Today in New York: Leticia Domingues
Leticia Domingues is a chemical engineer from Portugal. But when Leticia moved to the US, she transformed herself into a jewel designer and started crafting some very unique and beautiful pieces.
Taking advantage of a precision and neat-ness that only a true engineer to-the-bone could actually have, but melting these skills with a mediterranean and passionate soul, Leticia was thus able to find and feed her creative side…with really amazing results.
:: Why and when did you started Leticia Domingues? I was born in Portugal and I have a degree in chemical engineering. One day, in Germany, I saw a nice bead store, bought a bunch of pearls and didn’t know what to do with them. Then I discovered pliers — and my hands. After a while, in the United States, I became eager for more and start learning the basics of jewelry-making in FSG-NW. It was amazing, I fell in love with it! Back in Europe and living in Germany I decided to deepen my skills and went back to school for three years to get a degree in Jewelry design. During that time a friend of mine introduced me to etsy. Leticia Domingues has been existing since June 2008. I worked on it on and off until I finished school. Now that my studio is ready I am full of energy and ideas to make my shop pop!
:: Where do you get your inspiration from? I am inspired by things I see and touch. I collect everything that I find interesting, from plants to trash. Flea markets and second-hand stores are also a passion, there I can find tons of treasures and untold stories. Then I just let my imagination fly free.
:: Who is your ideal buyer? Most of my buyers tell me they love the unique nature of my jewelry. I love the personal connection to the customer, it is really a rewarding experience to be appreciated for the work you do. And an excited buyer, with a big smile of happiness is the best of all.
:: What is your favorite NYC place? I went to New York only once with my husband and we stayed in a small hotel in Chelsea. It was great! At the time we were living in a small town in Florida where you needed the car even to go to the next grocery store. Being able to walk almost everywhere was amazing and we spent the holidays on our feet. NYC by itself is one of my favorite places, and it’s long been overdue to come back!
:: Do you think New York can still considered the place-to-be for young creatives? How should I know, I haven’t been there for years! But seriously: In New York you just have such an hight density of museums, theaters, festivals, markets… there is just so much there to work with and to be inspired from. There are a lot of creative people and interaction always leads to even more ideas.
:: Where do you shop in NYC? Everywhere! I must say that if I would go now to New York I wouldn’t miss a really special store, a shop in the 46th Street that sells metals, tools and supplies for jewelers. It would be a disaster for my finances. And I wouldn’t miss the really tasty hot-dogs that you can get everywhere in the street.
:: If I say Italy, you say…? My friendly neighbors. I’ve been there last spring and I want to go back soon! Sun, nice people and delicious food… And also the food.
Francesca MasoeroFrancesca Masoero non è la campionessa di canottaggio che appare se digitate il suo nome su Google. È l’altra, la multitasker. Ha un (in)utile dottorato in cinema e marketing; racconta in modo non convenzionale e creativo New York, Torino e Bologna su NUOK e scrive di eventi, lifestyle e cultura per Lookout Magazine; si occupa di marketing, comunicazione, pr e web 2.0 tra Torino (la sua città natale) e New York (la sua città ideale). In più, a volte fa la stylist e a volte la cool hunter. È creativa, ma pignolissima. Sembra zen, ma è perennemente sull’orlo di una crisi di nervi. La salvano le piccole cose della (sua) vita: il rock’n’roll, la pasta al pesto, internet e il suo nuovo bellissimo frigorifero da 300 litri, pieno di quello che il suo fidanzato chiama “cibo da conigli”.
