Marcia Budet turns from architecture to award-winning jewelry design
The Puerto Rican designer finds success with bold, personal designs.
Creating her first piece of jewelry for her First Communion with her mother’s help, Puerto Rican architect turned award-winning jewelry designer Marcia Budet has long embraced the meaningful connection between design and personal milestones.
“I don’t shy away from the fact that I am an architect,” Budet said in an interview with News is my Business, describing architecture as the core identity of her jewelry line.
“Since I was little, I started marking special occasions with a piece of jewelry. For example, for my First Communion, my mother and I designed a set of pearls that I still have to this day,” she said.
Budet transitioned from architecture to fine jewelry after earning her master’s degree in architecture at the University of Pennsylvania. Looking for a piece to mark her shift from student to professional, she found nothing that matched her vision.
“I wanted something that made a bold statement and I couldn’t find it,” she said. “And my mom said, ‘Marcia, you can design buildings — why don’t you design a piece of jewelry for yourself?’ So that’s what I did. That first piece, which I still have, was a double ring I manufactured in Old San Juan.”
Soon after, a colleague admired the ring and encouraged her to submit it to a design competition in Italy. She did — and won a gold award.
“That definitely got my attention,” Budet said. “The following year I won another award in the same competition and decided to move to New York City to build my business.” There, she completed courses at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) and the Gemological Institute of America.
Budet began building her clientele gradually, taking custom orders while studying brand management and shaping her business on her own terms.
She now sells through her sitio web and at private showings. “I have my own private client’s purse and if I eventually have to do it, I will open a shop,” she said, adding that she hasn’t lost clients by not having a physical storefront. “The truth is that I like to have control of my time.”
Budet’s statement-making pieces feature classic lines and are designed “for the not-so-shy, elegantly bold woman.” Her collections are crafted in 18-karat gold and sterling silver, using precious and semi-precious stones. She also creates custom pieces for private customers.
Her jewelry has been sold in stores in San Juan, Manhattan and the Hamptons in New York.
“As a business decision, right before the pandemic started, I decided to sell directly to the consumer and create that relationship directly,” she said.
Budet has gained customers through events, exhibits and speaking engagements. “If you have a good product and you provide a good customer service experience, word spreads.”
“Last year was particularly remarkable for me,” she added, noting that the American Gem Trade Association awarded her Manufacturing Honors at its prestigious Spectrum & Cutting-Edge Awards for a pair of Colombian emerald and diamond modular earrings designed for a private customer.
She was also featured in “Women of Jewelry,” a book launched at Sotheby’s New York that showcases the work and interviews of 100 women fine jewelry designers from around the world.
“I am the only Puerto Rican featured in the book,” Budet said.
