January 4, 2023, 2:00 PM
January 4, 2023, 2:00 PM
Sofía Diez de Medina Tardío, is 33 years old, studied Marketing, and specialized in Gemology, in Buenos Aires, Argentina; she then pursued a postgraduate degree in jewelry design, at an art academy in Florence, Italy. With two creations, the salt flat piece and the Chiquitana crown representing two of the country’s cultures, she became the first Bolivian to participate in Milano Jewelry 2022.
How many years have you been engaged in goldsmithing?
Since I was 18 years old.
I trained as a goldsmith, at the Jewelry Educational Complex, from the age of 18 to 24.
Does the art of goldsmithing run in the family?
In my family they do totally other things, they are in other fields, but my mother is an artist of flowers and she has always worked in manual things, I think that I got a bit of that manual ability from her. Since I graduated from high school, I said I want to do this professionally, I want to create jewelry and get to know what that world of art is like.
What is called your personal brand and which people request your creations?
It’s called SDM. I love making artistic pieces, this last year I have had much more demand for designer pieces of jewelry, I also make a lot of wedding bands and engagement rings, which is something I really like because of the symbol and sentimental value that couples place on it. to the piece, it is the same effort that I put into creating them because in my brand we make the most personalized design.
Where have you come to exhibit your work?
I have come to exhibit my work in Barcelona (Spain), in Madrid (Spain) and in Milan (Italy).
What did it mean to be part of the Milan Jewerlry The Wekend event?
Surprise from the beginning because I was invited in March 2022 and the preparation for the event entails a lot of things. It was a great pride for me to be the first Bolivian to participate and to be invited as an artist as well. It was an exhibition of jewelry art and designer design. It was a dream come true. I never thought that at this stage of my entrepreneurship my evolution as an artist would go so far.
Were there exhibitors from many countries?
The Milan Jewelry The Wekend is the most important international jewelry event in the world because the level of artists and brands that participate includes everything you can imagine. From Latin America there were artists from Brazil, Chile and also the US, Canada, Israel was a global event.
Is goldsmithing a new field for women in Bolivia?
I believe that the female goldsmith in several countries is very common, but in Bolivia it is a bit strange and different that she is present, I know they exist, but the majority are men, but if one goes out it is the most normal thing in the world. I believe that the female goldsmith is very present in Europe and in our region they stand out in Argentina, Chile and Colombia, it is growing globally, before the most famous goldsmiths or those who were pioneers were men, but that has already given a change globally .
What do you consider to be your most emblematic pieces?
The ones that have given me the most satisfaction on an artistic level have been the two that I presented at the event. One from the Uyuni salt flat with very basic and traditional techniques and the Chiquitana crown with another type of design and manufacturing with much more technology, much more charged.
Apart from being an exhibitor, did it mean a great opportunity for your career?
The truth is that I did a lot of networking. It was very nice because I follow a lot of international people on the networks and I saw one or another that I greatly admire. Being in the same event was very satisfying for my brand and it opened many doors for me, something like a great blow of inspiration and made me want to continue working.
What do you say to people in the goldsmithing industry who dream of going far?
You have to believe in what you do and continue, innovate and improve. Be yourself more than everything.
How does Sofia create?
It depends on what or who the piece of jewelery is for. Going to the market, there are people who have a certain budget who want a certain design, there are many factors that one has to analyze before creating. It is a personalization that I take from all aspects of an exclusive order for each piece; There are also artistic designs in which the technique can be shown a little more or perhaps some mixture of materials. You have to know all these aspects to be able to start a jewel or some kind of story, a symbol that you want to represent of your culture.
Medium term plans?
Continuous improvement, capable of the occasional exhibition, but always focused on quality. My dream is to make fine jewelry that carries a lot of inspiration, unique details in the creation and professional preparation. I will always go towards that.
