Paola Chirinos

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I was born in the beautiful 'white' city of Arequipa on August 26, 1970. I grew up in Lima with my parents and three brothers. My mother created all kinds of crafts, and she was my inspiration when I decided to study contemporary jewelry in Santiago de Chile in 2006.

Due to my husband's job, I had the opportunity of living in several different countries. These travel experiences helped me develop an interest in the history of these countries, their culture, customs and different lifestyles, and I was able to appreciate their jewelry designs from a local point of view. On one of these trips, my artistic sensitivity flourished when I saw colorful gemstones and pearls while walking through a market. When I came back to Peru, I had a better appreciation of my own culture, and I discovered the beautiful geometric designs of our pre-Hispanic cultures, our gems and — above all — our silver.

"At first, jewelry was a hobby and I crafted it for myself. People began complimenting my work and asking for custom-made pieces. I realized that I wanted to create jewelry for others and also to make this art my work, as I could develop as a person.

"When I was a girl, my hobbies were dancing, handicrafts, sports and listening to music. Now I like decorating, contemporary jewelry, fine arts, visual arts and taking walks.

"I describe my art like this — since I like art in general, I have also always liked math. Basing my career on my jewelry design classes, my work takes the form of simple geometrical figures, where I try to depict the natural world. I use semiprecious stones that can be found in Peru, giving emphasis to Andean silver through different finishes, such as satin, which I find very elegant.

"I find motivation in the creation of new designs. It motivates me to craft something I like, a design that satisfies me, and that satisfies the person who wears it. What I try to transmit through my art is my way of seeing the world.

"All this 'adventure' for me involves personal realization, especially through something I like doing a lot and where I feel free to design.

"My greatest challenge has been to leave my career aside to support my husband's. But what was difficult in the beginning has become something very positive in my life, because it has given me the opportunity to develop in the jewelry field — not only as a person. Jewelry allows me to dedicate time to the education of our daughters, because am in control of my own time.

"I feel happy to belong to Novica."

Paola Chirinos' work has has been selected for the Concurso Nacional de Joyería 2010 in Chile and she also participated in "Cosmos" in Santiago de Chile where she won the award for creativity.