If you are a lover of luxury, especially on the jewellery side, ‘Mona by Nehita’, the Los Angeles-based jewellery brand, has just launched its unique products and services in Accra.

Set to offer the best and affordable jewellery products including earrings, rings, necklaces, chains, pendants, bangles, bracelets, birthstones, anklets, custom pieces and many more, the Mona by Nehita collection embraces design trends from all over the world using appealing and colourful precious stones and various colours.

With stores in Los Angeles, Trinidad and Tobago, Lagos, Accra and Hong Kong, Mona by Nehita, is made from conflict-free and socially responsible stones including rubies, sapphires, emeralds, citrines, amethysts, tourmalines, peridots, morganites, topaz and diamonds. In essence, Nehita ensures that the client’s jewellery investment becomes a worthwhile and satisfying experience.

Founded by Monalisa Okojie, the company consistently seeks to strike a delicate balance between innovative fashion trends, classic looks and designs to meet the demands of jewellery lovers.

The Mona by Nehita collection embraces design trends from all over the world using appealing and colourful precious stones and various colours. Nehita’s collections and styles express elegant luxury and appeal to a sophisticated client.

“Mona by Nehita was inspired by most of Nehita fans who wanted a more affordable brand but most importantly, they wanted their jewellery in real gold as compared to costume jewellery. What we did was to introduce quality brand but at affordable rates,” Monalisa Okojie, says.

Since its debut collection in 2008, Nehita has been worn by celebrities such as, Jackie Appiah, Whitney Houston, Natalie Cole, Alan Cumming, Melora Hardin, Josh Henderson, Sally Pressman, CCH Pounder, Lu Parker, Norah Jones, Nick Cannon, Meagan Good, Brandy, Carrie Ann Inaba, Sisse Marie, Quinton Aaron, Alison Krauss, Randy Jackson, Tiffany Haddish, Rosario Dawson, First Ladies of various countries, Ava Hall, Wendy Raquel Robinson.

Nehita has consistently received rave reviews and is projected to be one of the most promising and creative jewellery collections. Nehita Jewelry has been seen in fashion shows, television, and magazines in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Miami, New York, major cities in Europe, Dubai, Australia and Africa. 

Telling her story of how she started out in Los Angeles, Monalisa noted that penetrating the jewellery industry in the USA was very tough due to the fact that the business was the sole preserve of a few families. 

“In Los Angeles, where Nehita started, one of the challenges was market penetration. The jewellery market is known to be operated by some specific group of people and for high-end lines, it was for specific people and also a family business. So here is an African entrepreneur starting a line with nobody’s help. They haven’t actually seen something like that before,” she says.

Due to her tenacity and never giving up, she strived hard and while growing, she met the right people and she had the wisdom to ask the right questions and say the right things. A decade and counting, Nehita is steadily becoming a household name.

As a lawyer for eight years in a prestigious law firm with top clients, before becoming an entrepreneur, Mona took the risk but she succeeded and she is urging other ladies looking to succeed to think hard and not use their bodies.

As civic-minded as she is stylish, Monalisa advocates empowering women and girls through programs in entrepreneurship so as to achieve economic independence through a non-profit she founded, Upward African Woman. She donates to various other charities such as the Jenesse Center for Domestic Violence Intervention Program, Woman 2.1, Kick it for Kenya and others. 

“It was a big challenge to face but I only had one choice, to succeed. So the challenge was to put a lot effort, time to make sure that Nehita succeeded. For young ladies, there is so much we can do without our bodies. 

“We can use our brains much of the time. We should think and collaborate with people. Don’t be afraid to take the next time, or do the next thing and be unique. Come up with something that others haven’t. get a mentor or somebody to talk to, encourage and inspire you and stay away from negativity,” she adds. 

To her, the next 10 years of Nehita is going to be bigger. “It is going to be a bigger household name, it will be in a lot of stores and everybody is going to know about the brand.”