Ernesto Moreira
About
Jewelry designer Ernesto Moreira has been in pursuit of beauty all his live. As an artist raised in Both Spain and the United States, Moreira has always striven to integrate his experience of the two cultures within his work, keeping as him main focus his love of simplicity and detail. His artistic career began early, when he was only nineteen he had already been featured in his first gallery exhibit.
Moreira continued to exhibit throughout his college career, winning numerous scholarships through jewelry design competitions. As an undergraduate, he received his B.F.A. in jewelry design form the University of Houston. This was followed immediately by his M.F.A. in jewelry design form the Rochester Institute of Technology, School for American Crafts.
In 1998, moreira made the decision to open his own design firm. Success came quick, and the company soon expanded. By the fall on 1999 development of the company’s premier collection was well underway.
Launched in 2000, Moreira’s premier, signature collection received its first wave of national recognition in November of the same year, when Moreira was awarded 3re Place, Division II, in the American Gem Trade Association’s prestigious Spectrum Awards Competition. Since then, he has been a Rising Star in ByDesign Pavilion of the 2001 JCK Show Las Vegas. Next he was featured in the IJDG’s New Designer Gallery in the JA New York. He has been announced a finalist in the American Facet Award 2001 competition, and most recently, Moreira received Honors in the Tahitian Pearl Trophy 2001.
In 2005 Ernesto Moreira was commissioned by the Houston Museum of natural Science to create on-of-a-kind couture jewelry pieces form permanent display in the Lester and Sue Smith Gem Vault, a new addition to the Museum’s Cullen Hall of Gems and Minerals. The commissioned pieces showcase some of the world’s most magnificent gems, including a 168 carat yellow sapphire, a breathtaking 42.4-carat emerald, and countless Russian-cut diamonds.
The Look
Ernesto Moreira integrates his experience of the cultures of Spain and the U.S. within his work, keeping as his main focus his love of simplicity and detail. Originally inspired by the idea of an embrace – two contrasting forms, male and female, hard and soft, juxtaposed in harmany D Moreira began to develop his signature look. The result was a strong elegant mixture of clean lines, smooth finishes and vibrant colors all working and flowing together, each element complimenting and enhancing the other. Adding to this initial theme, Moreira also incorporates movement and versatility into the designs. Using delicate hinges, Moreira creates his jewelry so that almost all the pieces are able to move – an unusual twist that breathes life into the designs. Additionally, many of the pieces are designed to be interchangeable, allowing their owner to mix and match. This is accomplished through the use of different attachments, so that a single piece can be worn as a pin or pendant, a lariat or a pearl enhancer.