Using an innovative mix of natural and repurposed materials, Junaiska Geferts is on a mission to make sustainable jewellery that speaks to the uniqueness of who we are. Giselle Laronde-West reports
Curaçao native Junaiska Medienne Geferts started her Bold Fashion brand 12 years ago, making one-of-a-kind jewellery from unconventional materials — mainly from the trusty calabash, which grows abundantly across the region.
Inspired by Iris Apfel, her signature pieces are bold, boho and bright, symbolising transformation and growth. Combining natural materials like calabash shell and seashells with colourful beads, semi-precious stones, crystals, pearls, and hand-painted finishes, her creations — which she designs and hand crafts herself — are strikingly different.
Her journey began in elementary school where she learned the basics of jewellery making. Her mother nurtured her burgeoning passion by buying supplies for her and her sister. “Everything I learned after was self-taught, fuelled by curiosity, passion, and a deeper calling to repurpose meaningful materials into wearable art,” says Geferts.
Geferts grew up playing under calabash trees at her grandmother’s and great grandmother’s houses, never thinking that they would one day be so instrumental to her work. For Curaçaoans, the calabash tree symbolises resilience, beauty and heritage, she says, and she believes it is the best medium for her jewellery.
A popular, versatile fruit — known in Curaçaoan Papiamentu as kalbas — the calabash’s stropi kalbas (calabash syrup) is used medicinally, while its pliable shell can be transformed into bowls, utensils, musical instruments, and jewellery.
“The calabash cannot be easily manipulated, but you can create different shapes with it,” she explains. “When you break it open, the possibilities are endless … For me, that means that each piece is as original, authentic, and unique as possible.
“For earrings, I combine the pieces in the shape they break, and match them with each other as closely as possible. No one piece will ever be the same as the other. For me, this reflects human nature. We are all different. Even our own eyes, ears are not exactly the same as the other. So, each piece of mine gets a unique name that connects with its wearer, providing inner strength, confidence and growth.”
She occasionally sees some creations vividly in her dreams as well as the names of her collections, and she always experiments with the calabash to capture Curaçao’s vibrant culture and the natural world around her. She also takes special requests from clients who sometimes ask for specific designs or for certain elements to be included.
In 2022, under the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI), she was selected to attend an all-expenses-paid programme in the United States offering business training and membership.
Bold Fashion has been featured in several fashion shows and, last year, began expanding their presence online (boldfashioncuracao.com or @boldfashioncuracao on Instagram), and plan to launch new collections and host calabash jewellery-making workshops internationally, in addition to their local pop-ups. Geferts also hopes to collaborate with boutiques and stylists across the Caribbean and the USA.
She encourages other aspiring jewellery designers to embrace the slow growth journey and create freely, with purpose. “I envision my brand becoming a recognised symbol of Caribbean creativity worldwide, and hope to continue promoting sustainable, meaningful fashion, and creating wearable art that celebrates Caribbean identity and encourages authenticity,” she says.