Almost as an antithesis to the Carnivalesque chaos of Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, is a planned city, with wide, neat boulevards and a distinct modernist look, due to the many iconic structures built by renowned architect Oscar Niemeyer. This is where jewelry designer Carla Amorim grew up, and from which she draws most of her inspiration. Her sister Kelly Amorim, CEO of Carla Amorim Group, and business partner Rosana Otani-Warner were recently in Manila to launch the opening of the Carla Amorim boutique in Rustan’s Makati Silver Vault.
From the little she’s seen of the city, Kelly claims that Manila is beautiful and reminds her of Brasilia. Indeed we have a few buildings seemingly inspired by Niemeyer’s concrete designs, like the works of Leandro Locsin and Cesar Concio. And beyond our love of Havaianas, there seems to be a spiritual connection between the two countries. “We were at the Basel jewelry show. The buyers [from Rustan’s] came to us, and we fell in love with one another. They liked the collection,” says Kelly.
It’s not hard to see why. There is a certain magical element to Carla Amorim’s designs. Aside from the references to Niemeyer, Carla draws upon the natural beauty of cultural heritage of Brazil. The beach, surfing, the Girl from Ipanema, flora and fauna, ’50s bossa nova and Catholicism are all invoked in the assemblage of peridots, amethysts, topaz and quartz, in the delicately textured finishes of the gold, in the way the piece dances with the light and interacts with the movements of the wearer.
The “Flutante” ring is made of two layers, with a polished surface underneath and a laser-cut floral pattern on top, creating a sensation of energy and floating light, like a stained-glass window of a church. The “Universo” earrings are lightweight, dangly strands of polished 18-carat gold and precious stones on the front and the back clasp, giving three dimensionality and flow to the piece.
“She never designs something just normal, she always looks for a way to make it different,” Kelly says of her sister, who quit her job at the Brazilian Ministry of Environment to design full-time in 1992. The pieces are big, contemporary, but feminine at the same time, and have won celebrity fans like Rachel Weiss, Naomi Watts and JK Rowling. “The jewelry expresses the movement and spirit of the Brazilian woman,” Kelly says, and she and Rosana, both beautiful in their long printed gowns, try to explain what that essence is, but words need not describe what is already understood.