Latin American Jewelry Designers to Know: Emeralds, Gold and Filigree
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Long before anyone talked about Latin American fashion, the region was famous for what it wore at the neck and wrist: gold, silver and some of the world’s most coveted gemstones. Today that heritage lives on in both fine-jewelry houses and family workshops still practicing centuries-old techniques. Here are the jewelers and traditions on our radar, from our guide to Latin American fashion designers.
Mompox Filigree: Colombia’s Living Craft
In Santa Cruz de Mompox, a riverside colonial town in Colombia’s Caribbean interior, goldsmiths and silversmiths practice filigrana momposina — filigree made by twisting impossibly fine threads of metal and shaping them into lace-like earrings, pendants and brooches. The craft is the town’s signature, passed down through family workshops, and watching an artisan coil and solder the wire by hand is an education in patience.
- Look for — airy earrings and flower motifs in gold or silver
- Getting there — Mompox is often combined with a trip to Cartagena
- Tip — buy directly from workshops and ask about the metal content
Filigree pieces are surprisingly light for their size, which makes them comfortable as statement earrings. Designs range from traditional floral and religious motifs to cleaner, modern shapes made by younger artisans.
Colombian Emeralds: Know Before You Buy
Colombia is synonymous with emeralds, and its famous mining areas, including Muzo and Chivor in Boyacá, have produced stones admired for their deep, vivid green. Bogotá is the trading hub, and the city’s jewelers range from heritage houses to contemporary designers. Because emeralds are almost always treated with oils or resins to improve clarity, ask what treatment a stone has had and request a certificate from a recognized gem lab for any significant purchase. Our Bogotá guide covers the rest of your visit.
For a more fashion-forward take on Colombian jewelry, see our profile of Mercedes Salazar, known for whimsical, handcrafted statement pieces.
Paula Mendoza: Sculptural Gold, Colombian Roots
Colombian designer Paula Mendoza makes jewelry that reads like small sculpture — organic, often asymmetrical forms with a strong sense of movement and a nod to pre-Columbian goldwork. Her pieces sit happily between art object and everyday wear: a single cuff or pair of earrings does all the talking an outfit needs.
Her work is a good reminder that pre-Columbian goldsmithing — the kind displayed at Bogotá’s celebrated Museo del Oro — remains a living influence on contemporary Colombian design. Seeing that collection first will change how you look at modern Colombian jewelry.
H.Stern: Brazil’s Gemstone Heritage
Headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, H.Stern is Brazil’s best-known fine jewelry house and a showcase for the country’s extraordinary range of colored gemstones — tourmalines, topazes, citrines, amethysts and more. Its designs range from classic to contemporary, but the constant is a celebration of Brazilian stones. A visit offers an excellent crash course in what Brazil’s mines produce. Plan around it with our Rio de Janeiro guide.
Brazil’s gem diversity is the real story here. Few countries produce such a range of colored stones, and learning to compare tones and cuts in person is the best preparation before buying anywhere in the country.
Antonio Bernardo and Carla Amorim: Brazilian Design-Led Jewelry
Antonio Bernardo, a Rio jeweler, is known for clean, architectural designs and clever mechanics — rings that move, interlock or reveal something unexpected. It is jewelry that appeals to anyone who loves good industrial design. Carla Amorim, based in Brasília, takes a softer route, with organic, nature-inspired forms in gold set with Brazilian gems.
Brazil’s jewelry scene also includes Ara Vartanian, known for daring, modern diamond settings, and Silvia Furmanovich, whose work blends fine jewelry with artisanal techniques — both profiled elsewhere on the site.
Together, they show the two poles of contemporary Brazilian jewelry: one rooted in engineering and precision, the other in nature and color. Both are worth seeing in person, where the craftsmanship and the quality of the stones become obvious.
Peruvian Silver and ILARIA
Peru has a deep silversmithing tradition, and its contemporary jewelers often draw on Andean and pre-Columbian motifs. ILARIA is a Peruvian silver jewelry brand known for pieces that combine sterling silver with Andean-inspired design, sometimes alongside local stones. It’s a good benchmark for quality before exploring smaller workshops in Lima and the highlands.
Andean silver often features motifs like stylized animals, stepped crosses and geometric patterns borrowed from textiles. Ask about the meaning of a design — it’s part of what you’re buying.
More Silver Traditions: Taxco and Chordeleg
Two more names belong on any jewelry lover’s map. Taxco, in Mexico’s state of Guerrero, is a historic silver town whose workshops have been producing silver jewelry and objects for generations. Chordeleg, in Ecuador’s Azuay province near Cuenca, is known for its filigree in gold and silver — a fascinating counterpoint to Colombia’s Mompox. In both places, look for a .925 stamp on sterling silver and buy from workshops that make what they sell.
Prices in both towns are typically by weight plus workmanship, so it pays to compare a few workshops before committing. The best pieces will be clean on the back as well as the front — a quick way to judge care and skill.
How to Buy Jewelry in Latin America
- Ask for certificates on significant gemstones, and ask how the stone has been treated
- Check metal stamps — .925 for sterling silver, karat marks for gold
- Buy from makers — workshops and cooperatives can tell you exactly how a piece was made
- Get a receipt — useful for customs declarations and insurance back home
- Pack it in your carry-on — never in checked luggage
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