Denise Hendrie did not set out to become a jewelry designer; it was purely accidental. As a jewelry lover she always found it difficult to find accessories at the stores that suited her bold style. To her, everything looked ordinary. But then again, when you meet Hendrie you’ll realise that she is no ordinary girl. Hendrie’s frustration gave rise to the creativity she did not even know existed within her.“I did not learn it anywhere. I dabbled a lot, made mistakes and learnt from them. Hendrie worked at a bank for 16 years before she started making trinkets out of her Westmoorings apartment. And while the being a bank employee afforded her the lifestyle she now enjoys, she never entertained the thought of returning to a similar job, fearing it was too regimented.
She continues to be in awe of her own talent. “I’m surprised by what I’m doing. I can’t believe people actually buy my stuff. I can’t believe that I’m making money.” When she designs a piece of jewelry Hendrie always goes through the motion of wearing it just to ensure that her customers will be satisfied. “I try different styles and I might make something that I find fabulous but might be uncomfortable to wear. So, I will wear it just to make sure it’s comfortable.” Her collection of jewelry includes rings, bracelets, anklets, belts, friendship bands and earrings, all made from hemp. The self-described hippie, who says her jewelry mirrors her personality, Hendrie will be the first to admit that you can’t wear her jewelry to the office. Unless, of course, your “office” is some kind of creative space like an art gallery or an atelier.
“They are too outlandish,” she said, matter of factly. “The earrings that I make are conversation pieces. They are stand-out pieces. I’m not saying this just off the top of my head. I know this from the reaction I get when I wear my jewelry. “It’s very funny. People gawk. People come up to me and pretend to like it. The pieces always draw comments.”
Not all the comments are negative, however. There have also been times when people have walked up to Hendrie and bought the earrings right off her. She joked that while she welcomes the impromptu sales, parting with her jewelry does affect her look on the particular day. “With my earrings gone I move from fab to plain Jane. With the earrings that I make, you don’t even have to concentrate on an outfit. You can put on a plain whatever, throw on the earrings and people would be like, oh my God, look at that in that girl’s ear,” she said, with a roar of laughter. Whether she’s designing “fierce earrings” or “weird belts,” once Hendrie feels inspired she takes up a position on her living room floor, with all the tools that she needs to create scattered in front of her. “I am in my own little world when I’m sitting on that floor.” Her creative ritual gives her a degree of “unrestricted calm,” she said, and gives her a certain peace. Hendrie’s friends describe her as a life of the party but she can’t remember the last time she went to see a movie or listened to music and you’d hardly find her watching television. Outside of her work, Hendrie is a die-hard fan of the burgeoning world beat music scene locally, which she described as “Trinidad’s biggest secret ever.” She sees herself getting into another creative field sooner rather than later—crocheting. “I think I’m pretty good with my hands. The next thing I want to learn to do is crochet. I want to come out with some items to wear.”
