Ethical Treasures Handmade With Love: Meet Fabienne Costa of YCL Jewels

Kira Simpson

The sparkling treasures you see here were designed by the incredibly talented Fabienne Costa of YCL Jewels.

Fabienne, who is completely self taught, has been making these stunning pieces for over 10 years. 70% of YCL Jewels pieces are made by Fabienne herself in her Gold Coast studio while the rest are ethically crafted by her team in India.

We caught up with Fabienne, who shared what inspires her and what it takes to bring a piece of jewellery to life.

The YCL Story

YCL creates sophisticated jewellery for the modern & mindful woman. Our designs draw on timeless looks to create pieces for style savvy women.

On a deeper level, each piece of embraces principals of sacred geometry & feature crystals intentionally chosen to support our #YCLWomen live wholeheartedly & manifest their wildest dreams.

I guess I don’t really think about that, I just ensure that everyday I am making choices that align with my values & intuition, & this is how I operate our brand & connect with our team, on a daily basis. I believe there is abundance out there for all of us.

The beginning

YCL started on my high school desk when I was 21, with no business training or professional jewellery making training or experience.

I am now 24, & knowing that our designs are worn by tens of thousands of women all around the world is just so heart warming, & feels quite surreal most of the time.

ycl jewels

"Inspired by my travels, art, & nature."

What’s the process for bringing a YCL piece to life?

I will begin with immersing myself into an inspiring environment, this might come in the form of travelling, sitting outside, or reading an old vintage novel.

From this YCL designs are born. Sometimes out team will have a joke, as I could be sitting in the darkest, most uninspiring room & have a wave of inspiration.

I then sketch the designs I have in my mind, CAD’s are made up by our offshore factories & design teams. Then I am usually sampling the designs for the next 2 months ensuring every detail is exactly how I envisioned it (this can take a while!).

Sometimes I may also travel to our factory to physically hand pick the colours, cuts & shapes of the gemstones I wish to use within the collection. I am usually 2-3 collections ahead within our design schedule when a new one is launched.

What are you reading right now?

Create A New Earth, by Eckhart Tolle.

What’ the best piece of advice anyone ever gave you?

Authenticity breeds abundance.

What does the future hold for YCL Jewels?

In April we will be releasing our very first ceremonial collection RITUALS. I am also excited about implementing & innovating new ideas around how YCL can continually grow within our ethical framework & sustainability regime. This is something that really lights me up!

Finish this sentence:

The world needs more… kindness.

YCL Jewels offer free shipping within Australia and free international shipping for orders over $175

Images: YCL x Habitual Feels

Kira Simpson

Kira Simpson is an environmentalist and sustainability expert. She started The Green Hub as a blog in 2015, which has since grown to become one of Australia’s largest education sites dedicated to helping people live a more sustainable lifestyle.