Welcome!
Hi! My name is Laura Legendary, and I am the unlikely entrepreneur behind the Elegant Insights Braille jewelry and accessories collection. What makes me an unlikely entrepreneur? For starters, I am a business owner who is blind.
Elegant Insights products were inspired by a gift I received while struggling through an agonizing time in my life, the loss of my beloved husband, Billy. Life is a journey consisting of many twists and turns, some of them painful and difficult to navigate. So, for a bit of inspiration, I was given a tiny little talisman to help me keep moving forward. It was a “worry stone,” with the word “survivor” engraved on one side, and to my surprise, the same word embossed in Braille on the other. Right then and there, the light bulb blinked on over my head, and the entire concept of the Elegant Insights collection came to me in a single flash of inspiration. With little or no representation of people with disabilities in the fashion industry, my passion was fueled by a desire to bring beautiful, stylish products to a badly underserved community.
Never one to ignore my intuition or neglect an insight, I set about the task of finding a manufacturer to assist me in bringing my ideas to life. The search began in August, 2009, lasting nearly two years.
At first, I sought a manufacturer already mass-producing Braille jewelry. I looked everywhere, including out-of-country options, but soon discovered such a thing did not exist. Besides, I really wanted to find a manufacturer in the USA, since I am a flag-waving maniac, after all.
Unable to find a ready-made resource, I considered several small suppliers, then decided to assemble my own team who would apply their creative energy to catch the vision, and create the quality jewelry and accessories I wanted to offer. I am so proud of the Elegant Insights team, and I know you’ll love their genius.
In an effort to expand my audience and further serve the disability community, in 2014 I co-founded The Fashionability Channel podcast, which seeks to bring beauty, fashion, and style information within reach of everyone, regardless of age, body type, socioeconomic status, or ability. The Fashionability Channel is your guide to accessible style. Subscribe on itunes or Google Play, or go to www.fashionabilitychannel.com to listen to our many podcast episodes.
As the world was shutting down and grappling with the consequences of a global pandemic, I became concerned about the well-being and sustainability of entrepreneurs with disabilities and their small businesses. In an effort to support them, I founded Let’s Go Shopping, an online, accessible, virtual shopping event that brings together small businesses and the customers who need them. You can find more information about how to attend Let’s Go Shopping, or participate as a vendor, by going to the main Let’s Go Shopping information page.
Don’t forget to follow us on all your favorite social media. We are on Twitter @ElegantInsights – Facebook at Elegant.Insights – and on Instagram at elegantinsights.
Finally, please subscribe to my blog, Sparkle On. The mission of the Sparkle On blog is to provide meaningful descriptions of jewelry and components so that consumers who are blind or visually impaired can shop with confidence. You’ll discover Elegant Insights product information, jewelry education, news about styles, trends, and design innovation. Everything you need to know to get your sparkle on!
About Laura
Laura Legendary is a speaker, author, educator and entrepreneur specializing in accessibility, advocacy, and assistive technology. Laura is the owner of Elegant Insights Braille Creations, an online boutique which offers a distinctive, handcrafted collection of jewelry and accessories embossed in braille. Shop the Elegant Insights collection at elegantinsightsjewelry.com/. As cofounder of The Fashionability Channel podcast, Laura offers relevant beauty, fashion, and lifestyle information and education for people with disabilities. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, or go to www.fashionabilitychannel.com/. Laura maintains two blogs, the Accessible Insights Blog at accessibleinsights.info/blog/ which provides information on products and services for individuals with low or no vision, and the Sparkle On Blog, at elegantinsightsjewelry.com/sparkle-on/, where she provides jewelry education, design, trend, and style information, so that anyone can shop for jewelry with confidence. Laura majored in music at California State University, Northridge. Born and raised in Southern California, Laura now lives near Las Vegas, Nevada.
Artist Statement
In designing jewelry for a diverse world, I have sought to incorporate two distinct means of communication, one visual, the other, tactile, and flip them. Jewelry is generally thought of as ornamental, a way to express our personal sense of style, or to convey that which is meaningful. Braille is a system of raised dots used by people with vision loss for reading and writing that is recognizable by touch. In combining them, my designs transform the decorative, optic aspects of jewelry into tactual art, and showcases braille as texture, pattern, and contrast that can also be perceived visually.
I work with contemporary metals such as brass, copper, and stainless steel. I am inspired by geometry, music, art and architecture. For braille readers, I introduce sound along with touch, to emphasize the delicate musicality of the interplay of metal charms and components. For non-braille readers, my jewelry is a blend of tactile and visual elements that bring out the beauty in braille, enabling the wearer to make a statement without saying a word. Elegant Insights Braille Creations jewelry is a multi-sensory approach to style as self-expression that is inclusive of everyone.
Thank you for taking the time to read about Elegant Insights Braille Creations! We are at your service.
Links and press:
Fashioneyesta Blog
An interview with Laura Legendary, founder of Elegant Insights Braille Creations…
Employment Matters, Access World
Laura Legendary, entrepreneur
Accessible Media Inc.