Washington, D.C. - July 22, 2008

Diamond in the Tough

Akawelle Jewelry

A wise woman (you) once said, “When life hands you lemons, throw them at whatever made things sour.”

Some people, however, prefer to make lemonade. To wit: jewelry wunderkind Lovetta Conto, who at just 15 is creating her dainty Akawelle necklaces to aid children from war-torn Liberia.

That’s where Conto grew up before moving to Ghana with her father to escape civil war. There, while living in a refugee camp, she showed a knack for jewelry design and met people from The Strongheart Fellowship who helped make her dream come true.

The handcrafted necklaces each contain a leaf pendant, made from a melted bullet inscribed with the word “life” on one side, and a bead constructed from a bullet casing. All the bullets were used during the war.

A portion of proceeds benefits other adolescent Liberian refugees.

Now that’s sweet.

Available online at akawelle.com.