And living is a Golden State of Mind. Ai inspired design from a one of a kind; eclectic elegance.
--Nigel of California
California has long evoked dreams of a "terrestrial paradise" ever since the Spanish conquistadors gave the Golden state its name five hundred years ago. Derived from the fictional character of a black warrior queen named Califia, who ruled the land of California, alongside her
female warrior soldiers. This mythical land was said to have had hidden treasures filled with gold, pearls, and precious gems. This story can be found in the book, "The Adventures of Esplendián" written in 1500 by Spanish author, Garci Rodriquez de Montalvo. Later in 1542 the conquistador, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo upon arriving on our shores gave not only the state its name but also the name of my hometown, San Pedro, where he supposedly landed first. Our main beach, Cabrillo Beach even has a huge statue of him at its entrance. That same beach is where the Reggae Sun Splash Festival use to take place in the 1980's, back when the music was widely popular along the beaches of Southern California. As a child growing up in the beach suburbs of Los Angeles in the 1970's, I got to witness first hand the surfer and skate culture as my older brother and his friends were totally all about it. Pukka shell necklaces, Hang Ten shirts, O.P. shorts, and Vans were the standard uniform of the day. I spent my teenage years in the 1980's dancing to hip-hop, New Wave, and Reggae, while perusing high fashion and society magazines like: Elle, GQ, Town & Country,Vogue, and Connoisseur. Which my single mother of three, subscribed to so she and her children could learn about the finer things in life. Even though we lived very modestly, this allowed me to acquire an eye for detail and good taste in fashion and jewelry. Shortly after high school, I started buying my own magazines for inspiration, especially the pricey ones from Europe. I longed for distant shores, especially, London, England, where all the great electronic dance music was coming from in the late 80's. I just had to be a part of it so I worked diligently as a busboy in the best restaurant in my small beach town in order to save up the money to stay for what I thought would be only a few months but ended up being an entire year. Later after returning back to the states I moved to San Francisco where I studied Spanish and, Afro-Caribbean/Brazilian dance and culture, while earning a certificate degree in the travel industry. Since then I have worked for Singapore Airlines in Los Angeles, Escada/Saks Fifth Avenue in New York City, and then later as a not so great English teacher and waiter in Buenos Aires. I started making jewelry as hobby after I returned to California from Argentina. And soon my friends and family all wanted to wear my creations, so I decided to turn my hobby into a business.
