In 2017, Mayomi Ogedengbe launched a luxury jewelry brand born from a vision to create minimalist, affordable pieces. This venture stood in contrast to her mother’s maximalist brand, Jewellery Affair, carving out its own niche in the industry. For Mayomi, jewelry wasn’t just a career choice—it called to her. Even as she pursued studies in business and finance, the pull of the jewelry world proved irresistible. Initially, she attempted to integrate her ideas into Jewelry Affair, but her entrepreneurial spirit demanded more, thus emerged Meeyas Link, a brand that embodied her passion and creativity.
Meeyas Link has ascended to impressive heights in just seven years, collaborating with high-profile celebrities. Notable achievements include adorning Toke Makinwa and Stephanie Coker for the 2024 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA). Mayomi’s vision extends beyond mere accessorizing. She aspires for Meeya’s Link to become a brand worn for its own sake—a name synonymous with style and quality in the world of jewelry.
Culture Custodian sat down with Mayomi to discuss her journey, insights into the jewelry industry, and advice for first-time luxury jewelry buyers.
Could you share a bit about your upbringing and how it shaped your path to becoming a jeweler?
So I grew up with a mother who is also a diamond jeweler, she’s been in the business for over two decades. Growing up in that sort of environment, I got to have a level of exposure that most people did not have the opportunity to. Being able to go to different conferences and different exhibitions with her shaped my knowledge. Already, I was open to the idea of getting into this business and I had a keen understanding of what elements were, the shades, the colors, and the metals used. At eight, I could already tell the different attributes of diamonds, the forces, what customers were probably looking for, and more. Something you won’t find like a typical eight-year-old knowing.
Your mother owned Jewellery Affair, one of the biggest luxury jewelry brands in Nigeria. From observing her work as a child, what aspects of her brand captivated you most?
The design. She’s a Yoruba woman from Ogun State so they deal with bigger pieces. I would say when you’re younger, you’re used to studs and necklaces. But I was more interested in the making, the behind-the-scenes of the business. It was not necessarily the business itself, but it was just what it took to bring all these pieces together, the sketches from people’s minds, and make them stick into something. The artistry part of the business is actually what I was particularly interested in.
What was the catalyst for creating Meeyas Link, was there a specific moment or realization that inspired you to launch your own brand rather than continue your mother’s legacy?
I’ve always been on the corporate side. I did business and finance for my B.sc. I studied investment banking for my M.sc. So my whole life, I’ve always thought I was going to be in a corporate world, but I’ve always loved the jewelry industry. Coming home to do my NYSC, I was always in my mom’s store, helping where I could.
So I was looking at how people my age or people younger have access to things like this. How come it’s not necessarily affordable? I can wear it because she sells it. But when my friends see me, and they love my jewelry, it’s not readily accessible to them because these pieces are a little too big or maybe just a little bit too expensive. I wanted to bridge the gap between traditional pieces to the everyday or the more contemporary pieces that you see now. And I think that was a catalyst for me.
I didn’t think it was going to be my brand, I wanted to incorporate this into her business. Then it became almost like a brainchild of mine and I could connect with it more. It was made for my age group, the millennials and Gen Z but there was no Gen Z then, it was still millennials. That was how Meeyas Link came into place, and it was officially launched in 2017.
Under Nigeria’s jewelry industry, what’s your typical sourcing process like, ethically and politically?
I don’t think I had a lot of competition when I first came into the industry. I mean, Jewellery Affair still has its competition, but it’s still not dense for my mom’s target audience. But for my business, social media now has allowed people access to some of these manufacturers. We’re still not so much in this industry, but because it’s a luxury market, even six is a lot. The industry itself is growing, now you see a lot of young people actually buying and selling mostly on social media.
In terms of sourcing, there isn’t so much information regarding how a lot of the elements are being sourced in Nigeria. And I can’t think of a body that’s been created. I think it’s something we want to look into in the future and be a pioneer for it, which means having a well-regulated mining industry, and a governing body. For now, we don’t try to dabble in the mining or the making of jewelry in Nigeria. Everything we make right now is in Italy, that’s how it’s always been. There, they do their due diligence, and everything has a due process, even how they get their diamonds and gold. And it’s not just going to be in Italy alone, it has to go to different countries before it actually gets to Italy. So at least you have peace of mind that wherever they’re getting this from, whoever is mining it is mining ethically and the money is going to the right people. But like I said, it’s something we will want to do. We’ve done a bit of research. It’s just that we always have a dead end on the right channels and policies. It’ll be a big boost in Nigeria. I mean, you know what it would mean for us to actually mine and refine gold in Nigeria.
What inspires your jewelry pieces, and what sets your creations apart in the luxury jewelry
For instance, when I have to do a custom piece, a lot of it has to be the stories and the personalities of my clients. So if two different people come to me and they’re trying to make the same idea, I would look at the pieces they’ve bought from me before, their style, and also the story behind why they want this custom piece.
I would say Meeya sets itself apart through our commitment to quality. We offer personalized service, and our unique design, the philosophy behind it is just that we want to blend modern aesthetics and meaningful storytelling. Our approach is not just to sell jewelry, we want to create a personal symbol that resonates with their stories and their moments.
You recently styled Toke Makinwa and Stephanie Coker for the 2024 AMVCA. Can you walk us through your creative process in selecting the perfect pieces for them?
The first thing I want to see is the style, which is a sketch of what they’re going to be wearing. The neckline is very important in choosing what piece I’m going to give them, then obviously the color, and the detailing just so we’re not mismatching. The hairstyle also makes all the difference, and then the accessories. So if a customer is going to be wearing all gold, you obviously can’t give them white accessories. Those are the things that I would first look at. And then once that information comes in, we start picking out pieces to match each of the sketches. And honestly, that’s the end, it’s easy once I get the style and color.
Are there plans to expand beyond diamonds, or do you intend to focus solely on this business line?
I feel like if I were to divert my attention, I would be missing some key aspects of what it would take to grow my business. At the end of the day, you would think it is only just the buying and selling but there’s so much more involved, especially now that we’re trying to keep up with the changes that’s happening on social media and the opportunities that come with it. A lot of our competitors don’t have a store, and they’re able to do so much without a physical store.
I’ve always said when I started Meeyas, I didn’t want it to be referred to as a gold shop or a jewelry store. It has to be, I want to wear Meeyas, that’s always been my plan. The only thing on my mind is how to expand the business not just in terms of sales, but branding, even outside Nigeria.
What advice would you offer to first-time fine jewelry buyers? Do you have any essential tips or guidelines?
First of all, be sure you’re dealing with a reputable brand because there are many stones that could replicate diamonds. There are a lot of people online using all those diamond testers, those things work on different kinds of stones, it doesn’t have to be diamonds. And you can’t know this unless you’re using an XXX20 Zoom to look at it. That’s why it’s very hard to actually certify if you’re buying diamonds or not.
Also, there’s so much information out there regarding the price of gold today, the weight, you can actually check the weight of gold and what you think the price will be. Diamonds are a bit different. You can’t necessarily know what the price would be but you can have an idea just so it’s not overpriced or over your budget. I would also say always think about your personal style before buying. So it’s not something you want to buy and then you end up regretting it later. Buy something that’s to your taste, something that you know is money well spent, but the most important thing is to make sure you’re buying from a reputable brand.
