Last year on a road trip across the State with a girlfriend we got to talking about Villa Milagro. She said, "The jewelry you feature is so pretty, and your stories and historical references are interesting too," I told her I love jewelry, I love tiny objects, I love the history that you can hold in your hands, wear, use, and admire. But whenever I featured a new piece on my Instagram no one really engaged, I just didn't get it. She suggested a start a new Instagram account; one that features just jewelry and precious objects, which is freaking brilliant! See, that's the thing... you NEED feedback from friends and associates. They see things in a clearer light than you do because they're not up to their eyeballs in the minutia. I love constructive criticism, it is paramount to creating a better form of whatever it is that you're working on. So I did it; I launched Milagros' Curious Treasures on New Years Day. It's a little place for me to geek out on all the little baubles that catch my eye - whether precious, semi precious, or fashion. To wear, to use, to house the baubles. Victorian, Modernist, Mid Century, Artisan Made, there's no bias here!
I don't personally find this very interesting, but my friend also told me I should give a little bit of a bio in regards to my relationship with jewelry. I guess it matters, so here goes: I have a BA in jewelry and metallurgy; I'm a jeweler by trade. It was a really comprehensive 3 year program that included gemology, fabrication, casting, history of jewelry, lapidary arts, stone stetting, reactive metals, marriage of metals, forging, soldering, all the amazing facets of the business.
When I graduated I left the snowy North and started my career in Florida as a bench jeweler. I segued into jewelry sales and continued my education with the AGS (American Gem Society) and the GIA (Gemological Institute of America) at an independent jewelry store. It was there that I apprenticed and learned to string pearls, a skill I would carry with me to this day; I'm a full fledged pearl girl! I moved in to pearls next, fully cementing my passion for Mother Natures' most precious gems.
All my little stops along the way led me to the Home Shopping Network, in the Quality Assurance department. I spent years shaking my head at the talent that I was surrounded by in that department; we were inquisitive, educated, and worked towards the betterment of the product that was airing on TV. We were the jewelry nerds and it was glorious!
From there I made a brief stop designing fashion jewelry. That was a really interesting job; our firms' designs were then sold to jewelry designers and private label stores and sold under their name. My boss was an amazing woman who took this jewelry snob under her wing and really helped me grow.
My last formal stop in the jewelry business was as Product Development Project Manager. It was, quite frankly, a total dumpster fire, and was enough for me to start thinking about my next chapter in life.
And here we are. Yours truly, showing off her curated vintage finds. Every journey begins with a single step, and I've got some pretty fab finds to share with y'all! #milagroscurioustreasures
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