BUSINESS is booming for a creative duo who started making jewellery from a house in Walthamstow and whose necklaces have since appeared in Vogue and on the necks of high-profile celebrities - including the Prime Minister's wife.

Natasha Faith and Semhal Zemikael, both 23, launched their jewellery business, La Diosa, meaning The Goddess in Spanish, just two years ago with the help of the Prince's Trust and now count celebrities Leona Lewis and Alicia Keys and several high-profile politicians among their client base.

The pair were propelled into the limelight two weeks ago when a photograph taken during the G20 summit of Prime Minister's wife Sarah Brown wearing one of their necklaces and holding President Barack Obama's hand appeared on news-stands around the world.

Ms Faith said: “Sem's mum was reading the newspaper and saw Sarah Brown wearing our necklace. She called me screaming down the phone, so I went straight to Asda and bought all the copies from its shelves. To see her with Barack Obama and Michelle was amazing.”

She added: “We are the first two black girls under 25 to own a jewellery company. It shows what can happen if you put your mind to it.”

The entrepreneurial pair met while studying Philosophy at Sir George Monoux College in Walthamstow, and said they had a shared interest in fashion and often bought necklaces from high street shops then re-threaded them to their desired design.

Ms Zemikael, from Walthamstow, said: “I have always been creative and wanted a career that was interesting and wanted to travel, but I never thought it would be in jewellery design. I'd had a few jobs but never liked working for someone else and wanted to be my own boss.”

But they said that it wasn't until they went travelling for a year when they became inspired to start their own business after learning jewellery-making techniques around the world.

It was during a six-month stay in Mexico they learned about the history of women wearing prominent jewellery to empower themselves, drawing inspiration for their chunky designs using semi-precious stones.

Ms Faith said: “We were 19 and thought we were so lucky, for two girls from East London to be travelling the world because not many of our friends travelled. When we came back, we wanted to push the boundaries and to do something to get noticed and that we could be proud of.”

And indeed the pair did. With a loan and advice from the Prince's Trust, they decided to tailor their jewellery, some of which is bespoke, to the high-end market selling to Harvey Nichols and designer jewellery boutique Astley Clarke, retailing from £200 for a bracelet to £300 upwards for a necklace.

They have both been working hard from their own homes, but are about to launch a showroom in Hatton Garden in November and are due to start a social enterprise project in Africa where locals will make their jewellery for a fair wage.

Ms Zemikael added: “We have given everything to the business and are still living at home where our parents have been so supportive. Next we want to expand in the UK and to go global, definitely.”

For more information visit www.ladiosa.co.uk