KIM POOR JEWELLERY

18K Gold and Citrine Sustone Choker Necklace

Good places to unwind and soak up the sun are the Brazilian beaches Praia do Futuro and Praia de Iracema. 

Located in the high-energy city Fortaleza, the beaches come alive at night with plenty of parties. 

Brazil is also home to featured jewelry designer Kim Poor.

DANIELA ZAGNOLLI

Atlantis Leather Necklace

Known for its energetic, modern lifestyle, Fortaleza, Brazil also offers other attractions. 

A hub for “true Brazilian food, crafts and products” is the Mercado Central, a colorful marketplace; and a cruise that begins from Beira Mar highlights the area’s skyline and picturesque beaches. 

Brazil is also the ancestral home of featured jewelry designer Daniela Zagnolli.

MARY GELUDA

18K gold and Garnet Simply 3 Ring

Sao Paolo, Brazil is one of Brazil’s most cosmopolitan cities.  It is a location filled with modern amenities to suit a city slicker.

Art galleries, museums, book stores, shops and restaurants line the business district known as Avenida Paulista.  Brazil is also home to featured jewelry designer Mary Geluda.

THISBE GONÇALEZ

18-Karat Gold Plated Ametrine Cocktail Ring

Located within Brazil’s lush Amazon Rainforest is the late 19^th century opera house, The Teatro Amazonas.  

Designed in a stunning Renaissance style by Italian architect Celestial Sacardim, the structure was constructed for the express purpose of making it a grand center of civilization.  

Brazil is also the birthplace of featured jewelry designer Thisbe Gonçalez.

ERICA PACEY and ALESSANDRA FEIO | NUGAARD DESIGNS

Coil Ring with Smoky Quartz

One of Brazil’s top attractions, located in Rio de Janeiro, is the quartz and granite monolith called Sugarloaf Mountain. 

Standing nearly 1300 feet the mountain obtained its name due to its resemblance to a pile of sugar.  Brazil is also the ancestral home to design team Erica Pacey and Alessandra Feio.

MIRIAM CHOR FREITAS | MIRIAM JEWELS

Brazil seemingly has no shortage of ravishing natural backdrops. The tropical island of Fernando de Noronha is one such locale with spectacular beaches and plenty of outdoor activities to enjoy. Brazil is also the birthplace of featured jewelry designer Miriam Chor Freitas.

Like her colleagues Ruth Baird (New Zealand), Haruko Sugawara  (Japan), and fellow Brazilian Claudia Lobão, Freitas enlists the painstaking art from of crochet to cultivate exquisite pieces of jewelry fashioned from copper, fine silver and 14-karat gold filled wires.

The California-based Freitas is the progeny of jewelry importers and after devoting her energy and time to a career in child welfare services she chose to make her mark within the industry that ultimately shaped her early life.

Her company, Miriam Jewels, emerged onto the California fashion scene holding within it a study of classic form born from technical complexity.

“We are a unique jewelry studio specializing in hand made crochet jewelry,” says Freitas. “We combine the ancient arts of crocheting, wire wrapping, knotting and knitting with metal wire. Our aesthetic blends the vivaciousness of Brazil with a laid-back California style.”


I enjoy the visual of seeming simplicity offset by the intricacy of the delicate weave patterns. The fashion jewelry collection is a striking combination of clean outlines paired with haute sensibilities that is highlighted in circle necklaces and heart jewelry accented with a lovely array of glass beads, Swarovski Crystallized Elements, seed beads, as well as carnelian, blue topaz, strawberry quartz, and tiger’s eye.

The ethereally feminine interlocking loops of metal wire are reminiscent of chain maille. Freitas’ designer jewelry is unquestionably another fine example that timeless and classic does not have to be bound entirely to convention.

“The highlight of our crochet jewelry collections is the Peruvian Crochet technique for which I traveled to Lima to learn from the experts in the art. This is a flawless crochet technique that creates perfectly symmetrical stitches,” says Freitas. “Our jewelry is bold and lavish yet elegant so that it truly reflects the highly sophisticated taste and sensitivity of every woman.”


With the welfare of children still very near to her heart, Freitas donates a percentage of her company’s profits to the non-profit organization Children in Need Foundation.
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Photo 1 (top right): 14-Karat Gold-Filled Crochet Snake Necklace with Amethyst Beads
Photo 2 (center): 14-Karat Gold Filled Crochet Topaz Ring
Photo 3 (bottom left): 14-Karat Gold Filled Crochet Princess Cuff Bracelet with Seed Beads

CARLA AMORIM

You have your choice of swimming, rollerblading, cycling, or surfing when visiting the gorgeous Ipanema Beach of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Brazil is also home to featured jewelry designer Carla Amorim.

CLAUDIA LOBAO

The Iguazu Falls, which lies along the borders of Brazil, and Argentina, were first discovered over 400 years ago by Spanish conquistador Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca. There are 275 falls each with an average height of 269 feet, an astounding example of raw power and beauty. Brazil is also the birthplace of featured jewelry designer Claudia Lobão.

