About

Brand Statement

Through Ofrenda jewelry, Cecilia wants to help people reconnect with their hearts by seeking wisdom from ancient principles and inspiration from the natural world.

She hopes to create jewelry that empowers your inner strength, inspires personal growth and moves you towards your mission. By focusing on the wonders of nature and humanity’s cultural traditions, Ofrenda jewelry cultivates an ever-deepening relationship with the mysteries of life by means of jewelry, the most ancient form of adornment.

Cecilia draws inspiration from mythology, archetypes, primitive symbols and ancient civilizations. She believes prehistoric sculptures, cave marks, Neolithic pottery and figurines and primitivism in all its forms, tell us something important about ourselves. It informs our present about how humans once venerated the life-giving powers of the universe and how they recognized their oneness with all of nature. They help us remember we are all part of a complex and interconnected life system.

Her jewelry is also influenced by the rich array of symbols from nature found in these ancient civilizations. These symbols range from life sustaining elements like water and plants depicted in geometric patterns to realistic, life-like renditions of everyday objects all the way to highly stylized and abstract images from nature. The idea is not to replicate these artifacts but to explore design elements, examine visual relationships and break down the mechanics of design into pieces of jewelry.

Cecilia seeks to understand these ancient elements as a source of inspiration to help us unravel the spirituality of our ancestors and use it in our daily life. These patterns, shapes and forms give us clues to understanding the universe, our place in it and how we can tap into timeless principles to live a more fulfilling life.

"Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside dreams, who looks inside awakens" C. Jung

 

Designer Bio

Cecilia, founder and designer of Ofrenda Jewelry, is a Jewelry Design graduate from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) with a previous degree in Architecture. She discovered her passion for jewelry while beading ethnically-inspired necklaces for former colleagues, she once sold 30 pieces in a single afternoon!

Her journey into the world of jewelry started at a career cross-roads, where her creative past beckoned her to pursue jewelry as a way to express herself and re-connect with art. She was inspired by traditional global jewelry with its deep connection with mysticism and transcendence. Fast-forward 10 years, her love of primitivism and ethnographic art still prevails. She also admires the work about myths of Joseph Campbell, Jungian books about archetypes and pre-historic symbols and humanities' mystical traditions.

With close to a decade working in the jewelry industry, Cecilia brings to her work design knack and ethical interests. Prior to starting her jewelry career, Cecilia worked in social development projects promoting social protection, disaster relief and livelihood opportunities. She’s a member of the Women’s Jewelry Association and Ethical Metalsmiths, as well as being a Fairmined Licensed brand.

When she isn’t going for walks, spending too much time watching documentaries, taking art courses, procrastinating about exercising or buried in books she’s likely researching design elements derived from nature.

Responsible Sourcing Practices

At Ofrenda Jewelry, we are striving to reach the highest standards in responsible sourcing practices. This is a journey of continuous improvement towards ethics and transparency in the sourcing of our materials, and the making of our jewelry in a socially and environmentally responsible manner.

We are taking small steps and will continue to raise the bar for Ofrenda Jewelry as time goes by.

We are guided by the following principles:

INTEGRITY & TRANSPARENCY - we promise to lead an honorable business and be honest about the materials we use while disclosing publicly as much information as we have available.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT - our commitment and what gets us most excited is to work with artisans and mining communities to support their efforts and have fulfilling livelihoods.

NATURE STEWARDSHIP - we strive to source our materials with the least harmful impact on the environment, understanding the limitations from being part of an extractive industry.