Stories of entrepreneurs: Handmade jewelry inspired by the traditional forms of the Mayan people

More than 25 years ago, Diana Carolina Vargas Guzmán's father started a fine jewelry business in Antigua Guatemala, Sacatepéquez, and over time they realized that sales began to decrease due to imitation of this.

Situation that led them to innovate and they decided to start with the company Los Colores de la Tierra, always focused on making jewelry, but now they would use ceramics as raw material.

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According to Vargas, everything has been "a process of trial and error, what is done by hand is crazy," says Vargas.

"I remember that 16 years ago, Mrs. María Ajicachi knocked on the door of the business and offered us her services as an artisan, she worked with the beads, and we told her that we were working with another material (ceramic), but they told us "give me material and I will do some tests", and since then we have been working with her", recalls the businesswoman.

Some of the products that the founders offer are earrings, necklaces and bracelets, but as a result of participating in the National Kakaw contest, they intend to work for collections of ten unique and different pieces.

The inspiration of the founders is based on the traditional forms of the Mayan people. Using the methods of local artisans and Jaime's (Diana's Father) experience working with ceramics, together they created the exclusive ceramic bead jewelry under the name of Los Colores de la Tierra.