Made in the South Awards 2017

Lina Rosa

Style runner-up Paulina Rodriguez’s hand-beaded geometric earrings range in size from stud to statement

Photo: ALISON GOOTEE

Bead earrings by Lina Rosa Jewelry.

Wielding tiny glass seed beads and fine thread, Paulina Rodriguez spends up to sixteen hours weaving each dazzling pair of geometric earrings in her collection. “I was so obsessed with beading when I was a teenager,” she recalls, “I had a beading desk in the living room so I could watch TV while I worked.” Even a couple of years as a behavioral therapist couldn’t get the bead monkey off her back, especially once she hit upon the vintage-inspired design that anchors the main line of Lina Rosa jewelry, named for her Polish and Puerto Rican grandmothers. Earrings frequently incorporate triangles (stud to statement-sized) and primary colors (but also neutrals and neons, depending on the season), and always pay homage to a friend or a relative. “I have photos of my aunt Jeanette wearing cool pants and a crop top next to blossoming cherry trees,” she says. “I knew I could turn that feeling into earrings.”

>Bead earrings, $30-$300 from linarosajewelry.com 


MORE MADE IN THE SOUTH:

>Style winner: Maho Shades
>Style runner-up: Lina Rosa
>Style runner-up: Jenni Earle
>Style runner-up: Blair’s Belts

See all winners and runners-up


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