JACK VARTANIAN

Housed inside an 18th century monastery is Brazil's Sacred Museum of Art where we view the artwork of Renoir and Van Gogh.

We also take time to visit the museum's beautiful botanical area the Jardin de la Luz (Garden of Light). Brazil is also the home of featured jewelry designer Jack Vartanian.

ANTONIO BERNARDO

Flanked by small palm trees, Fiscal Castle, located in Brazil, takes up the entire expanse of the island it rests upon.

The 19th century structure's lustrous green color was conceived according to Emperor Dom Pedro's specification that the building be a "dazzling jewel." Brazil is also home to featured jewelry designer Antonio Bernardo.

FRANCISCA BASTOS DESIGN

Spring and summer are distant memories so let's make the most of Brazil's summer season by visiting Copacabana Beach.

Clear views of the ocean's vivid blue waters will be a little challenging since we will have plenty of company.

Brazil is also the home of featured jewelry designer Francisca Bostas.

MANOEL BERNARDES

Double Stone Gold Ring
with Diamond Accents

Smack dab in the middle of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is a centuries-old building known as the Paco Imperial Palace.

Built in the 18th century, the magnificent baroque structure served as a homestead for colonial governors. Brazil is also the home of featured jewelry designer Manoel Bernardes.

CHRISTO KIFFER DESIGNS

Today we visit a few of Brazil's historical sites located in Minas Gerais.  The country's colonial past is preserved in the distinctive baroque architecture of cities Ouro Preto, and Belo Horizonte.

Ouro Preto, in particular, was the center of a massive gold rush once the metal was found near the close of the 17 century. Brazil is also the home of featured jewelry designer Christo Kiffer.

ADRIANA CARADOR

The São Paulo Zoological Gardens Foundation in São Paulo, Brazil is a remarkable place. It is filled with information on animals as diverse as Spix' macaw to white rhinoceros.

It is the first Brazilian institution to participate in programs designed to protect the country's endangered wildlife. Brazil is also home to jewelry designer Adriana Carador.

LUCIANA CATAO

Today we are in São Paulo, Brazil . . . yeah . . . it's all about the beaches, isn't it? Let's not waste another moment because we've got places to see.

First, we will take a drive through the resort town of Maresias to the beach of Toque Toque Pequeno. We can then drive a few more miles to São Sebastiâo to Ilhabela, which has 40 beaches to explore.

Brazil is also the hometown of featured jewelry designer Luciana Cätao.

MELISSA MAIA

We are surrounded by so much natural beauty today; I don't know where to begin. We visitGrande Sertão Veredas National Park in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

The park's name was derived from Brazilian author Guimaraes Rosa's book of the same name [sans the national park]. As we walk along the park's trails, we may catch a glimpse of a giant armadillo, or a stealthy puma. Brazil is also home to featured jewelry designer Melissa Maia.

CLEMENTINA DUARTE

Today, we are in one of the largest cities in Brazil, Recife. As we stand underneath the awning of an impeccably blue sky with the warm sand beneath our bare feet, we have a wonderful view of the city's incredible metropolitan area. Brazil is also the home of featured jewelry designer Clementina Duarte.

What little girl hasn't fantasized about castles and princesses? Clementina Duarte was no exception.

Blessed with artistic ability, as a girl Duarte loved drawing images of royalty with princesses dressed in lavish lace and emeralds. Her early fascination with jewels and royal splendor would become a precursor for things to come.

Duarte boasts an impressive resumé spanning four decades. She has studied at the School of Architecture in Recife; enrolled in a Master's program at the University of Brasilia where, upon graduation, she taught History of Architecture at the Faculty of Architecture; she had an internship at the Institut d' Art et Métiers in Paris; and she has won numerous awards and displayed her innovative designs at many exhibitions.

Inspired by architecture and the magnificent flora of tropical forests, Duarte has designed alternately chunky and delicate designer jewelry. In 1982, after an exhibition in Abu-Dhabi of the United Arab Emirates, Duarte displayed her jewelry of pearls, diamonds, and emeralds in the palace of Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan and Queen Fátima Al Nahyan.

The designer's wares made an indelible impression as the royal family then commissioned Duarte to design and create jewelry for the wedding of one of their daughters. Duarte's beautiful designs have also adorned Queen Elizabeth II, Rosalyn Carter, and Hillary Clinton.

In 2006, Duarte released a book entitled Clementina Duarte - The Art and Design of Modern Brazilian Jewelry, which documents some of her work and includes 350 pictures of her creations. Duarte says of the book, "The book is a celebration of more than 40 years of creation and design."
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Photo 1 (top right): Gold Earrings from the Ritmus Collection
Photo 2: (bottom left): Gold and Diamond Necklace and Earrings from the Amazônia Collection