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Franco Varela Mendez

Franco Varela began creating filigree jewelry with techniques he learned from his older sister as well as from his travels and studies throughout Mexico. Franco's designs range from the simple and elegant to the bold and sultry. Each piece is personally designed and handcrafted by Franco himself. Each piece is thus unique and has its own history.

Born in Aguascalientes and raised in Guadalajara, Franco is an artist in every sense of the word. His extensive travels throughout Mexico and the United States have moved Franco to absorb everything he sees around him and use it in the creation of his unique pieces which incorporate the ancient and the new. Franco combines metals and colors that are most representative of him and his beloved Mexico. Each jewelry item is unique and innovative – a veritable work of art. Franco works with sterling silver, copper, and bronze which he expertly combines with gemstones native of Mexico and Central America such as amber, quartz, turquoise, and black obsidian. While his designs blend the old and the new they mirror the meeting between pre-Hispanic and Hispanic artistic tendencies that make of Mexico the mestizo nation that it is today.

Fascinated by Zapotec centers in Oaxaca such as Monte Alban and Mitla, Franco finds inspiration in Zapotec artistry, where a spiral signifies the continuance of life and squares represent the origin of life such as seeds, roots – the feminine side of life.