jewelry & wearable sculpture
Brooklyn-based jewelry artist Coco de Salazar focuses on creating innovative wearable design. She began her metalsmithing practice in 2011 and emphasizes stone setting precious and semi-precious stones, chain making, and chainmaille, working in gold, silver, and steel.
De Salazar’s jewelry straddles the line between aesthetic appeal, personal utility, and artistic concept. Her characteristic use of symmetrical patterning, eclectic incorporation of unexpected materials and stones, and the unique application of movable kinetic elements, result in innovative, one-of-a-kind pieces.
In 2018, a collection was showcased at the FIU Frost Museum fashion show, as part of the celebration of “The Art of Stonewall” exhibit, which featured over 200 works of art and related visual materials that explore the profound impact of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBTQ) liberation movement on visual culture.
De Salazar taught fabrication and soldering, stone-setting, earring making, and ring making courses at Jewelry Creations Workshop in North Miami since 2018. She commits herself to artist community engagement, and in 2019 she created and led a jewelry and metalsmithing studio for production work during a 3-month artist residency at Mana Contemporary in Downtown Miami, where she also hosted pop-up community workshops teaching soldering and fabrication techniques for the production of rings in sterling silver.
De Salazar is an advocate for the jewelry arts and held the President-elect board position Women’s Jewelry Association (WJA), Miami Chapter from 2018 - 2020. WJA provides scholarships, grant, and mentorship programs to empower female and female-identifying persons working in the jewelry and watch industries. The Miami Chapter holds monthly events that teach business skills in the industry, highlights successful female entrepreneurs and artists, and donates its time to assisting women in the community. On Mother’s Day of 2019, de Salazar along with fellow WJA board members taught a wireworking and beading class at a local women’s shelter, Lotus House.
In June 2019, WJA (national) announced de Salazar as the recipient of the Cindy Edelstein Design Scholarship at the annual WJA Awards for Excellent gala in New York City. From 2020 - 2021 she attended GIA and graduated with a degree in Jewelry Design and Technology, with an emphasis on CAD modeling.
She currently works out of her home in Brooklyn, designing and fabricating custom pieces. A stackable ring collection is sold out of Proprietors in Greenpoint (Brooklyn) and its sister store in Hudson, NY.
