Divina Carvalho

A friend, a founder, a fellow mother, a designer, Divina is one of the most beautiful people I’ve had the honor of knowing. She is as beautiful inside as she is outside. 

Her east coast roots, with a home base and family in LA, make her a go-to jeweler for people like SZA, Jorja Smith, and Snoh Aalegra. Having worked in the industry both under folks she admires, as well as in her own, she launched Divine Individual in 2014. She’s built a name and brand for herself with rings made of special stones and the bracelet I’m wearing right now, custom name plates and engagement rings, and collab pieces with brands like Spotify. 

Now we get a chance to make our own charm bracelet with her next month for our upcoming event. 

Photography by Amanda Villarosa

Charm Bracelet 101 with Divina Carvalho

Date: Sunday, November 10

Admission: $100

Where are you from and where do you live now?

I am from the smallest state! I was born and raised in Providence, Rhode Island. I am now in sunny Los Angeles, California. I live just outside the city. Close to the mountains and national forest.

Do you ever think you’d move back east? I know there’s always an east coast west coast pull.

I consider moving back home at least once a week haha. I miss the east coast so much! And since starting my own little family in LA, it has made me miss my big family even more. We travel there pretty often but I think it’s safe to say my roots have grown deeper now in California. There is so much to love here! The beaches, scenery, weather, constant amount of amazing things to do and eat. I do know that if we completely left the state I would miss it so much. It’s my dream to be fully bi-coastal with a home on each coast.

What were your ambitions when you were younger?

I knew from a very young age that I wanted to work for myself. I have very vivid memories of elementary school age Divina starting a dog walking business (always loved dogs!) and charging neighbors to walk their dogs for them. I “designed” flyers with Word Art on my family computer and printed them out to hang up with some friends.

I’ve been into sneakers since childhood and always loved to draw and be creative. At one point, my dream job was to be a shoe designer. Through my work in being with the Jordan Women’s Collective, I got to experience a taste of that with the sneaker I co-designed with my cohort!

Did you always know you’d work in jewelry or something in the creative field?

Yes, always. I have gravitated towards creativity and designing from a young age. When I am drawing or designing it is when I feel like the truest version of myself. I didn’t know it would lead me to jewelry design, but I like to think my late grandmother Betty had a hand in that. She had her own costume jewelry company and I have so many memories of sitting in her lap while she packed pieces or going through her jewelry drawers when I visited. 
When I moved to LA I was so lucky to be able to land a job working side by side with the owner and CEO of her own jewelry business. A little bit of luck, and a little bit of guidance from my lucky stars.

What has been your career path to this point?

I would say my career path started in retail. Specifically my role working at Nordstrom. I worked in the shoes, coats, dresses, and accessories departments. It opened my eyes to the business of fashion, designer brands, and product sales. After I left Nordstrom and moved to LA I started working in the e-commerce world or sales, which was new and exciting to me. I worked closely with jewelry designers, Ariel Gordon and Maya Brenner. They both mentored me and taught me so much about production, office administration, jewelry design, and sourcing materials. My jobs with them led me to starting and creating my own line.

Tell me about how you got into some of the most amazing retailers in the world. 

The best account I was able to secure for Divine Individual has by far been Selfridges! It is a dream store and one of my favorite places to visit in London. The process was nerve racking! It was my first time doing such a big pitch of my brand to a buyer and the imposter syndrome set in for sure. They ended up carrying a few gold necklace styles and gemstone bands, which are some of my best sellers. I love working with crystals, and gemstones because of the healing properties they offer and their meaning. I think designing jewelry and curating collections with intention is important to buyers when they are previewing what you have to offer.

“When I am drawing or designing it is when I feel like the truest version of myself.”

— Divina Carvalho

What’s it been like balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship and a job! How do you do it?

The hardest challenge of my life. Sometimes, it is very unbalanced, and that’s okay. I wake up everyday and give my best to whatever the priority might be at that moment. It’s really easy to get overwhelmed with the mental list of “things to do”. Having a strong schedule that I can stick to has helped me tremendously. After having my daughter, I was so lucky to sustain completely from my company. But as she grew older and busier, juggling my business and being her full-time caretaker while my husband worked became increasingly more difficult.

I decided to take a step back from my business for a bit because I couldn’t devote the true time it needed to continue to scale. I was still working on custom pieces, which is admittedly my favorite part of what I do! 

This past year my daughter started school. It was such an emotional rollercoaster and made me feel the most anxiety I ever experienced. It was really hard for me to give the trust of my baby to basically strangers, followed by her tears (and mine) at drop offs, which made it even harder. I will say that once we got over the hurdle of our separation we both became a lot happier for it. I now look forward to her being at school because Mama is able to work full time again, earn more money for my family, and Mila get’s to make friends and learn how to interact with others. School also provides her the ability to learn about the world around her in a way that I can’t from home.

What kind of keepsakes do you hold on to? What about your child, does she have any keepsakes?

I have my grandmother’s breast cancer rosary that she slept with and prayed over every single night before she passed. I have my charm box, it holds some of the first charms and jewelry that my parents gifted me, as well as some tiny Disneyland charms that were inside one of my favorite glass snow globes I accidentally broke as a child. And I love all of my crystals and keep them in a few special places in my home 

My daughter has a vintage snoopy change bank that she adores and loves to empty out. She also has her blankey from when she was born, a bracelet I made her, and now her Moana necklace.

What do you do when you’re in need of inspiration?

I go outside. I love being in nature, by the beach, on a walk, a hike etc. I do the best brainstorming walking outside, and even better if I have someone to talk to that inspires.

What nourishes and helps your mind body and spirit?

A good warm meal followed by candle lit dessert, inside my freshly cleaned home, after my daughter’s bedtime.

Is it okay to try? What makes it okay to? What advice would you give to someone who wanted to try something new?

Yes! If you have a want for something in your life you owe it to yourself to put in the effort and try to make it happen. It’s okay to try because then you gain the knowledge of experience and knowing if it was the right thing for you at that time. 
Advice I would give to someone trying something new is to release any fears that are preventing you from being authentically you. Because if it all works out you will know that you almost kept that from yourself, and if it doesn’t you will know it wasn’t right for you.

“I wake up everyday and give my best to whatever the priority might be at that moment.”

— Divina Carvalho