From Brazil with Love…Behind the Scenes with Carol Brodie & Graziela Kaufman
Exclusive. Extraordinary. Fabulous. Unique. Magnificent. Exceptional. Rare. This is the only way that I can sum up this amazing collection entitled From Brazil with Love…. collaboration between two girlfriends who happen to be incredibly passionate about life, love, family, friends and gems. For my very first Trunk Show, I wanted to create a capsule collection of jewelry celebrating gems uniquely featured in breathtaking one-of-a-kind designs. From Brazil with Love is the result of a unique partnership between my new and dear friend Graziela and me. Graziela was born in Brazil where she spent her childhood studying the remarkable natural resources found in her own backyard. Brazil is home to many of our most beautiful treasured gems including agate, quartz, tourmaline, aquamarine, citrine and even diamonds. She started her career as a jewelry designer and has been the behind-the-scenes source for some of the wealthiest women in the world. Her passion and love for magnificent jewels was cultivated by her own mother’s amazing collection.
After seeing me appear on the Today Show last summer, Graziela contacted me. We spoke on the phone several times and sent each other photographs of our favorite jewelry designs and gemstones. I flew to Chicago to meet her and fell in love with her before ever seeing her fantastic gems. We have a similar design aesthetic (we both love big important jewelry) and our personalities, passions and joy de vivre are a perfect match. I asked her to source some amazing gems from Brazil for Rarities. We realized that everything we loved would be too important to produce more than one of, so together we decided to create a collection of one-of-a-kind Rarities. Via trips back and forth to New York (can you believe that her parents’ just happen to live in the same apartment building that I do) and Chicago and lots of phone calls, we came up with a Trunk Show full of the most fantastic jewelry. Graziela went to Brazil and sourced the gems and we began working with her atelier to produce the collection. Once completed, we realized that our love of for each of these jewels and the incredible gems represented more than jewelry… each magnificent piece was symbolic of our new friendship. Unique, rare, one-of-a-kind, sparkling, brilliant and created from a passion, warmth and a kindred spirit.
I must confess that I also added about five other pieces to the Trunk Show because they are my favorites and I had been holding them and waiting for an opportunity to share them with you. So, my first Rarities Trunk Show includes 21 masterpieces featuring intricate workmanship, fine quality, colorful and unique gemstones all exclusively presented to HSN’s jewelry connoisseurs who appreciate nature’s most precious gems and jewels.
Lots of love,
Carol
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| Graziela and Carol both love estate jewelry and are inspired by books and auction catalogues. Here they are obsessing over an Art Deco jewelry book. | | Great designs come from both women… each has a unique perspective and their collaboration comes from their passion for magnificent gems. |
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| Graziela works at the jeweler’s bench and is about to set a magnificent aquamarine into its new home; a diamond pendant. | | At Carol’s office in Manhattan, the two designers test the wear ability of each jewel by trying on everything… “we both love the jewelry so this could have been our best day ever!” |
