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Handmade 22ct Gold Vine Bangle with 7 different coloured Sapphires (Above), designed by Olivia Antoinette Duke.

Hello! Weekends, I love them, often the best time for businesses to make money, high sales days. When I traded at a particular market in East London, it was difficult, I started off well in 2007, then the recession hit, at the end of last year and this year, and everything changed. My sales really declined and I felt that I was losing my edge. I stopped trading, as I was strapped for cash, and struggling to earn a decent living from what I loved, so I embarked on a long and hard mission to find a brand new job to support my dream. I landed a good job, the only thing is, am shattered when I get home, a bad excuse, but sometimes it feels as if I am moving further away from my dream, instead of closer.


However, I am feeling inspired to design and make something colourful and lovely, so I am going to keep you updated each day on my progress. After I finish writing this blog, I will start to design and invent my piece. I usually make my dress pieces, using fabrics I think match well together, and do not usually draw it, although I do have drawings of other designs. See what funky thing/things I shall come up with!!!!!!!

I shall also be working in pushing my luxury jewellery range!

The new 'it' word

(Above: Handmade Sterling Silver Daisy brooch with Yellow Topaz gemstone, designed by Olivia Antoinette Duke)

I have to admit, I am an addict to glossy magazines and ofcourse one of my dreams is for my work to appear on the front page on a regular basis! Ok ok, I am working on it! I will save that rant for another blog!

What I have noticed, is the new buzz phrase 'Recessionista', all encompassing, one word - people like myself, who are caught out in this recession but are still fabulous, fashionable with affordable clothing...its quite hard from the designers' perspective, boutiques that housed our creations, once fabulous, are now in disrepute. Businesses on hold due to not enough buying power. So having created a luxury range, I am faced with the severity of the recession and the millions of people it has affected, and left with the challenging task of finding the right distributor and customers for my collection.

So with my recessionista hat on, I look forward to continuing to promote work and increase my customer base!!!!!!!!!! Wish me luck and a HUGE change in our economy!

Do you want to wear me? ;)

Hello and welcome to my new design blog! I am a London based designer, who loves designing more than anything!! I am self-taught in all aspects of design, and originally began with making beaded jewellery using beads of different shapes and sizes:



I then progressed to working on my line of clothing...I started with some interesting shapes...



...and went on to design and make some really fun pieces that were sexy and exciting...



...and now I am back with another idea: a new line of exquisite fine, handmade jewellery made of Sterling Silver, 22ct Gold, and gemstones all designed by myself: Olivia Antoinette Duke!



Do you want to wear me? ;))