A ROYAL Marine’s wife in Bowdon has launched her own luxury pearl jewellery brand has already won her first award in less than a year.

Olivia Smith, 37 is the brains behind the online retailer, Olivia & Pearl.

After she married her husband, James Smith at Church of St Mary the Virgin in Stamford Road,Bowdon in June 2014, Olivia struggled to maintain a career and friendships through moving around so much.

She decided to follow her love for pearls and put her career into her own hands.

She said: “I was an avid lover of pearls as a little girl and often remember my dad returning from business trips with pearls. Having worked as an actor for ten years and in advertising for a while, all I really wanted was to have control of my destiny and autonomy over my career."

Olivia aspires to follow the footsteps of Monica Vinader and Pandora. As a Royal Marine’s spouse, Olivia secured a Start-Up Loan from X-Forces to research, develop and market her brand.

Olivia & Pearl provides collectable, classic and contemporary pearl jewellery and hopes to provide pieces that are stylish, high quality, sourced ethnically while remaining affordable.

The first collection celebrates women’s achievements, created to celebrate individualism, beauty and power of women.

Olivia said: “My friends are my ultimate inspiration; real, cool and sassy. Each piece tells a story and has been designed with the modern woman in mind.”

Since receiving the Start-Up Loan in 2017, Olivia has been named the winner of the Start Up Loans Company ‘Start Up of the Year Award’.

She said: “It was a complete surprise and absolute delight to win the Start Up of the Year Award. I am just thrilled. To people wondering if they should start up their own business, I say feel the fear and do it anyway. It is scary, and hard work, and you carry the business with you all the time, but it has been an incredible journey and it is truly amazing to see your ideas and decisions become a reality.”

The first Olivia & Pearl collection now available and Olivia is already designing new pieces to add to the collection - she is also hoping to inspire other military spouses realise that they too can start up their own business and find their place in self-employment.

To shop Olivia & Pearl, visit www.oliviaandpearl.com.