Valeria Vallarta Siemelink's Page

Objects of adornment have been a significant part of Latin American history. From the strong ritual, mystic and symbolic function of jewellery in the pre-Columbian era to shiny opulence that distinguishes the members of the Mexican drug cartels nowadays, Latin Americans have always had a rich, profound and intricate relation to jewellery. A new generation of jewellery makers from Latin America is interested in exploring that relationship and, at the same time, in observing jewellery outside its conventional frame. Latin American jewellery nowadays is able to generate both national and transnational communication and it is tremendously varied in its scope: figurative or abstract, conceptual or symbolic, traditional or experimental, it all has been created by committed jewellery-makers, heirs to a millenary tradition and part of a culture in which jewellery is a common language.