Award-Winning Fine Jewelry Designer Debra Navarro Steps into Success

In her office, she sees those famous three words that started it all: CHASE YOUR DREAMS. “Someone said, ‘If you can conceive it, and believe it, you can achieve it,” Navarro, who did just that, says. “Some days I almost can’t believe this, but it is just what I dreamed and envisioned all along.”

Navarro is modest, as in this very short time, she has already achieved numerous accolades, including the 2019 JCK Tucson Industry Choice Award, INSTORE magazine Design Award for Colored Gemstones under $10,000 and the coveted Cindy Edelstein Emerging Designer Award.

“I’m honored and grateful that taking a chance on these rough gems and combining them with a couture-type of attention is being well received. We have a greater story to tell, and this attention will help to get the mission of the brand out,” she says. It’s safe to say that for Debra Navarro, fine Jewelry design is a force to be reckoned with.

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“I thought I would just see a documentary on gemstones, but it was very different and very much about the human spirit. Instantly, I felt compelled to go to and learn more about the mining process and this other side of fine jewelry that I had never been exposed to before,” she says.

Within two months, she was on a plane to East Africa on a trip led by Roger Dery, the award-winning gem cutter who’s featured in the film.

Tanzanite Mine

Tanzanite Mine

She credits Dery with introducing her to what is really happening on the ground regarding mining and gemstones, and the needs of the local people. This is the fuel behind Debra Navarro fine jewelry designs.

“I came home from that trip a changed person with a new purpose,” Navarro says. “After seeing the miners do what they do with so little, I was asking myself, how could I be stopping myself from doing what I’m passionate about? I took that lesson from them and made the leap of faith that I can and will do this; that I can make these images in my mind into jewelry, and that’s what I did. I love that.”

That was 2015 when she declared her path, and her path seemed to provide an invisible string of connections that brought her to today as one of the best fine jewelry designers. One of those powerful mentors was Cindy Edelstein, who Navarro called out of the blue and gained sage advice. Sadly, Edelstein passed away shortly after that, but Navarro took her message and carried on…today to be named the recipient of an award in her name.

When sketching, I slip into a peaceful state, recalling memories of my favorite places like sandy beaches, rocky trails, and meandering rivers. I call this the ‘barefoot state of mind’ and hope this serenity comes through in my designs,” she says of Debra Navarro jewelry. “With my sketchpad, I started mindfully reflecting on the detours, roadblocks and crossroads along my journey; that are all represented in the Barefoot Collection. I may not have appreciated them at the time, but they’ve led me exactly where I need to be.”

With pieces named Leap of Faith, Stepping Stones, Pebble and Crossroads, the very personal connection to her journey is clear, and isn’t it possibly our journey as well?

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“When I started designing, I started playing and moving them around on a piece of paper. I couldn’t bring myself to facet these gems in a traditional way. They needed to be in jewelry, but in their rough shape, which is so beautiful,” she says of the beloved Debra Navarro cute jewelry collection.

You will find one or two carefully placed facets which Debra calls a Tenda cut. Tenda means “to do” in Swahili, reminding the wearer that even though they can’t see it, their purchase leads to exponential growth for the people living and working in mining communities.

The people she met inspired another initiative to use her success as one of the best fine jewelry designers for good: the concept for a non-profit that would be supportive to the mining communities she visited. The man who introduced her to this community, Roger Dery, and his wife Ginger and daughter Rachel give their time and resources to provide for the most important needs of the community—maybe it’s a guitar for the church.

She and others wanted to honor what they were doing and encouraged a more formal way for all of them to give back. At that point, Gem Legacy was born.

“I am so happy that I was there for the seed of an idea for this. And then to grow with the Dery’s and see the impact of the giving is a really fulfilling part of what we’re doing,” Navarro says, proud that 100 percent of the donations are given back to the community

What’s next for Navarro? “We want to just extend our reach to the consumer and share what these gems are doing. I hope we’re able to gain lots of collectors and to help share the stories of the growth that is happening and will continue to happen over the years,” she says.

Debra Navarro is passionate about providing education and vocational training for the children in the mining community where she sources gemstones for her jewelry.

“I love these kids. Now we’re going on five years, I’ve seen them grow. They are precious individuals, and they deserve a good life,” she says. Navarro is committed to supporting the Mwatate Children’s Home, and her fundraising efforts are focused there right now.

“Part of my mission is to work with individuals or organizations that share similar ethos—social responsibility, ethical work and sustainability. It’s more than making pretty jewelry, it’s about doing more,” Navarro, who is currenting engaging in some interesting conversations about the future, says.

So, you could say that with every day, Debra Navarro lives what she believes, and every day, she chases her fine jewelry design dreams.