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About

My name is Maribel, Mari for short, and I am the creative source behind MariRu Design Studio. I have been creating jewelry since forever and it wasn't until recently that I decided to make it an important part of my daily life. While I have a BA in Chemistry and Spanish, I have always had a passion for creating things and let's face it, my little stint as a classical guitar player was not enough to fulfill that creative side, so I decided to pursue my jewelry making activities instead.  

My favorite job ever was at a specialty bead store in Washington, DC which inspired and motivated me to continue my education in jewelry making and allowed me to complete a couple of introductory silversmith courses in addition to the classes I've already completed in basic beading, wire wrapping and advanced wire wrapping techniques.

I currently reside in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico and continue to be the designer, marketing specialist, administrator, shipper, customer service rep, and photographer of MariRu Design Studio.

Life is good... in Sunny Puerto Rico.

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What a year 2019 has been!

I am so grateful for the many good things I have experienced this year.  However, I am sad to say that I lost one of my aunties earlier this year because of a mass transportation bus running over both my aunts while they were crossing the street.  This tragic and unexpected loss has put a damper on my happy moments and accomplishments for 2019. I am feeling super excited to have participated in some awesome local artisan markets and events that have allowed me to grow my jewelry business. I'm just going to share a few of the moments that have made 2019 a great year to me and my handmade business despite all the heartache! My uncle Angel has really been an angel this year.  He has helped me a couple of times when I really needed help. Here at Plaza de Colon in Old San Juan Once in a while I make new handouts So grateful that I can participate in the Artisan Market on weekends at Pase La Princesa in Old San Jua The UPR Rio Piedras campus is one
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I finally got my Artisan Certification in Puerto Rico

I am very excited to have finally gained my certification status as a Puerto Rican Artisan!  I have been trying since 2011 to achieve this and now I am so happy, excited and marveled by how easy, yet so painful the process was. There is actually a Law that governs the artisans in the island.  Known as Law Number 166 from August 11, 1995, this law defines what is an artisan, the categories of artisanal products, how the artisans are regulated and what agencies are in charge of doing so. More specifically, Puerto Rican artisanal pieces must be made in Puerto Rico, by a resident of Puerto Rico, made with materials found in Puerto Rico, hand made with original designs that represent Puerto Rican culture. There are over 30 categories of artisanal pieces. The certification lasts for five years, although artisans must go annually to receive a letter to be exempt from collecting IVU (local sales tax). The interested candidates must go to the Compania de Fomento Industrial (known locally as
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Gem Lace Wire-Wrapped Earrings Tutorial

I like working with wire and gemstones and needless to say I like wrapping wires around gemstones. I made earrings like this a few years ago using pearls and to this day I still have them and get a lot of compliments whenever I wear them. These earrings are super easy to make and the materials are fairly simple: 1 strand of round gemstone beads (between 2mm to 4mm) 10" - 12" sterling silver wire - 26 gauge  to 28 gauge, I prefer to use 26 gauge 2 large hole sterling silver beads (2mm -4mm) 2 sterling silver hooks Tools: flat nose pliers round nose pliers flush cutter The final size of the earrings is determined by the size of the gemstone beads.  Also, I listed round beads because they give the most symmetrical shapes when wire-wrapped. In addition to my round gemstones I made earrings using rice-shaped fresh water pearls and while the result is still lovely, the earrings were a bit more challenging to make because the size of each individual pearl has to be &q
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