Leigh Breunig is one of the Dallas Market Center’s new Emerging Designers
It’s no wonder the Dallas Market Center has named Leigh Breunig one of their Emerging Designers for 2020. Her Lake Highlands neighbors and women all over Texas for years have been treasuring Leigh Breunig Designs they received as gifts or purchased for themselves.
Breunig sells mostly through her jewelry website, but she also has pieces in retail stores like Liz and Honey and Favor the Kind in Dallas and in BaubleBash in San Antonio. Her new “Emerging Designers” designation means she’s now being featured at the DMC’s January Gift Market, one of her long term goals. She hopes promotion by DMC officials, who found her on social media, will connect her with buyers nationwide so Leigh Breunig Designs can continue to grow.
Though Breunig’s dreams today are big, they began small with her simple love of beads.
“As a kid, I liked to disassemble jewelry to see how it was made,” she says. “When I was nine, I would make rope bracelets to sell to golfers playing behind our house. I made gifts for friends in high school and college and came close to launching a line after graduation, but the timing wasn’t right. After making some bracelets for a girls’ trip in February, I officially launched Leigh Breunig Designs in May of 2017.”
“I’m inspired largely by creation and the Creator,” adds Breunig. “My inspiration, a lot of times, comes from the materials themselves, like a raw stone or a polished metal. I like creating pieces that are a little different from what the customer would typically see, but are still wearable for the everyday woman. I want my jewelry to not only spark a conversation, but ignite a friendship. And I love that I get to be a small part of special moments in these women’s lives – family photos, birthday gifts or Mother’s Days.”
Breunig’s favorite piece is her Golden Horn Bangle, an ethically-sources water buffalo horn, which she gold-leafs by hand, then seals.
“The idea to apply gold leaf came to me in a dream, so it will always be my favorite.”
Breunig lives in Lake Highlands with husband, Ben, and their three children. Ben grew up here while his dad, Bob, was playing for the Dallas Cowboys and their training facility was located at Forest and Abrams. She grew up in Highland Park, and one of their many mutual friends had a hunch they’d click. She was right.
“One of my favorite memories from our wedding,” says Breunig, “was seeing so many friends wearing jewelry I had made for them over the years.”
So how does the mother of three young children balance home and work life?
“There are moments when entrepreneurship and motherhood clash, but as a whole, I’ve learned who to make it work. I find pockets of time to create, fill orders and manage a business. My kids will jump in with me on small projects, which I love. I’ve had to sacrifice some other hobbies or interests as this business has grown. Intentionality has helped to make better quality of my time.”
You can follow Breunig on Instagram here and Facebook here.
Leigh Breunig creates jewelry from beads, stones and polished metal
Leigh Breunig Designs have sold on her website and in a few shops, but now she’ll have exposure to vendors all over the country
Leigh and Ben Breunig and family
