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Erick Gomez

"Hi! I'm Erick and I specialize in filigree jewelry. I started when I was 12 years old, since my family has been dedicated to this craft for generations. I left it for a while to concentrate on my studies and then got back into it – practically everybody in my family is dedicated to jewelry making. At first we sold to other vendors, until we realized we needed to look for other alternatives. One of my cousins researched the financial aspects and when we felt confident enough, we dared following other venues, which included joining a few NGO's. Our aim was to promote and preserve the jewelry tradition of our state, Oaxaca. Since then we've been busy exhibiting our work in various fairs and galleries, as well as offering training courses in filigree work.

"We work with techniques developed centuries ago. For us, every detail is important so we start by making the silver threads ourselves. We also craft and shape the different pendants and motifs by pouring the molten metal into molds made from a mixture of sand and oil. Once set, we cool the pieces with water and then cut each individual piece. Then we perforate them with an electric or manual drill so that we can thread them – this is perhaps one of the most crucial points in the procedure as it depends completely on the skill of the silversmith. We then file the rough edges and treat them according to the desired finish, polished, white, or burnished.

"The type of jewelry I create is but a small sample of my family's legacy, which has been carried down from generation to generation, proud of our Oaxaca heritage."