A Group of Incredible Latin American Jewelers Met for a Panel in NYC
Latin American jewelry designers, though far from monolithic as a group, have impacted jewelry design on a major scale throughout modern history—and particularly over the past decade, which has seen Latin American talents including Fernando Jorge and Silvia Furmanovitch ascend to the highest heights of fine jewelry.
Last week at 92NY in NYC, Vogue Mexico editor Karla Martinez de Salas moderated a panel that featured Colombian jeweler Paula Mendoza, Cuban-Armenian jeweler Vanessa Fernandez, Argentinian-American jeweler Rosario Navia, and Cuban-American jeweler David Tamargo, a.k.a. Alligator Jesus, on how their Latino heritage has shaped them and their brands.
Gem + Jewel was there—here are some memorable moments and learnings from the event:
“The biggest obstacle can be yourself," said Paula Mendoza, a former journalist who moved to New York to start her business 20 years ago (she relocated back to her native Colombia after meeting her husband). "Being Latina opens doors. I'm a hustler; we come from a country that knows how to create opportunities.” Mendoza recommended that up-and-coming designers, "Embrace being Latina. Before Sofia Vergara, I thought I needed to change my accent, but she inspired me to keep it.”
Vanessa Fernandez worked in Bali under revered designer Guy Bedarida at silver brand John Hardy before working in Paris at Lorenz Bäumer, who makes Louis Vuitton High Jewelry, as a jewelry renderer. She's since returned to her native Miami, and opened an eponymous studio where everything she makes is one-of-a-kind. Fernandez is also the de facto White House jewelry designer, having made special pieces for the current administration over the past three years. “As a Latina minority and woman in a traditionally male industry, I make sure it’s the best execution," she said. "I have less opportunity to mess up.” She added that she feels responsible for sharing practical advice to budding Latin American jewelers.
Rosario Navia orginally worked in fashion, studied jewelry-making at night, and earned her gemology degree in 2018. She launched her namesake brand during the pandemic; great timing, as it turned out, since “jewelry saw a great uptick; people wanted to reward themselves [with jewelry] thinking about better times.” She added that in her experience, "Jewelry is community-driven, especially if you're a minority, [and that community] helps you face obstacles and get where you want your brand to go." But she warned, "Latinas are first-generation jewelers in a family and multi-generation industry. It’s harder to get noticed.”
Alligator Jesus worked in museums in Miami and Los Angeles before becoming a premiere grill- maker. His clients include Madonna, Bad Bunny, Usher, Beyoncé, and Lil Nas X, who'se ordered roughly 30 grills from the designer. He told young designers and creatives to, “Keep pushing through. There's nothing more rewarding than betting on yourself and having it work out.”