Architecture of Radiance – The Jewelry of Diego Candelero
Can the proportions of an ancient temple or the light play from cathedral stained glass be transformed into earrings or a necklace? Brazilian designer Diego Candelero is a creative scholar. His collections are brimming with references to architecture, philosophy, and botany. Drawing inspiration from the intriguing sphere between science and mysticism, he adorns his creations in the luster and color of the most exquisite gems.
The jewelry of Diego Candelero is the discovery of chief editor Agata, brought from the JCK trade shows in Las Vegas. Though it’s a relatively young brand—established in 2019—it has quickly developed a distinctive DNA and style. Diego Candelero isn’t a jeweler from a long line of craftsmen; he studied business, architecture, and urban planning. He undertook a course in goldsmithing as a hobby, with the captivating intention of crafting jewelry gifts for his beloved mother. However, the world of sparkle completely swept him away—back in his hometown, São Paulo, he set up a studio, and later, the first flagship boutique of his own brand. Today, instead of buildings and bridges, Diego designs rings, bracelets, earrings, and necklaces, exploring connections between seemingly distant disciplines.
The Fifth Element
In the MAZE collection, Diego Candelero expresses his fascination with monumental gardens and mysterious labyrinths. The forms and symbolism of these outdoor arrangements inspired timeless, elegant creations in an old glamour style. In the ARC jewelry line, the designer tackles the engineering secrets of bridges, often incorporating the triangle motif, merging the wealth of cultural and religious contexts with the shine of gold, diamonds, tanzanites, and emeralds. The PENTAGON collection is prime material for a cultural-philosophical discourse—the designer reached back to ancient and Renaissance considerations of geometry and the meanings of shapes. One motif that particularly stimulates Diego’s imagination is the elements. Yet, it is not earth, fire, water, nor air, but ether—the mysterious fifth element—that stars in the Brazilian’s most beautiful designs. In ancient wisdom, ether was called the subtle space or invisible matter above the terrestrial atmosphere. In mystical interpretation, it was the sphere separating the earthly, material world from the divine. The JOURNEY collection is a phenomenal play between luster, color, and space. Diego Candelero develops the philosophical concept of ether into a metaphor for the evolution of the human life cycle. “Our goals, achievements, challenges, and experiences—each experience is a stage after which another follows. In this collection, space between the beginning and the end is the main medium—it represents the unknown, but also refers to the endless pursuit of knowledge and evolution during the Journey of Life,” explains the designer.
For Eternity
The marvels over Diego Candelero’s jewelry prompted an important reflection—there is a significant kinship between the ambitions of jewelers and architects. They are creators of works that will outlive generations. Both disciplines strive to tame and form stones and metals—the most enduring gifts of nature—into unique creations filled with mysterious beauty. Finally, despite vastly different scales, both architecture and jewelry are virtuoso plays of light, crafting in space. Are Diego Candelero’s collections only for erudites capable of deciphering all the codes and references hidden in the designs? Absolutely not. Just as one does not need to be an art historian to appreciate the beauty of Gothic cathedrals and the harmony of the proportions of the Acropolis, so too with the Brazilian brand’s collections—admiration is intuitive. The poetry of light, vibrating colors, and the subtle interplay between delicacy and strength—these will speak to every inner jewelry lover.
