Jewelry designer takes family business into new century

Natan's jewelry designs are delicately constructed by hand. This necklace is part of a collection she compares with crochet

From Elsa Klensch
CNN Style Correspondent

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Miriam Natan designs creative, delicate jewelry with a movement and texture all its own.

It's modern, versatile jewelry that can be worn for day or night, never conflicting with a woman's style or personality.

"We cannot buy things to leave them in the drawers, in the armchairs, in the closets," she said. "You buy a beautiful bag, expensive bag, and you use it, and so I think jewelry is the same thing."

Her parents founded Natan, a successful jewelry company in Brazil, a half-century ago, but she only began designing jewelry 12 years ago. After pursuing a career in psychoanalysis, she studied under jewelry designers in Italy and Switzerland.

Now Natan is taking her parents' traditional company into the 21st century.

"I'm very aware of making jewelry, not heavy jewelry, but making jewelry as part of the new woman," she said. "Something that gives you some identity and something that makes you a little different."

The jewelry is subtle and intricately designed. Some of the collection resembles lace, "like you are making crochet," she said.

Natan uses many Brazilian stones, including amethyst, citrine, peridot and green tourmaline. She augments that with stones from abroad -- diamonds, emeralds, sapphires and rubies.

For one of her collections, Natan was inspired by candy; flowers were her muse for another. Natan also has created a collection of award-winning pearl jewelry.

Above all, Natan loves to design.

"When a customer comes, and she tells me what she has in mind, and then I can help her, you know to realize her dream," she said. "This is what I like to do best."

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