Every garden has someone who believes in flowers they will never see.
That’s hope.
Not wishing.
Not waiting.
Planting.
At the center of this pendant stands La Catrina, but not the one most people think they know. She isn’t here to remind us that life ends.
She’s here to remind us that beautiful things keep growing long after we’re gone.
When I started building this piece, I knew it had to begin with Royston turquoise. Royston has always felt alive to me. Its blues carry the color of open Nevada skies, while its greens feel like sage after rain. Every stone tells a slightly different story, which is exactly why I wanted them together. I wasn’t looking for matching turquoise—I was looking for harmony.
I laid every cabochon across my desk until they stopped feeling like individual stones and became a landscape.
Then I handed that landscape to Jesus Vega.
His silverwork did something I never expected. Instead of placing La Catrina on the pendant, he nestled her inside it. Suddenly the blossoms weren’t decoration anymore—they became a garden. The turquoise became the earth beneath her feet. Every twisted bezel became another winding path through a place that exists somewhere between memory and imagination.
That’s what I love most about collaborating with Jesus.
We don’t start by asking, “What should we make?”
We ask,
“What story deserves to become silver?”
Artifact Registry
Maker: Jesus Vega for Hespera Jewelry Co.
Collection: Hespera × Jesus Vega
Artifact Type: Figurative Floral Cluster Pendant
Materials: Sterling Silver & Hand-Selected Natural Royston Turquoise
Stone Curation: Eric Ruyak
Silverwork: Entirely hand fabricated by Jesus Vega
Center Figure: Hand-fabricated La Catrina
Weight: 58 grams
Construction: Hand-fabricated sterling silver pendant featuring ten individually bezel-set Royston turquoise cabochons, sculpted sterling blossoms, hand-twisted wire bezels, oxidized finish, and oversized concealed bail.
Origin of Stone: Royston Mining District, Nevada, USA
Era: Contemporary
Collector’s Gallery Value: $1,495
An estimated gallery valuation for an equivalent work presented through a premier Southwestern art jeweler. This valuation reflects the originality of the design, the quality of the Royston turquoise, the extensive hand fabrication, and the artistic significance of the Hespera × Jesus Vega collaboration.
Field Observation:
An unusually narrative composition that blends Mexican folk symbolism with Southwestern silversmithing. The carefully curated Royston suite creates a living landscape around the central La Catrina, while the sculpted blossoms soften the composition and reinforce the themes of remembrance, renewal, and enduring beauty.
Eric’s Notes from the Field
I think my favorite jewelry asks you to look twice.
The first time you see turquoise.
The second time you notice La Catrina.
The third time you realize she isn’t the subject at all.
The subject is what she’s protecting.
To me, this piece is about leaving the world a little more beautiful than you found it.
Maybe that’s all any of us are really trying to do.
Every garden has someone who believes in flowers they will never see.
That’s hope.
Not wishing.
Not waiting.
Planting.
At the center of this pendant stands La Catrina, but not the one most people think they know. She isn’t here to remind us that life ends.
She’s here to remind us that beautiful things keep growing long after we’re gone.
When I started building this piece, I knew it had to begin with Royston turquoise. Royston has always felt alive to me. Its blues carry the color of open Nevada skies, while its greens feel like sage after rain. Every stone tells a slightly different story, which is exactly why I wanted them together. I wasn’t looking for matching turquoise—I was looking for harmony.
I laid every cabochon across my desk until they stopped feeling like individual stones and became a landscape.
Then I handed that landscape to Jesus Vega.
His silverwork did something I never expected. Instead of placing La Catrina on the pendant, he nestled her inside it. Suddenly the blossoms weren’t decoration anymore—they became a garden. The turquoise became the earth beneath her feet. Every twisted bezel became another winding path through a place that exists somewhere between memory and imagination.
That’s what I love most about collaborating with Jesus.
We don’t start by asking, “What should we make?”
We ask,
“What story deserves to become silver?”
Artifact Registry
Maker: Jesus Vega for Hespera Jewelry Co.
Collection: Hespera × Jesus Vega
Artifact Type: Figurative Floral Cluster Pendant
Materials: Sterling Silver & Hand-Selected Natural Royston Turquoise
Stone Curation: Eric Ruyak
Silverwork: Entirely hand fabricated by Jesus Vega
Center Figure: Hand-fabricated La Catrina
Weight: 58 grams
Construction: Hand-fabricated sterling silver pendant featuring ten individually bezel-set Royston turquoise cabochons, sculpted sterling blossoms, hand-twisted wire bezels, oxidized finish, and oversized concealed bail.
Origin of Stone: Royston Mining District, Nevada, USA
Era: Contemporary
Collector’s Gallery Value: $1,495
An estimated gallery valuation for an equivalent work presented through a premier Southwestern art jeweler. This valuation reflects the originality of the design, the quality of the Royston turquoise, the extensive hand fabrication, and the artistic significance of the Hespera × Jesus Vega collaboration.
Field Observation:
An unusually narrative composition that blends Mexican folk symbolism with Southwestern silversmithing. The carefully curated Royston suite creates a living landscape around the central La Catrina, while the sculpted blossoms soften the composition and reinforce the themes of remembrance, renewal, and enduring beauty.
Eric’s Notes from the Field
I think my favorite jewelry asks you to look twice.
The first time you see turquoise.
The second time you notice La Catrina.
The third time you realize she isn’t the subject at all.
The subject is what she’s protecting.
To me, this piece is about leaving the world a little more beautiful than you found it.
Maybe that’s all any of us are really trying to do.
