For our Founder and Creative Director, Valerie Madison, jewelry has always been about more than beautiful gemstones and thoughtful design. Each piece has the ability to hold a memory, represent a relationship, or carry a story from one generation to the next.
During Hispanic Heritage Month, Valerie is reflecting on the ways her Mexican heritage has influenced her as a designer, a woman, and now, a mother. In this first installment of our three-part series, she shares the personal meaning behind two fine jewelry designs: the Swan Pendant and Sacred Heart Necklace.
A Sacred Heart Rooted in Heritage
The Sacred Heart Necklace carries a particularly personal connection to Valerie’s Mexican heritage.
Growing up in a Mexican household, Valerie was surrounded by religious imagery and symbols, including the Sacred Heart. In her original Behind the Design story, Valerie reflects on seeing Sacred Heart imagery throughout her childhood and the nostalgia those familiar symbols continue to evoke.
“Being half Mexican and half Black and growing up in a Mexican home, the Sacred Heart was everywhere.”
For Valerie, the design became a way to take something deeply familiar from her upbringing and reinterpret it through her own contemporary jewelry language. She envisioned a simple, radiant heart in gold, inspired by the worn, coin-like appearance of a cherished keepsake.
Today, Valerie wears the Sacred Heart Necklace as a connection to her Mexican heritage and the upbringing that shaped her. The piece is both a reflection of her roots and a way of carrying that history forward.
As Valerie enters motherhood, that idea of heritage takes on an even deeper meaning. The symbols, stories, and traditions that shaped her are now part of what she hopes to share with her son, Rex.
Passing Down More Than Jewelry
Becoming a mother has given Valerie a new perspective on the idea of legacy.
When we think about passing something down, we often think of heirloom jewelry, family photographs, recipes, or treasured objects. But heritage can be passed down in so many ways. It lives in traditions, stories, symbols, values, and the little pieces of culture that become part of who we are.
For Valerie, her Mexican heritage is something she looks forward to sharing with her son, Rex. The Swan Pendant speaks to that idea of legacy and the desire to give the next generation something meaningful to carry forward.
Jewelry becomes particularly powerful in this context because it can physically travel through generations. A pendant worn by one person can eventually become part of another person's story, carrying with it the love and memories of the person who wore it first.
The Swan Pendant
The Swan Pendant represents Valerie’s passage into motherhood, family, and passing down heritage.
There is something especially fitting about using jewelry as a vessel for these ideas. A piece can be worn close to the heart, becoming part of everyday life while quietly holding a much bigger story.
For Valerie, the Swan is connected to the kind of legacy she hopes to create for Rex. It is a reminder that the things we pass down are not limited to material objects. They include our culture, our experiences, and the parts of ourselves we hope our children will carry forward.
Jewelry as a Way to Tell Our Stories
One of the things Valerie loves most about jewelry is its ability to become personal.
A necklace may begin as a designer’s idea, but once it becomes part of someone's life, its meaning can evolve. It can represent a culture, a relationship, a milestone, or a person we never want to forget.
For Valerie, the Swan Pendant and Sacred Heart Necklace connect her Mexican heritage with one of the most transformative chapters of her life: becoming a mother.
Her heritage is not simply something she looks back on. It is something she is actively carrying forward and sharing with the next generation.
And perhaps that is one of the most beautiful things jewelry can do: help us hold onto where we come from while creating something new for where we are going.
Discover the Heritage Collection
These designs are just a few of the ways Valerie’s heritage, family, and connection to nature continue to shape her work.
The Heritage Collection is deeply personal, bringing together pieces inspired by the celebration of culture, memory, motherhood, family, and transformation.
We invite you to explore the collection and discover the stories behind each design for yourself.
Visit us at our Seattle showroom to see the pieces in person, or explore the Heritage Collection online and find a piece that speaks to your own story, too.