Dark Brown Leather Jewelry Chest from Peru 'Dark Inca Sea' Item ID: 2677066288

Hola! I'm Julio Eugenio Sanchez Bernuy, born in the beautiful city of Huaraz. I lived there with my grandparents until I was nine, then moved to my uncle's house in Callao, where the schools were better.

My uncle worked with wood and leather, and I learned my craft from him. When I was just 12, he let me begin finishing small pieces like leather trunks and jewelry boxes. I loved the work so much that I'd swipe pieces of leather from other people in the workshop to practice leather embossing on my own. When I was 16, my uncle began teaching me the art of tooled leather. He was a master craftsman.

My work is a very delicate job, as it requires a lot of effort, dedication and especially, practice. I find motivation in my family. I believe that a child should go farther in life than his parents did, and that's why I want my children to become the best people they possibly can. I want them to triumph in life. If I have to work into the wee hours every night to make this happen, I'll do it because they are my soul, my heart and life.

I married quite young. Marriage is a union not to be taken lightly, and it took much patience to get used to my wife and her customs, as everyone sees life in a different way. I enjoy spending my free time with my family, and I also like to play foosball. But I dedicate most of my free time to our children.

Through my designs, I want to share my culture and our roots. And I also want to demonstrate the work of Peruvian leather craftspeople - we work in high relief, which is extremely difficult. It takes years to perfect the technique to the point that we become known as masters of our art.

I also strive to create better designs day by day, because you can't let yourself get in rut. To offer my work all over the world, I need the highest quality, as today's shoppers are more discerning than ever.

My art is a family heritage, handed down over generations of great masters in the art of tooled leather. I was fortunate to learn from one of them, and that has made me what I am today. Now my challenge is to do better with every passing day.

Thank you for your support - you motivate us craftspeople to continue improving our art. Thanks to you, we can give our children a better life so that they can achieve more than their parents. That is my dream.