Dot Hope Jewelry
It all began with a plate, pliers, and beads. Dot Hope previously known as Jewelry.Hope, is a handmade jewelry company created by Baylor University sophomore, Hope Wissel.
From Houston, Texas, she got the idea to start making jewelry from her dad after noticing she was spending a significant amount of money buying jewelry. Taking that financial note from her dad, she ordered a pair of pliers from the trustworthy Amazon, gathered some beads and began experimenting. Sitting on her bed, she realized there were way too many small parts that easily fell between the folds in her duvet. Unsure of how her friend’s plate that they had used to make pancakes on that previous weekend was on her bedside table, she grabbed it and used that to lay out the beads and chains. To this day, she still uses this plate and is not sure if her friend knows she still has it.
Experimenting by twisting and contracting the small gold rings, Hope learned to construct all sorts of necklaces, bracelets and earrings. As she began modeling her own designs, her friends from high school took note and asked her to make them necklaces. Styling her friends, she aimed to make her jewelry affordable and fun. Although Hope can and often does recreate jewelry pieces that her friends find online, she prefers to experiment with her materials to see what types of designs she can come up with. She describes her jewelry as simple, fun, vibrant, and designed to add some fun to your everyday outfit.
Dot Hope has expanded more during Hope’s freshman year at Baylor. Hope’s talent for making jewelry was first discovered by her CL, who asked Hope to make her a necklace. Pulling out her large, soft-sided grey box with all her jewelry making materials, other girls in the dorm took an interest as Hope began crafting. Word traveled fast about the dainty and unique jewelry, and soon friends of friends at other universities were reaching out on Instagram. Adding a personal touch, Hope sends each person she ships to a video of her putting the custom piece inside the mailbox to let them know something is on the way.
So, what’s next for Dot Hope? As an entrepreneurship major, she is considering making Dot Hope an official company. Until then, come visit her at Buttoned Pop-Up Shop at Pinewood on November 10th.
Check out the Dot Hope’s Instagram, @jewelry.hope, and visit her website dothope.net to see her latest jewelry pieces.
Written by: Andie FortunePhotos by: Claire BostonEdited by: Andi Perkins