Paula Mendoza: The Colombian Jewelry Alchemist Lighting Up New York
Paula
Mendoza
Paula Mendoza doesn't just design jewelry. She sculpts wearable narratives, blending Colombian heritage with Manhattan's electric energy. A former journalist turned goldsmith, she was ignited by a single course called Jewelry as Sculpture, and a pilgrimage through Peru's ancient filigree workshops crystallized the rest.
I met Paula a long time ago on a Brooklyn rooftop. She was so clear about her dreams and her goals. Watching her achieve all of that, seeing the passion and the energy and the joy she brings to everything she does. She really is something special. One of those people who makes you proud just to have known them before.
Every piece handmade by generational craftspeople in Bogota. Many have worked with her for over 12 years. Never mass-produced. Never rushed. Legacy over volume.
Her designs demand twirling, laughing, living loudly. Cuffs that mimic Andean rock formations. Rings that coil like Amazonian vines. "Making others glow. That's the real luxury."
Pre-Columbian motifs meet NYC edge. 18k gold, oxidized silver, uncut gemstones, intensely yellow Colombian 24-karat gold, and the best emeralds in the world. She says so, and she's right.
Paula was a journalist before she was a jeweler. It was a single course at Washington's Corcoran School of the Arts, Jewelry as Sculpture, that changed everything. A pilgrimage through Peru's ancient filigree workshops crystallized her vision. She launched Paula Mendoza in 2007, and has never looked back.
Her work is rooted in Bogota's Museo del Oro, whose pre-Columbian treasures, crafted by indigenous tribes before the Spanish conquest, inform her sculptural approach. She was also creative director of L.A. Cano, the oldest and most respected jewelry maker in Colombia, a family brand collaborating with native artisans for over 100 years.
Where do you find inspiration?
Creative moments are fleeting, so I act on them. My studio walls are plastered with napkin sketches, airport doodles, and midnight epiphanies. I'll see a cracked sidewalk or a bird's nest, and suddenly it's a necklace. I've had some of my best ideas on the New York subway. There's something electric about the chaos. Peruvian textiles, Mumbai's chaos, Parisian rooftops. It all seeps into my work.
"I mix vintage finds with modern lines. Why match when you can collide? Diana Vreeland taught me that style is personality set free."
What makes Colombian gold and emeralds so special?
The colour is amazing. I think Colombian emeralds are the best in the world. And I'm not saying that just because I'm Colombian. The rich, red-hued gold of my native country has inspired everything. My pieces are made from roughly hammered gold set with hunks of raw stone, and they look like otherworldly creations because they're inspired by the pre-colonial treasures in Bogota's Museo del Oro, crafted by indigenous tribes before the Spanish conquest. That lineage is in every piece.
What has been the most meaningful moment since you launched?
When Iris Apfel wore my piece, I cried. That's the magic. She represents everything I believe in: that jewelry should be an extension of personality, not just an adornment. And then there was the first order from Opening Ceremony, and Colette. But honestly, the most meaningful moments are with my artisans in Bogota. Many of them have been with me since the beginning. This isn't just art. It's legacy.
"True beauty should lift people, not just adorn them. Our pieces aren't just accessories. They're heirlooms."
Every piece handmade by generational craftspeople in Bogota. Many have worked with her for over 12 years. Never mass-produced. Never rushed.
Her designs demand twirling, laughing, living loudly. Jewelry that is an extension of the body. Art you can wear, and wear hard.
"True beauty should lift people, not just adorn them." Slow luxury, ethical sourcing, Colombian gold and emeralds, and soul in every piece.
The Paula Mendoza x J.Crew collaboration brought her sculptural vision to one of America's most beloved labels. Two collections, primarily sold-out, of 24k gold-plated jewelry designed with the same boldness and pre-Columbian inspiration that defines her own brand. Inspired specifically by the Quimbaya people of Colombia, the pieces included perforated orb rings, hoop earrings, and circular drop earrings in 24k gold-plated brass — sculptural, bold, feminine, and designed to be worn every day or dressed all the way up.
Perforated orb rings. Hoop earrings. Circular drop earrings. All in 24k gold-plated brass.
The Quimbaya people of Colombia. Pre-Columbian heritage translated into something you wear on a Tuesday.
Rave Royale: The Wedding
For a woman who has spent her career making things that are bold and alive and full of feeling, it made complete sense that her wedding would be the same. Paula enlisted her close friend Mariana Pinto, founder of Tierra Bomba, a Latin camp at Burning Man, to plan the whole affair. The logic was impeccable: "If you can do a camp at Burning Man, you can do my wedding."
The theme was Rave Royale. Guests were asked to wear black. Some of them were, in Paula's words, almost naked. "Everyone let their personalities come out in a very super sexy way." The music was handled by a lineup of five DJs, several of them friends from Burning Man. The quality was, naturally, fantastic.
For the boat ride, Paula wore a white minidress inspired by Pirate Radio and a Jean Paul Gaultier hat. For the party, a lace corset-inspired dress with thigh-high lace-up boots and a gauzy overlay. A perfect fit for Rave Royale. The ceremony was simple, 120 guests, a light meal. Then they went downstairs to the underworld and it was, as she describes it: "party, party, party, party."
"All our friends were saying: well, now we can guarantee that everyone looks good at weddings. Just ask them to wear black."
