jewelry & wearable sculpture
Miami-based jewelry artist Coco de Salazar focuses on creating innovative wearable design out of her personal studio. 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.
Her most recent collection was showcased at the FIU Frost Museum’s in a 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 has been teaching fabrication and soldering, stone-setting, earring making, and ring making courses at Jewelry Creations Workshop in North Miami since 2018.
De Salazar is an advocate for the jewelry arts and holds the President-elect board position Women’s Jewelry Association (WJA), Miami Chapter. 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.
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.
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. WJA provides scholarships, grant, and mentorship programs to empower female and female-identifying persons working in the jewelry and watch industries. At the end of 2019, de Salazar was named the recipient of a full design scholarship to the “Jewelry Design and Technology” program at the Gemology Institute of America and currently studies 3D jewelry design.
