Making Miracles

Julyssa Rose makes miracles, hand-crafting delicate milagro charms as talismanic messengers. Her practice, with its roots embedded deep in Latin America's history of folk art and religious tradition, is deeply personal as she fuses ancestral wisdom with individual experience. Each charm is a memory, a wish, the pull of nostalgia, the glittering horizon.

Julyssa's brand, July Rose Jewelry, is a story told in silver and gold. It's who she was and who she wants to be, all the different versions of herself merged into one. It's a timeline, collapsed. It's a collection of charms threaded along a chain, a stream of images seared into memory, a string of sentences unfolding into a fairytale.

can you tell me a bit about yourself?

My name is Julyssa Rose. My birthday is July 1st and I really do love roses. A deep, velvet burgundy is my favorite color. My Horse Milagro remains my favorite necklace of all time. I am an artist and always have been, with my primary outlet being writing and storytelling, which is how July Rose Jewelry came to be. I love cloudy days the best, I collect tea and perfume, and have a new puppy named Florence. I love to travel and I love being alone.

when did you first start designing and making jewelry? what drew you to this specific medium?

In 2018, I started designing and making jewelry with my mom. From 2018 to 2020, we made jewelry from different mediums. We started with painted wood, then transitioned to natural wood. Our designs were complex and abstract, and we had this little creative business that was fun and launched me into my jewelry career now. I never felt fully satisfied working in the wooden medium, [though]. I wanted to make things that I could shower and swim in and be a mess in, but that process was vital to reach this point in my career today. I was forced to fulfill my creativity with a medium I didn't fully love, so I had to create work that I did love. That challenge pushed me to learn so much about my desires and inspirations.

In 2019, while still in college, I designed the Nani Hoops, which would become my first piece of metal jewelry I ever made. However, at the time, I only drew them out and wrote where I would like to wear them. This was pre-pandemic, and we had a graduation trip to Paris coming up in the spring of 2020, which of course got cancelled, but this is where I envisioned wearing my Nani Hoops. At this time, I didn't even know a single metalsmithing term, but I knew I'd figure it out. Towards the end of 2020, I was obsessed with learning and spent all of my free time researching jewelry-making, and then sprung into the actual handcrafting of my metal jewelry at the beginning of 2021.

what is the spiritual significance of a milagro charm?

"Milagro" means miracle in Spanish. As a Latina artist, it was vital for me to add aspects of my culture into my work. Milagros can be found in many different shapes and are often made in tin, silver, or brass. They can be [used as] decor for your walls or found as jewelry charms. You can find them in hand shapes, feet, various animals.

They are meant to be given as gifts to signify healing, physical or spiritual, but have the same spiritual effect if you acquire one on your own. I like to see it as something you can set your own intentions into, similar to my overall perspective and relationship with all things spiritual or religious.

you've described july rose as an ode to both your younger and future selves. how does this manifest in your work?

This is really the baseline of every single piece I create. July Rose Jewelry wouldn't exist without this sentiment. Each piece I create and you see has a story of my past or future embedded into it. For example, as I am working on a piece of jewelry, I am thinking about where I will be when I wear [it]. The most vivid example of this is my Ancient Curve earrings. They are so simple and raw, but I envision myself wearing the gold ones in my future farmhouse with my partner, and we're eating dinner [by] candlelight, and the glow from my earrings is like its own little light.

Then you see something like my Horse Milagro, which was inspired by summers at our family ranch, collecting horseshoes and petting horses. When I wear [it], I am connected to my younger self, honoring her and her strength. This merging of gratitude for the past and excitement for the future has transformed my life.

your jewelry is meant to be worn, loved, and passed down. do you have an heirloom piece that's been shared amongst your family members?

Interestingly, I don't, really! I don't have any memories of family members or grandparents adorned in jewelry that I always admired or anything like that. However, I have a pillowcase that was my grandmother's that I treasure and will use in my future home. I love that an heirloom can be anything with profound personal value. However, I have definitely already been making personal works in solid gold with the intention of sharing them with my children and grandchildren.

you were recently commissioned to create a july rose piece for a couple's engagement. can you tell me about the process of designing this piece? how did it feel to be involved in such a special moment?

The process of [making] this piece was similar to the process of [making] all my other pieces. Any piece you see of mine has been made with utmost love and intention, so this process was very similar, of course with some logistical components added. To have been thought of for such a special moment was peaceful and surreal and really all I have ever wanted. This will not be the last of this 1/1 creation I make, and I have so many ideas for any inquiring minds who want the magic of a July Rose piece in their life!

what have been some of the greatest challenges and rewards of starting your own business?

The greatest challenge has been the feeling of never, ever being satisfied. I learned recently that I will always demand more of myself, and nothing is ever enough. I think that all artists or entrepreneurs feel this way. However, identifying this has changed [my] mindset and I am so grateful for the messy, rocky process and I'm enjoying every phase of it.

The rewards are endless. The best part has been finding folks similar to me, who want to be a part of my dreamy universe. As a chronically lonely person, this world I made that used to only live in my imagination has granted me infinite company. Also, not having to set an alarm in the morning is probably the best part of entrepreneurship.

what advice do you have for budding creatives?

Get off of social media for an extended period of time. When building my business [in 2021], I logged off for most of [the year] and then launched at the end of 2021. During that time, I visited museums, read many books, created moodboards, journaled, wrote tons of poetry and stories. Without the influence and comparison from social media, I was able to hone in on my personal style and genuine inspirations.

what's next for you and july rose jewelry?

Expanding July Rose Jewelry beyond jewelry is what I can say for now. July Rose is a cozy and welcoming universe and jewelry is the first physical manifestation of that. Of course, I have so much unique jewelry on its way as well, and that will always be the primary focus of my brand. I will be pouring more of my heart into the Poetry Postcards and monthly Secret Door newsletters as well.

Originally published July 15, 2024