VANESSA MONTIEL

22K Gold Vermeil Love Savage Cuff Bracelet
with Swarovski Crystals and Drury Stone

Located in the Chihuahua State of Mexico is the remarkable Copper Canyon.  

Formed by six rivers that drain in the Sierra Tarahumara mountain range, Copper Canyon is four times the size of the U.S. Grand Canyon. 

Mexico is also the ancestral home of featured jewelry designer Vanessa Montiel.

Montiel, who juggles her time between Bali, Indonesia and Santa Cruz, California, unabashedly says she has “a wandering, creative mind.”  Nothing could be truer. 

A one-time conceptual artist, Montiel built a sizable sculpture from stainless steel and pig intestines. 

Named Metamorphosis 1000 Montiel fervently believed the sculpture’s theme of transformation was perfectly represented by the intestines’ transitory properties.

When Montiel made the decision to create jewelry she never relinquished her capacity to explore unique themes, and present generous visuals. 

Her handmade jewelry collections of 22-karat gold vermeil and hand-carved Black Water Buffalo Horn highlights a style that is alternately dramatic, cosmopolitan and spiritual.  Designs constructed with black horn, such as her Tattooed Bird Song pendant necklace, are reminiscent of enigmatic totem or tiki symbols.

18K Gold Earrings with Beetle Wings

In 2011, Chloe Rappy took notice of Montiel’s fearless design style as it paralleled that of her late uncle, master jeweler Jean-Francois Fichot.  Rappy enlisted Montiel’s enumerable talents to build a collaborative collection, JFF, honoring Fichot’s “legacy.”

Inspired by Ghana, Iran and Indonesia these collaborative items of 18-and 22-karat gold, and twinkling accents of rubies and turquoise encapsulate Old World grandeur.  Chitin composed beetle shells, sea shells from Ulutawatu, and semblances of bamboo provide stunning details to this visually rich collection.

“I love passion and expression.  I lived in a variety of countries including Brazil, India, Italy and London.  My jewelry reflects a reckless abandon, and I think all of the traveling I have done helped me to develop an eye for style that has more of an international flair.”

22K Gold Vermeil Hope Carved Bone Feather

2015 Jewelry Trend Alert:  Talismans and statement cuffs are two style trends that are making waves.  

Montiel’s strong predilection for cultural themes is captured in her talismanic designs.  

Her signature Love Savage Cuff Bracelet with its gemstone centerpiece and flared wing-like design is the consummate statement cuff.