Luz Camino The Stargazer

The dreamer. This is the nickname with which Juliet Weir-de La Rochefoucauld, author of the book "Women Jewellery Designers," introduces Luz Camino in the chapter on artists who endeavor to represent nature through jewelry masterpieces. «I thinks that “The Stargazer” does not depend so much on the fact of having created a large number of items inspired by the cosmos and constellations. I believe instead that, having known me for a long time, Juliet wanted to pay tribute to my constant research into stones and innovative materials for jewelry. My desire to approach this world always with new ideas. What defines an item of jewelry is the concept and materials used, which, in my opinion, don’t necessarily have to be precious in the classic meaning that we all know. To have an item of value, I like to use resin, for example, and combine it with precious metals and stones. That’s what I did with a brooch I made this year. It all began when I found a piece of 18th century lace. I decided to make it into a brooch to represent the story I had “read” in its weave: someone had torn it from a belt together with the buckle. And so I initially recreated a new decoration with stones and then I made a broken buckle, “encrusted” with gems. This just goes to show that even a simple decoration can be brought back to life and become a unique and unrepeatable jewel. And it is exactly this exclusiveness that keeps me away from the social world. I don’t feel the need to get myself seen and I don’t believe that the social logics help those who claim to be exclusive.» And while she prefers the shelter of her Madrid studio, where she has been working for over 40 years, to social media show-off, Luz Camino did not hesitate to fly overseas to cross the threshold of Bergdorf Goodman, America’s number one Mecca when it comes to contemporary, cutting- edge jewelry. «I had always and only worked with private, European customers. But when a dear designer friend of mine introduced me at Bergdorf, I opened a new frontier and started relations, ongoing now for 15 years, based on trust, esteem and freedom. Because I am free to create the jewelry that I most “feel” as mine, always one-of-a-kind, of course, and that sells very well thanks to the trunk show formula.»