About Yakubu

Some of my earliest memories are of helping my mother go through her wardrobe and choose what to wear to Sunday church service. As the pastor´s wife, she was known as the “first lady” and sat in one of the first 3 rows of the church. It was a position of prominence and responsibility. She would be an example for other women and girls. I would help select my mother’s attire and adorn her for her role in the local society.  After her first incidence of cancer, my parents begin to pass down those pieces that had accented their personas for so long. I got my father’s ring that everyone in the church recognized every time he turned the leafy pages of his book of scriptures. Those rhinestone earrings were passed down from my mother to my sister who wore them on special occasions. My latest line of accessories was designed to create heirlooms, pieces that can become treasured as a part of family history.

In university, I studied Swahili language and adopted the nickname Yakubu, a Swahili word meaning 'drawn out of the water'.

Yakubu as a design label was founded in 2012.

I caught the travel bug early, and have been to dozens of countries uncovering original and inspired pieces that walk the line between art and jewelry.  I’ve cultivated relationships with family-owned businesses in places like Surabaya and Bali, Indonesia, from whom I source local artisans' original creations, and who bring my own designs to life.

This keeps the Yakubu customer base small, the Yakubu line exclusive.

Yakubu is about nurturing that primal and primordial connection to our Mother, the Earth. Her energies radiate within these stones and synergize with the essence of life that is inside You. It is up to you to nurture this connection.

Raise your vibration...Wear your essence."

YAKUBU