Nube Indigo started with an Anthropological mind and purpose: to collect different objects from different places in the world (places ranging from any garage to the streets of Berlin) to then put them together in one same piece turning it into jewelry and art. Every piece is unique and asymmetrical. The ideas of movement, recycling, mix and matching, flowing, all hanging on different necks and ears. My inspiration source: Migration. People move, collect memories, share them, start new lives in different places, study with different people, work in different societies, build new cultures and even though politics doesn’t admit it, this is how a harmonized world should be, with freedom of movement and equal opportunities for all. This is why I yell to Arizona “Me la Pelas!”

Coney Island. Uff, good times. Nathan’s hot dogs, shoot the freak, fireworks on the boardwalk, ferry’s wheel, the Cyclone and of course, the haunted house. Carnival and freaks come together in a Brooklyn hip hop context. Graffiti and Jay-Z nostalgia. Arcade games and tattoo stickers. Fishermen at midnight and lovers making out. A tattooed serpent woman and a Harakiri dude. And 10 rides on the Cyclone, after many hot dogs and screams. I love Brooklyn.

Nube Indigo presents the Lola Collection, which features more traditional and elegant necklaces fit for every occasion. In this collection, semiprecious stones and unique handwork are combined with an attempt at highlighting every element that composes the necklace. For example, this necklace labeled Helena is made with round picture jasper, crazy lace agate, matte red smooth crystal, coral quartz, and laminated silver wire. Each of the elements stands out on its own and one can enjoy them individually as well as harmoniously combined. This collection names its necklaces after female actresses famous for their courage and uniqueness. This one after Helena Bonham Carter. Handmade in Brooklyn con amor!

And a bit of publicity in Nube Indigo, this post is dedicated to my amazing and talented friend Miri, who I nicknamed Queso. She is an amazing graphic designer and muralist. Though sometimes she likes to party too much…and I join her too!

Check out her work www.miriamcastillo.com

Sex, revolution, folklore and lucha libre. A perfect forumula for a good night out. This is a collage of Mexican posters from the 70′s in a tequila bar in El Raval: El Santo, the icon of Mexican wrestling sport; a mariachi band; Emiliano Zapata, revolutionary leader to protect indigenous land (Does the word Zapatistas ring a bell?); a guide on how to make love the right way; a Chicano Mickey Mouse; and pages from porn cheap comic books, the sort of bible for truck drivers in Mexico’s highways. Man, perfect propaganda to get drunk off tequila and mezcal.

Hecho con amor!

A boat, beneath a sunny sky
Lingering onward dreamily
In an evening of July –

Children three that nestle near,
Eager eye and willing ear
Pleased a simple tale to hear –

Long has paled that sunny sky:
Echoes fade and memories die:
Autumn frosts have slain July.

Still she haunts me, phantomwise
Alice moving under skies
Never seen by waking eyes.

Children yet, the tale to hear,
Eager eye and willing ear,
Lovingly shall nestle near.

In a Wonderland they lie,
Dreaming as the days go by,
Dreaming as the summers die:

Ever drifting down the stream –
Lingering in the golden gleam –
Life what is it but a dream? 

Lewis Carrol

*Design by Miriam Castillo

Nube Indigo collects stuff from anywhere in the world to create fine jewelry. A toolbox, for example, is a perfect place to find potential gems like screws and nails. A metal is a metal, it doesn’t have to shine like a diamond to buy its way into the precious stones world. Everything can become a gem to then become a jewelry piece, a decoration, a fun and unique decoration. This necklace is made with brown fossil stone, obsidian, a Swarovski crystal, silver plated wire, copper chain, a screw and a screw base. The outcome: a delicate and elegant necklace to enjoy.

Tulum. Summer 2011. A short flight from skycrapers to pyramids. In the same morning, I was leaving pressure, velocity, breath shortage and hunger to stand facing a turquoise infinity, silence, salty air filling my empty lungs and eating fresh nature produce that is served and charged for they way it should be served and charged for in the human world. From empty consumption to remembering how it was when we enjoyed bedtime stories. Thank the gods for human sacrifices.

