Life & Work with Carla De La Cruz of Highland Park

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carla De La Cruz.

Hi Carla, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I took a metal arts class during my architectural studies at CCA in San Francisco. I found it came naturally to me, working with metal and soldering. I didn’t pursue my interest in jewelry making until after graduating and working for a few years as an architect. Once my husband and I moved to Los Angeles I switched gears and started making jewelry while working at ZIPPER near West Hollywood. It was a great experience and I learned to develop my style while working there. The owners Steven and Elizabeth encouraged me to put my jewelry out in their cases. This was the starting point I needed. It allowed me to talk directly to shoppers and opened the door into making custom pieces, which I still love to do. Years later, I’m still doing jewelry and the best part of my business is doing in person shows. Shoppers want to hear my story and I want to hear theirs. Along with selling online and at art fairs, I have begun teaching 11-18 year olds intro and intermediate jeweler my making at Trellis Learning in La Canada. It has been the most rewarding pivot I have done yet. The students are extremely creative and am inspired by their excitement to create!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road to here has been full of bumps and turns and a few stops along the way! Running a jewelry business on my own has taught me so much but it’s a lot to juggle, especially after having my son in 2008. I stepped on the brakes and took time off for 3 years to be with my son who is now 17. It was a really special time in my life.. in 2011 I started back up. My recent teaching experience is another turn in the road and I’m so glad I made it. I’m not one for gate keeping. I love sharing my techniques and ideas. Especially with these young students. We’ll see where I go from here. I am contemplating holding workshops for adults, so planning for that has just begun.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My jewelry is inspired by nature and the people around me. So many of my designs have sprung from conversations or collaborations with customers, family or friends.
I use sterling silver, gold filled and brass. Hand forming all my components and soldering them so I can infill them with resins, clay, or crushed stones.
My astrology line is most popular. I’ve created little slices of the night sky and put them in pendants. The most recent addition to my galaxy line is the solar system that has the Milky Way running through it.
I’m most proud of teaching my classes at Trellis Learning.
I think what sets me apart from others is that I’m always trying something new. A lot of my jewelry design lines are very different from each other because of this. I love to experiment and learn new techniques, I think that’s why I love teaching so much.

How do you think about luck?
I think the recent downturn in sales because of the changing economy and metal prices going up has actually helped me try something new. The opportunity to teach came up right when I was looking to find another way my jewelry making passion could bring in more income. I’m very fortunate to have this happen at this time in my life.

Pricing:

• Astrology and solar system necklace – 95.00
• Anthos jewelry 45-95
• Elafri jewelry- 35- 95

Contact Info:

• Website: https://carladelacruzjewelry.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carladelacruzjewelry?igsh=MW5heDdlY28zcnhxNw==
• Facebook: Carla De La Cruz Jewelry