Charlotte Wooning opens the doors of her new shop

What started as a small studio in Rotterdam in 2005 has grown over 20 years into a brand with a recognisable signature: jewellery with character, handmade and full of meaning. Charlotte Wooning always stayed true to her craft and aesthetic, but dared to keep innovating. She swapped her shop on Hoogstraat for a new location around the corner. Three times the size and henceforth also the heart of the making process. Jewellery is designed and forged in plain sight.

Charlotte: "We wanted everything under one roof. Our customers often take a long journey with us. We wanted to make that journey tangible in a shop that also feels like a studio. A place where you can see the craft, feel the story and the interior reflects that journey."

Charlotte Wooning is a jewellery designer and founder of the eponymous label. Her work is feminine, elegant and contemporary, with a clear love of craft, sustainability and emotional value. All jewellery is designed and made in her own workshop in Rotterdam. From rings to bracelets and earrings to bespoke wedding jewellery.

She has been working with recycled gold and silver for years, now accounting for about 95 per cent of her production. Not only because it is the most people- and planet-friendly choice, but also because the material already has a history in it. This sustainable vision is also reflected in the shop's interior: many elements are reused or vintage, from furniture to display cabinets.

In the building where car parts were once sold, the original terrazzo floor with cracks and traces of the past does remain. There is also r furniture with old bank vaults, with a special ritual. Customers who buy an engagement ring, wedding jewellery or other special jewel are given the key to a safe deposit box. In it lies their purchase, ready to be symbolically 'unlocked'. The lockers refer to Charlotte's own childhood memories, when she was allowed to accompany her father to the lockers at the bank.

The former shop on Hoogstraat will be transformed into a workshop space: a place where people can work on their own and learn about the craft up close.

More info

Charlotte Wooning at 16 Sint-Janstraat will be open Wednesday to Saturday from September.