Left: The Mahala Treasures family (from left) Roderick Francis, David Johnston and Fred Lusan. Seated is Georgia Brown. Right: Queen Sofia of Spain wearing the dragonfly brooch designed by Mahala Treasures. - Photos by Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer

These days, David Johnston, Bonnie Francis, Roderick Francis, Georgia Brown and Fred Lusan have much to be proud of.

The team behind Mahala Treasures wears permanent smiles because they can boast that their jewellery is worn by royalty. On her recent visit to Jamaica, Her Majesty Queen Sofia of Spain was photographed at functions wearing a dragonfly brooch from their collection.

"Fabulous, elated, a milestone. Last week was an amazing week for us," said Johnston, describing how he felt when she accepted and wore the piece.

When the team heard of the queen's impending visit to Jamaica, they decided to create a one-of-a-kind piece for her. They sent her a letter through Spanish Ambassador to Jamaica, Jesus Silva.

On the day of her arrival, everyone waited with bated breath. "We felt good, really happy and honoured that she actually loves it," whispered a soft-spoken Brown who seemed to be always smiling.

Dragonfly

The dragonfly brooch was designed by 30-year veteran jewellery designer Georgia Brown and made by Fred Lusan. He put the piece together with 138 pieces of 18 carat, white gold and four exquisite natural conch pearls.

Each wing of the dragonfly moves independently of the tail, so, as the body moves, there is a little flutter. The creation took two months; one to design the prototype and another to make the final piece.

Export company

Mahala Treasures is a branch of seafood export company B&D Trawling Limited. Last December, the team decided to utilise the conch shells that are usually left at the bottom of the sea in a cottage industry initially funded by the Private Sector Development Company.

In the meantime, Johnston and the members of his team, who interact like family, are determined to make pieces that every woman can afford. These one-of-a-kind pieces use the naturally pink inside of the Strumbus Gigas shell. The shells are very tough and sometimes hard to work with, but the designs that can come from them are countless, as are the ideas, from David Johnston and Bonnie Francis, which Brown and Lusan bring to life in each piece. The pieces, currently available at Nard's in Loshusan Supermarket at Barbican Centre, are unique, as no two shells are exactly the same.

Mahala Treasures ensures that the pieces are affordable for every woman, each being unique and special in its own way.

A conch-shell pendant.