Marcia Budet
Marcia Budet Jewelry
(787) 562-0315, marciabudet.com
Marcia Budet’s ties to Latin American culture — she was born and raised in Puerto Rico — gave rise to her love of jewelry.
“It’s all my mother’s fault,” she laughs. “My collection started as a baby. I still have my pearls from my first Holy Communion, and I also collected gemstones as a child.”
Under mom’s tutelage, Budet learned to commemorate special events with fine jewelry. For education, she attended the University of Puerto Rico to study environmental design, a pursuit that would give her a few design options, such as architecture. She took electives, including jewelry, as well as industrial design, and after graduation, got a master’s degree in architecture with a certificate in urban design from the University of Pennsylvania. Architecture looked like a promising path.
She wanted to mark the milestones with a piece of jewelry but couldn’t find anything she liked. Once again, mother’s input helped: “Design something for yourself,” she said.
Budet did, impressing friends so much they encouraged her to enter an Italian design competition. She won, twice, and somewhere in between the wins, was offered a job by the prestigious development firm Gensler. She turned down the position to pursue jewelry, heading back to school again at the Fashion Institute of Technology and GIA. All that architectural study? Redirected into jewelry.
Budet’s signature style is asymmetrical and geometric silhouettes in yellow gold and black rhodium with custom cuts of colored gemstones. “My hashtag is #elegantlybold — that’s what my clients tell me they see in my jewelry, how I describe my aesthetic and the woman I design for.”
In addition to being the esteemed recipient of the Cindy Edelstein Emerging Designer Award, Budet also took First Place for Best Earring Over $5,000 and Second Place in the Best Pearl Jewelry Over $5,000.
Necklace in 18K yellow gold with pink and light green tourmaline (0.15 TCW) and diamonds (0.12 TCW), $5,055
Earrings in 18K yellow gold with purple garnet, peach tourmaline, green tourmaline (all gems have a 0.45 TCW) and diamonds (0.15 TCW), $9,500
Ring in 18K yellow and blackened white gold with a 17.80-carat tanzanite and diamonds (0.91 TCW), $35,000