The car that was never bought
The origin is a household negotiation. Weems wanted a car, her parents declined to provide one, and the instruction they gave her was to earn it. What she made, at 14, were handcrafted locket necklaces and bracelets, sold at first the way any teenager sells anything: one at a time, to people she knew.
The product that emerged had a specific mechanic. A Living Locket is a transparent locket that the buyer fills with small metal charms, hung on a customisable chain, some of the pieces set with Swarovski crystals. The customer assembles a private meaning out of standard parts, which is why the range extended into earrings, bracelets and accessories without changing the idea.
What it became by sixteen
Entrepreneur, profiling her in August 2016 at 19, reported that the company had become a multi-million-dollar direct-sales business by the time she was 16. She led it alongside her mother, Chrissy Weems, the company's president.
The scale described is not a teenager's side project. Hundreds of employees, and thousands of independent jewellery designers around the world selling the product. That structure is the second half of the story and the part that made the growth possible.
How direct selling multiplied the product
Direct sales works by recruiting independent representatives who sell to their own social networks, typically at gatherings arranged in homes. A company using the model does not need retail shelf space, a shop lease or a national advertising budget, because distribution is the sellers themselves.
For a customisable, story-driven product, that fit is close to ideal. A locket that the buyer assembles is easier to sell across a kitchen table, where the charms can be handled and the combinations explained, than from a photograph on a shelf. The model also scales faster than a retail rollout, which is how a handmade product reached thousands of sellers in a few years.
The Owlettes
By 2016 Weems was running an initiative called the Owlettes, mentoring aspiring entrepreneurs aged 12 to 17 personally. Her summary of the work was about encouragement rather than commerce: “The best part about being a kidpreneur is being able to encourage kids of all ages to not be afraid to reach for their dreams.”
The age band chosen is the same one she had been in when she started. A programme for 12- to 17-year-olds is aimed at exactly the moment before the decision, when a young person has an idea and no evidence that anyone their age has ever carried one through.
Where Bella Weems is now
The last documented position on this page is August 2016: 19 years old, leading the company with her mother, running the mentoring programme.
The sources used here do not record the company's later revenue or ownership, what Weems did after 2016, or any personal net worth figure. Net worth numbers attached to her online are aggregator estimates rather than disclosures, and they are not repeated here. What is established is the arc itself: a refused request for a car, a handmade locket, and a business of international scale before she could legally drink.
Watch: Bella Weems on camera
| Person | Country | Milestone | Age / Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moziah Bridges | United States | Founding Mo's Bows at nine; NBA licensing deal for team bow ties | Age 9 |
| Zandra Cunningham | United States | Founding Zandra Beauty at nine | Age 9 |
| Cory Nieves | United States | At twelve his customers were not other children. They were Macy's, Aetna a | Age 12 |
| Bella Weems | United States | Founding Origami Owl and its Living Lockets at 14 | Age 14 |
| Isabella Dymalovski | Australia | She built a skincare range for girls her own age, and ran it at fourteen. | Age 14 |
What is documented — and what is not
✓ Documented
- Started making lockets at 14 in Chandler, Arizona, after her parents told her to earn a car (Entrepreneur)
- Company reported as a multi-million-dollar direct-sales business by the time she was 16 (Entrepreneur)
- Led the business with her mother, company president Chrissy Weems, and ran the Owlettes mentoring initiative (Entrepreneur)
? Unverified, disputed or wrong
- No date of birth published
- No revenue, ownership or company status reported after 2016
- No verified personal net worth figure
Questions people ask about Bella Weems
How old is Bella Weems?
Entrepreneur described her as 19 in August 2016, placing her birth around 1997. No date of birth is published in that source.
How did Origami Owl start?
Weems wanted a car at 14. Her parents told her to earn it, and she began handcrafting locket necklaces and bracelets.
What is a Living Locket?
A transparent locket the buyer fills with small metal charms, on a customisable chain, some pieces set with Swarovski crystals.
How big did the company get?
Entrepreneur reported it as a multi-million-dollar direct-sales business by the time she was 16, with hundreds of employees and thousands of independent designers worldwide.
Who runs Origami Owl with her?
Her mother, Chrissy Weems, is named as the company's president.
What is Bella Weems's net worth?
No source used here states a figure. The numbers circulating online are aggregator estimates with no disclosed basis.
What are the Owlettes?
An initiative through which Weems personally mentored aspiring entrepreneurs aged 12 to 17.
Where is Bella Weems now?
Nothing after August 2016 appears in the sources used here.
Quick quiz: how well do you know Bella’s story?
Why did Bella Weems start making jewellery?
What is the company's signature product?
Who is the company's president?
Sources
- 11 Successful Kid Entrepreneurs Keeping Their Eyes on the Prize — Entrepreneur, 2016-08-04
Checked by the Geniuses.club editorial team. Ages are given as of September 2026.
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