Darla’s Jewelry

I have been designing & hand-making fine jewelry for  25 years in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. I was born in Boston, traveled the world extensively before settling down in San Miguel Allende, the artistic center of Mexico. Inspired by the beautiful mountains of the Mexican highlands, and the spectrum of color encountered here in nature. I found myself creating fine, handcrafted wearable art.

I have gathered over the years, a family of craftspeople. This group of exceptionally talented artisans – stonecutters, silversmiths and beaders enable me to create fine jewelry out of my fantasies and to make my dreams your reality. Together we have developed a rigorous training and quality control program that continues to this day. I am extremely proud of the fact that a second generation is now following in their parents’ footsteps.

My ideas come from a fusion of the cultures and influences that are evident when you travel through Mexico. The area’s Spanish heritage, as well as the large variety of local cultures, and new contemporary ideas influence and guide my art. My creative process begins with inspiration. When new ideas come to mind the first thing I do is to sketch them with simple geometric shapes, which can be incorporated into an infinite variety of ways. Coming up with new combination of shapes and geometric patterns is exciting. It is really more like working with a puzzle of colors, surfaces and shapes until I achieve the final design.

I also consider the mechanical and aesthetic aspect of the designs when I work with pieces that will be worn. This happens after I decide which gems will be used for color, and which materials I will use to craft the design. Silver or gold are my preferred metals.

Buying rough stone such as Agate, Lapis, and Turquoise, just to list a few of the hundreds of stones available, for creating shapes that inspire me, make all the difference in my work. The luxury of having stonecutters working in our atelier allows me to let my imagination flow when I am working on a new piece. I always have the stones cut and polished or faceted to fit my specifications instead of having to work with the stock sizes and shapes that may inhibit other designers. This allows me to incorporate local materials as well as the fine gemstones that I import from all over the world. This gives all of my jewelry a special look, which allows us to say each piece is Definitely Darla!

My jewelry is a visual feast of fusion art that is wearable. Crystals and gemstones mined locally and from around through out the world are brought together in stunning choreographed geometric shapes that bring out your uniqueness when wearing them.

Thank you for joining me.