“Mini” Mariana Hay is a life long resident of Charleston and the youngest of the 4th generation to join her family’s hundred year old store, Croghan’s Jewel Box. Mini comes by her talents quite naturally, it was her great grandfather who started Croghan’s and had a background as a jeweler, hand engraver, and manufacturer.
The Goldbug Collection by MINI is straight out of the imagination of “Mini” Mariana Hay. Mini’s mother challenged her to design a line of jewelry that would be something unique to Charleston and their iconic store. After some thinking the idea struck Mini, “Cockroaches!” or as they are more politely called in Charleston, “Palmetto Bugs.” She gilded her first bug and made a necklace with pearls just to test the waters and see what customers would say. The first necklace sold that day and she has been developing and expanding the line ever since. It is easy to see why people are drawn to Mini’s clever creations!
