Follow your Passion: Valerie Parisius makes non-traditional jewelry

Sometimes you discover that there are some very talented people in your own network. That happened to me a few months ago, when two of my friends shared photos of their friend- Valerie Parisius – on their facebook timeline. It were pictures of jewelry she had designed. The colours and designs jumped off the screen, and I immediately got in contact with her. I just had to feature her on 30s Magazine. It turns out we have eight mutual friends and Valerie has a lot more to share than just her jewelry. She is also an illustrator, and she did something that most of us would like to do, but don’t dare.

Valerie Parisius, originally from the beautiful island Curacao, a small island in the Caribbean, moved to the Netherlands to attend college. She started a career as an accountant, but then decided to follow her heart and take a leap. First as a textiles designer, and later as a globetrotter.

Valerie explains: “During my journey I kept a diary. It was my vehicle of meditative art therapy, in which I wrote every day and soon started to draw as well. My journal helped me heal myself. I used color and details to express myself and deal with my emotions and experiences”. It didn’t take long before her diary took a life of its own.  Valerie is now exhibiting her journal’s illustrations at her travel destinations. She also sells postcards, iPhone covers, art prints, and stationery (buy here) . One thing lead to another and she also started designing logos, book covers, giving art workshops and designing her own jewelry collection.

Her jewelry is vibrantly colored, different, and a mix of ethnic chic and bohemian. Her designs are inspired by the places she goes and the people she meets. While traveling she soaks up inspiration at local markets, from nature and by taking in the local colours. “I get inspired by traditional techniques, that I make my own by giving it a contemporary design and by using non-traditional materials and colours”.

She uses materials she finds at local markets like waxed cotton thread, metallic lurex yarn, and hand-dyed yarn. “I don’t look at the traditional jewelry materials. Instead I go with what is available on location and work from there”. Valeries designs are her own taste and she doesn’t follow trends or cares about what sells. “My jewelry is for women who like details and colour and are not afraid of eccentric or different designs. Women who don’t follow fashion trends but just wear what makes them happy”. Visit Valerie’s Etsy shop here.

Photos courtesy of  ©Valerie Parisius

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