Another point of view

When I heard from my brother that our mom was going to start a jewelry business, I didn’t believe him. I just couldn't picture my girly mother at it again. Thinking that her working days were over when she left the glamorous world of Hollywood and finished remodeling our house, we were enjoying having her all to ourselves and liked seeing her as the mom who hosted pool parties, drove us to soccer practice, horseback riding, and a slew of other activities. Her transition into a business woman (again) either making jewelry or designing her website was a big change for everybody. Don’t get me wrong, her jewelry is stunning, but my siblings and I weren’t excited about getting less and less attention from her.

When we moved to San Francisco right after the launch of Designs by Alina, I began to understand that this type of business is hard work. Making the jewelry, designing the website, selling and photographing the collection, writing a blog, and keeping up with social media means that running Designs by Alina is not just about having fun creating pieces.

It's been two years now and my mother’s jewelry is becoming more and more elegant with diamonds, pearls, and gold. Within the first couple of weeks in San Francisco, a chic, beautiful boutique started selling her pieces on an enthusiastic whim! My mom's jewelry has now been featured in the San Francisco Chronicle and awesome fashion blogs.

She has learned how to divide her time between us and Designs by Alina. Would we like to have her all to ourselves? Sure! But I couldn’t be more proud of her. You go, Mom!

By: Gisella de Albergaria