“I’m an artist but also a craftsperson, and there’s so much craft here, it’s like heaven! Every time I go to the markets, I get inspired to push the boundaries of what we know and see, based on everything that is already there.” Jewellery artist Kiala Kanzi is speaking to us from Accra, where she’s preparing to launch her latest project, GEMZ. Stemming from the hair jewellery she was creating for herself, these new offerings are designed to last and become future heirlooms. “It’s a merging of my identity with my craft,” she continues. “It came from my own necessity, but there was a point I realised that maybe I’m not the only one wanting to adorn my braids with high quality hair jewellery. What if I make pieces that get passed onto the next generation? Hair jewellery that beautifies and carries your legacy.”

Born in Germany with German, Cameroonian and Syrian roots, when we last spoke to Kanzi, she was honing her craft in Barcelona, where she was lovingly making gold-plated keepsakes inspired by her grandma’s collection of jewellery. After some time spent in Berlin, she made the decision to move to Accra two years ago, and she’s never looked back. “It was quite spontaneous… a jump into cold waters, but I haven’t had one moment of regret. We always knew Berlin would just be a moment. And moving “back home” was always a goal.”

Being based on the continent is already paying dividends, both as an artist and for her personal growth. “It‘s constantly evolving, I’m learning every day,” she says. “But I can also feel how I am more grounded in myself and closer to the woman that I like to be. My nervous system is at ease and I feel like I can actually go into a creation that comes from the inside out.”

The move has allowed her to slow down, breathe and make from a place of serenity, which, interestingly, has led to a greater output of work. “I missed just waking up, having an idea and working on it. And this happens way more often to me here. There is less pressure, more time and more space for creation.”

Within this space, she was inspired by researching traditional Akan beads to develop the GEMZ collection. “Part of Ghanaian culture and tradition, they’re impossible to ignore,” she says. “Some are very powerful beads that only priests and priestesses can wear, which are enchanted with prayers, while others are used for certain rituals. I’ve heard people say the beads talk because they can inform you of the rank, occupation and other things about the wearer. Outside of the traditional and ritualistic usage, they are also combined and threaded into beautiful jewellery pieces. And on top of all of that, they’re made by hand of recycled glass. It’s an incredible and very time-intensive process and I loved sitting with an artisan called Santiago to learn about every single step.”

The resulting pieces, in gentle shades of red, green, white and black, explore the idea of “planting our seeds”, she explains. “It’s a local technique of recycled glass beads made in colours that are politically charged in so many ways, and in the shape of a flower, which reminds me of the soft playfulness of my daughter but also the resistance of nature. All come together in the questions: what seeds are we planting and where are we planting them?”

And so, these striking beads are more than precious adornments. They should be thought of as future heritage and it’s within that juxtaposition of new and legacy that Kanzi’s practice will continue to bloom. “Suddenly the options of what I want to create seem to expand into different shapes, sizes and materials, and I’m only just starting to explore.”