolutely respect and honor their wishes. I also love my celebrity clients who want to shout ABRAU from the rooftops! I treat every client as if they are celebrities, whether they’re buying a $20 piece of jewelry or a curated piece of jewelry dripping in diamonds. I want every woman to feel as if they can shop in my store because we all deserve beautiful jewelry.
ABRAU has been included in gift bags for the Academy Awards. Tell us about your experience. How much fun were the events?
To date, ABRAU has been included in several award show events, such as the Golden
Globes, the Oscars and the Grammy’s. Unfortunately, Covid-19 interfered with my attending these events in-person this year, but it’s always such an honor to have ABRAU included in the swag bags. Celebrities and media who have received my jewelry have always been so gracious and appreciative of my contributions so I will absolutely continue to participate in these fabulous events because they’re so much fun.
Can you share your favorite pieces?
My favorite pieces of jewelry will always be my most sentimental. Just as a painter paints or a writer writes, I am an emotional person who creates jewelry pieces based on my own experiences. Unless curated by a client, most of my pieces have deep spiritual or emotional meaning to me and they are created to guide myself or my wearer through trying times. For instance, the piece that was created for the Grammys this year called, “Through” is a circle with a chain going through the center of it. It’s minimalistic but full of meaning. I was going through a tough time in my life and I came to the realization that avoiding my emotions wasn’t helping. The only way out was through. My jewelry is truly meant to help my wearer get through similar situations because there is no one on earth who is immune to hardships. It is how we get through said hardships that sets us apart.
As we move into the Fall, what can we find?
I’ve been sharing more of my personal life on Instagram and I think that has allowed women to see that we all have the same challenges. People should expect more transparency, as I am currently working on my memoir. I plan on creating a new fall line of jewelry that is reflective of newer and bolder designs as well as retiring older styles and streamlining my website. My ultimate goal is to create a nonprofit that will continue to help catapult women in the same way that ABRAU has. My nonprofit will teach early coping skills, such as jewelry-making, to adolescents. We will also continue to mentor young women to develop their skill sets to create and run their own businesses.
Do you plan for any expansion in 2023?
I absolutely plan to participate in all of the upcoming celebrity events such as the 2023 awards shows. I’m also so excited to be submitting my jewelry for consideration for use on new television shows and movies that will be premiering in 2023.
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