Khadeejah Honesty isn’t just dreaming of the places she’d like to visit someday. She’s creating jewelry inspired by those locales. And her one-of-a-kind statement pieces have developed quite a following.
“I pull from a lot of places that are biblical, like Jerusalem,” says the Arlington-based artist, who launched her business, Soultry, in April 2019. “In that case I went for sandy tones with a marbled effect to get that desert feeling.”
Another collection, called “Eden,” featured bright colors evoking gardens and flowers. Most items are modestly priced at $30.
Honesty works in clay, having perfected a baking technique that leaves her pieces flexible and durable. A single mom with a 5-year-old daughter, she maintains a studio at her home in Colonial Village and normally sells at local farmers markets and craft fairs, but during the pandemic she’s moved most of her transactions online. It hasn’t put a damper on sales. The last couple of collections sold out soon after they were released.
She also makes and sells a line of natural, small-batch skin care products, including shea body butter, facial masks and lip balm.
And she’s finding ways to give back. All of the proceeds from her “Joy” collection, for example, are providing financial support to close friends who are looking to adopt a baby.
“I don’t have money to donate, but I can use my artistry to bring joy to people,” Honesty says. “The humanitarian aspect of my company is something I plan to continue. I’ll be teaming up with other [artisans] to create a community of collaboration over competition. I’m big on that. Celebrating people and knowing there is enough space for everyone.”
As of this interview, Honesty was working on a new jewelry collection evoking the Greek isles—think azure water and whitewashed buildings—with plans for a midsummer release.
How is she coping with the uncertainty of the times? “My faith carries me,” she says. “I’ve been reading, meditating and spending a lot of time with my daughter, enjoying that we get to see each other every day. There are things happening that are beyond me and greater than me. We have to wait this out.”