Mercedes Salazar

MERCEDES SALAZAR is jewelry and accessories you'll recognize instantly by their wild colors and absolutely crazy material combinations. The brand's founder, Bogotá native Mercedes Salazar, dreamed of becoming a jeweler since she was seven - and it seems her childhood excitement still hasn't faded.

Every piece of jewelry, every accessory is handmade: the brand works with over 200 artisans (mostly women) who pass down traditional techniques from generation to generation, plus a team of 60+ people in their own atelier in Bogotá.

But what they create! Legendary Colombian emeralds from the Muzo mines are woven with gold thread into fibers from dried palm leaves. Pieces of fabric are sealed in transparent acrylic, like insects in amber. Buttons, nuts, old coins - anything can become part of the design. Finding two identical pieces is simply impossible.

The brand's products are sold in 19 countries, but in Colombia prices are much lower than in Europe or the US. Plus here you get the full collection - jewelry, accessories, bags and wallets, home items...

The flagship store is located in Bogotá, in the El Retiro shopping center in the upscale northern part of the city. Here international brand boutiques stand alongside top Colombian designers, surrounded by business centers, restaurants and art galleries.

Another signature boutique is located in the southwest corner of Cartagena's historic center - a colonial quarter under UNESCO protection. Cobblestone streets, colorful colonial houses from the 17th-18th centuries, flower-filled balconies - this is classic postcard Cartagena, where every other building is either a gallery, a restaurant with Caribbean cuisine, or a boutique of local designers.