Bijoux Beads

Many of you may be asking “What is BIJOUX?” Bijoux , the word, is the plural form of the French word, bijou, meaning a small delicately worked piece.

BIJOUX, the company, was created from the owner’s personal passion for jewelry. BIJOUX’S designs are handcrafted with the artist’s belief that every woman should be able to afford unique jewelry made of the highest quality materials. She combines her style, life experiences, and attention to detail into designs that are stylish and classic but not so trendy as to go out of style. They feature natural gemstones , handcrafted lampwork glass beads, freshwater pearls, Swarovski crystals and precious metals.

Suzie Grant, the owner and artist, always had a desire to do something creative. She followed her passion for design and creativity at Winthrop University as an art student, but soon found it necessary to change her major to business in order to make a living.

Suzie began her twenty year career as an accountant with an electrical distributor. Her desire to be creative never left her while working as an accountant and she longed to find a job that she was passionate about. She couldn’t forget her lifelong dream of owning her own business, but she was having trouble coming up with the right product or idea that could fulfill that dream.

One day a friend at work brought in a piece of jewelry her daughter had made. At that time Suzie was looking for a hobby, and she thought that jewelry might be fun to make for herself, family and friends so she decided to try it herself. In September of 2004 she bought books and magazines about jewelry design. After doing some research about gemstones, she was amazed to discover their natural beauty and variety. So she started buying beads and then opened her eBay store in November of the same year.

What started out as a hobby and as a way to pursue a creative outlet has since turned into a successful business. Combining her experience in the business world with her creative flair, Suzie decided it was time to meld the two into a business and BIJOUX was born.

Suzie’s hand-made jewelry always stirs up positive reactions from friends and strangers. She is a self-taught jewelry designer who releases her creative energy by making jewelry into wearable art. She is always looking for unique gemstones, and materials with unique shapes and colors to incorporate into her designs. Her designs reflect elegant workmanship with elements from nature and high quality materials.