ABOUT
Jewelry inspired by the
cultures and landscapes of New Mexico
Casa Catalina Jewelry carefully curates design motifs collected from travels abroad and combines them with the traditional arts aesthetic of New Mexico. The impetus is to create jewelry with a multi-cultural, yet distinguishably Southwestern feel and to celebrate our cultural connections through adornment.
Jeweler and lifelong traveler, Caitlin Velázquez-Fagley, keeps detailed notebooks with sketches of motifs and patterns that she notices when visiting museums and monuments. She returns home and applies those motifs into her work.
“I grew up with travel in my life and I began noticing that many cultures use the same motifs, or iterations of them, throughout history and from all over the world. What’s fascinating is that many of these motifs can also be found in the traditional arts of New Mexico. It’s incredible to witness our human interconnectedness through the arts.”
Caitlin meticulously paints each oil painting on wood panel, carves her models from wax by hand, and assembles the work by using traditional metalsmithing techniques. Each piece is designed to be timeless, statement and wearable for everyday.
Artist Statement
Caitlin Velázquez-Fagley is a jeweler, designer and lifelong traveler. She was born and raised in New Mexico and continues to create her work there.
Caitlin lived abroad in Spain for three years and upon returning, she enrolled in workshops to learn traditional metalsmithing techniques. After a year of developing many designs through practice and experimentation, Caitlin's work was featured in Vanity Fair UK.
She's taught stamping and repoussé workshops in Albuquerque as well as a semester at the Santa Fe Community College's Jewelry Program. She received a certificate in jewelry wax carving in Florence, Italy from Alessandro Dari to learn how to carve and sculpt wax by hand. She was selected nationwide as an emerging female jewelry designer for WJA's Jewelry Loupe Project in 2023. She completed the mentorship to create her Essentials line for Casa Catalina Jewelry which launched in 2024.