One way or another, a career in jewelry always seemed like it would eventually find designer Monica Sordo.

In her own words, the idea to start her brand was born out of a “sixth sense” by ways of her Venezuelan roots and parents – her father worked in an industrial design workshop and her mother came into silversmithing after retiring from banking.

But Sordo’s native city of Caracas is one of the main sources of influence for her work, and a big intention for the designer is to educate others about her homeland, shedding light on the incredible beauty, diversity and wealth of inspiration to be found.

The city she grew up in was highly defined by its position as capital of mid-century architecture and design, as well as the waves of creative movements in Modernism, Kinetic and Op art led by Venezuelan visionaries like the late Carlos Cruz-Diez and Jesús Rafael Soto. These luminaries drew international allure and invited global artists like American sculptor Alexander Calder, German-French sculptor Jean Arp and Italian architect Gio Ponti, whose work remain part of the country’s infrastructure and also served as the backdrop to a young Sordo’s formative years.

Her love of culture and curiosity led her abroad to study in Milan, landed her a gig as editor for Spain’s newspaper El Pais, in the fashion closet at Marie Claire, and eventually to at the Christian Louboutin offices in New York with hopes to eventually pursue her dream as fashion editor.

After years of working in the industry, she began to suspect that her calling lay elsewhere, and Sordo returned south.

“It’s really interesting how this change of career brought me back home,” Sordo said. “It reconnected me on a very strong level, and through my work and explorations, I rediscovered more about my culture and heritage, not just as someone from Venezuela, but as a Latina going back to the whole region.”

Her homecoming journey introduced her not only to the pre-Columbian magic in her own country, but also in the rest of the Andean region including Colombia, Ecuador, and eventually, the place where she now produces all her jewelry, Perú, with a team of artisans from San Juan de Lurigancho.

Social responsibility plays a major key in her business practice, empowering her fair-trade artisans who she has been working with for over half a decade, and factoring sustainability as another pillar with small productions and long-term commitments.

“Sometimes it is said that we empower them, but for me, I always like to say first that it’s a collaboration and they empower me because they make my designs possible,” she said.

All her memories by the sea in the rich sand with family in Puerto de la Cruz, Baroque pearls from the island of Cubagua, or the gold sun and volcanic rocks on the island of Bonaire are reinterpreted into her jewelry today through inlaid stones like black onyx from Cusco, delivering a sensory final product through her artisan’s excellent handmade craftsmanship that is one of a kind. No two pieces are ever alike.

A past brand campaign called Permanencia del sur (or Permanence of the South) spoke about the interesting phenomenon of how for many of us Latinxs, our dream was coming to the north, to immigrate with hopes of having a better life. But now, we’re turning inward and seeking closeness to our roots and heritage.

For Sordo, “it’s about making something permanent that transcends beyond a moment in time, that you can pass from generation to generation, but most importantly, that you can buy one of my pieces in 20 years and it’s still current.”

Editor’s Note: This feature is part of an ongoing editorial series celebrating Latinxs in fashion during National Latinx Heritage Month.  Click here to access the series.