Carmen Granados

"I was born in Amazonas and moved to Chiclayo, where I lived with my mother. I studied nursing and looked after my mother who was ill. When she passed away, I moved back to Bagua to live with my father. I worked at a state-run hospital there for three years.

"I lost the job at the hospital and, being a young woman with a child, I moved to Lima in search of better opportunities. My little girl gave me the strength to carry on, so I took jobs as a housekeeper, I looked after the elderly, I worked in retail and did a host of other jobs until I ended up working at a jewelry workshop. And this is how it all began!

"I started from scratch and learned everything I could, from the basics of polishing to conducting strict quality control. And here's where I met the man who was to become my beloved husband.

"Let me tell you about something funny that happened on my wedding day. The taxi driver who was taking me to city hall fell asleep at the traffic light! I had to jump out – wedding dress and all – and stop another taxi to try and get there on time! Can you imagine it? It was a funny moment in my life that I'll never forget.

"Today we work with high purity silver and semiprecious stones. My husband does the settings and I finish the pieces. We are constantly looking for ways to improve and continue growing so we may be able to offer jobs to people in our community. We hope you appreciate the hard work that goes into every handcrafted piece of jewelry."