Soon Alberto Parada’s incredible jewelry will be draped upon the likes of Annalyn McCord, Jaimie Alexander, Kyle Richards, Victoria Justice and Nikki Bella as they walk down the red carpet of the 2014 Golden Globe Awards. I had the sheer pleasure of meeting Alberto Parada and previewing his exclusive red carpet jewelry collection for the upcoming award show in a private showing this past week, and then again at his Trunk Show at Readers Fine Jewelers. Handsome, warm, articulate, and savvy, Alberto is an incredible artist with a growing vision and unique sensibility. It is no wonder that the hip and fabulous are pining after his gorgeous pieces.

Couture Jewelry Designer, Alberto Parada, at his Trunk Show in Santa Monica at Readers Fine Jewelers (photo: Rochelle Robinson)

Deeply connected to his familial roots in Uruguay, South America, Alberto’s vibrant and subtle soft tones of the gems he selects are reminiscent of the brilliant colors that adorned his sweet grandmother’s hands and the colors of sunsets as they kiss the Atlantic Ocean. His pieces also reveal a unique architectural design sense. Growing up in New York amongst a family of architects and other fine artists, he was constantly surrounded by the process of sketching and the pulse of creativity, and soon found himself joining the ranks. Self taught as a jeweler, his couture pieces indulge in the beauty of both space and line, creating clean elegant forms that echo an architectural influence. Family, roots, experience, place, thought are all subsumed into each of his pieces, reflecting the generosity of his spirit.

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Also unique to Alberto Parada’s incredible collection of jewelry is his conscious effort to use gold, diamonds and gems that are purely sustainable. He uses reclaimed 18 karat gold; meaning that the gold he uses is from melted down and refined previously existing objects. Seeing first hand how minors suffer from their work as well as the strain mining has on the environment, Alberto has made a concerted effort to not aid in the continuation of the problem. The brilliant diamonds, set seamlessly within the lines of gold, are only conflict-free. And his gems from which he accrues from Brazil, close to where his family is from, are only fair trade. He’s a member of the “No Dirty Gold” Campaign and actually got his initial claim to fame when he launched his line at the fist Seattle Green Fashion Week in October of 2007 produced by the Zella Company.

Close to Parada’s heart too, are the charity organizations he’s supported over the years, including; United Cerebral Palsy, Professional Football Players Mothers Association, Under The Baoabab Tree, Fashion Fights Poverty, and California Wildlife Center to which part of the proceeds from Alberto’s Trunk Show sale at Readers Fine Jewelers will go. The CWC annual event has been a constant for Parada. It takes place in a Malibu mansion where they ceremonially release a nurtured bird back into the wild each year. It must be an awesome sight.

Alberto’s couture jewelry is not only gorgeous to look at and sumptuous to wear, but is created by an artist of substance and thought, and created with socially and environmentally sound materials. When you see his distinct couture jewelry adorned by celebrities walking down the red carpet of The Golden Globes this season, or if you have the opportunity to delight in wearing a piece yourself, you can honestly feel amazing about the sheer beauty of each piece in how it was conceived, created, and of course the overwhelming sensation you’ll get from all of the brilliant sparkles and luminous shine of the gold.