Daniela Villegas Creations in Jewels
Daniela Villegas designs extraordinary pieces that come alive from the natural world around us. I have been coveting her glamorous feather earrings for sometime now and recently I had the pleasure of really getting to know her on a weekend jaunt to the Ojai pools. She really does have mermaid hair especially in the waterfalls!
1) What is your design process? What brought you to the love of the
natural world? My design process is to observe during the day and to dream at night. Every morning I sketched my dreams; sometimes words and sometimes I write the main idea. I dream my jewels until they have completed, if they are not finished at my dream I no longer do them. I am guided by these insights. My designs are very organic and try to convey happiness in each, and for me happiness is synonymous of beauty. Creativity and inspiration should not be in a hurry, just to have fun with it, since it is the first feeling that impregnate the piece. Mother Nature is my religion, I feel centered and in peace. Everytime I’m at the forest I feel I’m in “heaven”.
2) What inspires you? My inspiration comes from nature usually. The nicest thing about nature is that is not static, constantly changes and always brings surprises. For example, a tree grows through time, changing every season of color and texture, is affected daily for external agents such as air, dust, animals, etc., light hits a different way each time, is a living thing that looks different at every blink of your eyes. I love color and sunlight.
3) Are you a mermaid or forest fairy? Definitely forest fairy but with mermaid hair. Probably I would be the fairy that plays and contemplate the village and its surroundings, flying from a tree to another tree with my basket full of colors, sketchbooks and magic dust.
4) What is your favorite meal? Anything with avocado and I love dark chocolate. Mexican and Italian food. My favorite dish are the “escamoles” (the larvae of ants, In Mexico escamoles are considered a delicacy and are sometimes referred to as “insect caviar”) cooked with onion and butter and ‘chile verde’ on top of a warm tortilla with a little bit of avocado. INCREDIBLE
5) What book is on your nightstand? I love to read, I always have next to me “The Fairy Tales of Brothers Grimm” and “Guardians of Being” by Eckhart Tolle. Right now I’m reading “Freedom at Midnight” by Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins.
