A Beautiful Story

Every person has the right to make their life a "Beautiful Story." Cathelijne Lania, founder of A Beautiful Story

In love with Nepal. After her studies, Cathelijne wanted to do something good and went to Nepal as a volunteer to help build a school. There, she fell in love with the country and its people. There is a lot of poverty. But the way people live together and care for each other is a different kind of wealth. During my stay, I discover a silver factory. Beautiful jewelry, pure craftsmanship. My place for gifts for home.

Back in Holland, I work as a Brand Manager at Douwe Egberts. I manage a large budget, have great colleagues, and the job is demanding. But it does not satisfy me. Then I hear about difficulties in the jewelry factory in Nepal. There is not enough work; 12 silversmiths are about to lose their jobs. I can't let it go. It feels so unfair that these people with their amazing talents should no longer be able to show their beautiful jewelry. That became the turning point in my life. One of those moments when you decide on something that will change everything.

The first bracelet. Again, a plane takes me to Nepal. I go back to the silver factory. But what should we make? We sit in a circle and drink tea. Suddenly, I notice the beautiful design of the cup. The saying ‘Broken pieces bring luck’ comes to mind. That’s the solution! We only need a little bit of luck. We throw the cup on the floor, and each shard gets a place on a bracelet. The first Lucky Bracelet is born. A magazine picks up our story. And then it happens... We receive teacups from the Netherlands. Heirlooms, sometimes whole sets. Entire families want bracelets made from grandmother’s pink teacups. I smash the cups in my garden and send the shards to Nepal, where they come back as jewelry.

Meanwhile, the sustainable Fairtrade jewelry label makes much more than jewelry from old cups. But what has remained is Cathelijne’s vision. A Beautiful Story is a thoroughly social enterprise. The social mission, equality, independence, and community creations come first. “All our products have a story. For the givers, because with their gift they really tell something. For our artisans, because they build a livelihood with their craftsmanship.” Cathelijne, founder