A hand-sewn doll. Long, dark braids and smell of burnt tortillas.

A San Antonio candle to pray for marriage.

A ceramic miniature tea set.

A colorful plastic tablecloth, with flowers and stains of salsa.

A whole and eternal feeling of nostalgia.

Hell yeah, everything can become a gemstone, even a toy dinosaur from the “Real Size Dinosaurs” adventure park in Kentucky. My best friend and I drove from Southeast to Northeast USA. Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York…One of the most incredible things of the road trip were the numerous adult bookstores we found on the so-called Christian belt. The highways of Kentucky were loaded with these and while trying to find an exit to explore the contents of one of the bookstores, we ended up accidentally driving into a kids dinosaur park. Oh well, it was destiny. So instead, I bought a toy kit of little plastic dinosaurs. Damn it.  

Love…and scandal. And more love. If talking about inspirations here, to Nube Indigo, love is always an inherent one. This is a graffitti art I found in one of those narrow and beautiful alleys in Barri Gotic in Barcelona. I stood alone in front of it when walking after the market, just to contemplate it deciding that this particular piece was captivating because of the passion flow it transmits. I don’t know, maybe I was just sentimental, or high, but to me at that moment, I just felt LOVE.

Nube Indigo has temporarily moved to Barcelona and while exploring the city for potential jewelry material, it was almost inevitable to run into some meat. This picture was taken at a chain supermarket, those types of markets that anywhere in the world would always be identical, kind of like McDonalds, but that a little cultural touch is added somewhere in its installations. This is Cataluna. Bulls, pigs and veals are essential in daily diet. This ham section is located all the way to the back and downstairs, after passing aisles of cans and brands and trans fats, then one finds the light at the end of the tunnel..a choir singing and the real local deal. Mmmm the smell was so impregnating and delicious. Thank god for cured ham.

Mercados

These are some of Nube Indigo’s inspirations….and what better that San Miguel de Allende’s beautiful market “El Nigromante” where colorful flowers, fruits, vegetables, piñatas, arts and crafts, jewelry and Mexican typical food are sold. This is just a regular picture from my cheap camera on a beautiful summer afternoon. Here, one for sure finds any kind of material, smells, and inspiration to create a pretty piece of jewelry. Love it! Quién quiere unos romeritos??? o unos chicharroncitos con salsa?? Yo!

Silver plated wire…ahhh, makes me happy because from such a simple and playful material, many amazing shapes can come to life. Here, the wire transforms into tiny flowers with crystal buttons that connect to each other forming an elegant mesh. All you need is a pair of pliers and let your hands go into circles and twists. Yes, it takes courage and patience, but hey, watching a good tv show while drinking some wine..in no time you’d have elaborated something like this.

A couple of years ago, my best friend and I ventured to the Southern region of USA. We started in Austin, Tx and then drove all the way to New York City. It took us only 5 days; two girls, one ipod, cans of red bulls mixed with some 5-hr energy shots and Mexican Marlboro. Our favorite spot was New Orleans. We felt at home. For some reason, the place felt like an outlaw landscape, something we haven’t seen before, except in our dear town of San Miguel de Allende in Mexico. Our tears and hearts belong to that town and we felt a similar version of it in New Orleans. Great spicy food, friendly people, music in the streets, life all night, drinks in the street, sweaty winds and lots of fun. These are some bead necklaces we found in our drunken journey. A toute a l’heure, Nola!

Fritangas mexicanas

Another inspiration for Nube Indigo is the enjoyable Mexican brand of chips “Sabritas”. These flavorful chips, whether adobadas, limón, or just plain, are a definite bringing-back of childhood memories to every Mexican. Even for people who have just passed by Mexico’s highways, airports, or any border town…who cares for Lays?? Sabritas are the original ones…like Alejandra Guzman used to say, a que no puedes comer sólo una??!!