Sara Benavente knew she wanted to work in jewelry from a very young age. After studying fashion design and specializing in jewelry through different courses in Italy, USA or UK, she attended ISEM Fashion Business School to deepen her knowledge in the areas of innovation and sustainability.
Eight years ago, she decided to become an entrepreneur and created her own jewelry brand, Sara Benavente, where she uses the so-called Alchemy Method, a union between ancestral symbolism and fine jewelry that gives life to unique jewelry that connects with the essence, strengthens the potential and guides the daily life of each client.
Why did you choose jewelry?
My passion for the art of jewelry comes from childhood. It was my grandmother who introduced me to this wonderful world of precious stones.
After studying fashion design at IED in Madrid and Milan, I studied gemmology in the USA, Italy and Spain (GIA and IGE). I trained in appraisal, jewelry design, gemology, diamond grading expert, colored stones and experimental jewelry at Central Saint Martins (London).
Fashion has been of great interest to me from an anthropological point of view, and has awakened certain concerns about the way we communicate and about our identity. Fashion and jewelry share codes and common places, they involve symbolism since the origins of humanity and, above all, they bring a lot of visual beauty to the world.
Thanks to the combination of both, fashion and jewelry, I have forged a very global and precise vision of the mechanisms involved in the jewelry industry. Thanks to this, I have been able to create pieces of great aesthetic beauty inspired by the different periods of fashion history.
In 2013 you launched your own jewelry brand, what differentiates Sara Benavente from other jewelry firms?
My client aspires to own a unique piece that no one else will have; they are involved in every phase of the design and creation process, not only joining the experience but being protagonists. For this reason, I only work with a maximum of 8 projects per month, so that I can dedicate the necessary time and effort to them.
My brand revolves around symbols and the power that resides in them. I have found the one that connects with me, with my true essence, reminding me of who I am and the strength that lies within me. I want to share this benefit and help more women tell their own life stories, being a tool for self-expression and an avenue of communication. My goal is that they can celebrate themselves and invest in a unique High Jewelry design where the emotional value far outweighs the intrinsic value of the most special precious metals and gems.
Behind every symbol is a fascinating story that gives our present life meaning and balance.
The firm has a strong commitment to social impact, Do you think the fashion jewelry sector is evolving towards a more sustainable model?
Sustainability and social impact have always been very present in my project. Since my beginnings, I have produced my jewelry in Spain, specifically in workshops in Madrid, supporting the generation of local impact. I make pieces to order, so I do not have stocks or overproduction. On the other hand, my textile cases are made by Taller 99, a social insertion company of Caritas Madrid and my packaging is FSC.
In addition, I have had the opportunity to learn first hand about the Asian model and its "costs". That is why I advocate that it is of vital importance to support these Spanish master jewelers and their ancestral techniques that are unfortunately disappearing.
From the point of view of social impact, in the jewelry sector we face a major challenge: the sustainable management of the value chain. On numerous occasions, I transform old, inherited or disused pieces. In this way, the emotional value of the new creation is increased and its investment is reduced, giving the jewelry a second life.
My colored gemstone suppliers are audited and my diamond suppliers are Kimberley compliant. I am currently looking at incorporating Fairmined gold and buying gems directly from sustainable mining.
And is the jewelry consumer more aware of these issues or is there still a long way to go?
In my opinion, regarding the social impact of jewelry, the industry is divided, there are no grays.
On the one hand, there is fast food jewelry: inexpensive or medium-priced pieces that may have a low level of workmanship, contain synthetic gems, with color and transparency enhancement treatments, and non-precious metals with baths, without duly warning the buyer.
At the other extreme, we have examples to follow: individual goldsmiths or large companies where quality and training are paramount, supporting the arts, respecting culture, people and the environment.
I believe that consumers are more aware of the social impact of the industry, and I am confident that they will be increasingly concerned about it in their purchasing habits.
One of the current problems is greenwashing and lack of consumer information. For example, in the case of synthetic diamonds, it is true that they avoid a detrimental social and human rights impact. However, it has a negative environmental externality in terms of carbon footprint.
Where would you like to see your brand in a few years?
My goal is to be able to acquire all my gems from sustainable mining sources, benefiting those communities, and to be able to link my brand to a solidarity project that I feel committed to.
I would also like to develop in parallel capsule collections, more affordable, with limited series based on symbols of identity. In this way, my jewelry would be available to a wider audience and could help more women to connect with their essence and shine their potential.
In terms of academic training, Why did you decide to take ISEM's sustainability program, and do you think this type of specific training on the subject is necessary?
I have always been concerned about how to make this world a better place, contributing my small grain of sand. ISEM's Sustainability program has been vital to have a focus and materialize it. It is not enough to have a purpose, you have to be aware of the complexity of sustainability to carry out actions in the right way, achieving a balance between economic profitability and positive social and environmental impact.
How do you apply what you learned in the social innovation course in your daily life?
Both the learning and the learning path. In addition to the technical and conceptual knowledge, success stories and methodology, I would like to highlight and thank the high professionalism and experience of the faculty, at the same time so accessible and so human.
This program has helped me acquire a way to solve problems and make solutions tangible, thanks to its case method. In a very practical way, this method has taught me to make decisions in an agile way, especially when more people are involved. I am now better able to face and manage difficulties. In addition, the teaching material is part of my personal reference library on sustainability and social impact.
Finally, I would like to highlight the professional level of my colleagues. It was very enriching to be able to share experiences with other people from different sectors both in the classroom and on the trip where we took to the field and reinforced the contents of the Program. Together we were able to continue sharing learning with generosity and enthusiasm.
