Brookfield recently revealed the list of vendors for the Brookfield store, and one of the standout businesses is Organic Jewelry, created by Nestor Valencia, his wife Giselle Cortes, and their family. Since the beginning of the year, the family has been preparing jewelry inventory for the retail incubator program.
As the owners of Organic Jewelry, Valencia and Cortes are hands-on in every aspect of the jewelry-making process. During an interview, the couple and their daughter, Miranda Valencia-Cortes, shared how each family member plays a vital role in the business.
“We all have our own tasks because it’s really a family business,” said Miranda Valencia-Cortes. “My mom is the main person behind the creations, but sometimes I help, sometimes my dad helps, and when it comes to assembling, we all pitch in. We all have our stations, and we know what to do.”
While Cortes is the creative force behind the designs, she was unavailable for comment. However, Valencia said the company was born out of necessity after the family moved to the United States from Colombia in 2012.
“My wife was a dentist in Colombia, but starting over here would be expensive and take too long,” Valencia explained. “It just didn’t make sense, so we decided to start something new.”
The inspiration for their jewelry business came after the family visited relatives in New York who ran a similar venture. Upon returning to Brookfield, where they had settled in 2014, the family started selling their jewelry as a pop-up at street fairs, markets, and special events in the Chicagoland area, as well as towns like Decatur, Geneva, and Galena.
Valencia and Miranda-Cortes emphasized that all their materials—ranging from orange peels, dried flowers, and acacia seeds to vintage watch parts—are sourced from Colombia. “Our peak season is usually from May to September, and in the off-season, we work hard to prepare,” said Valencia-Cortes. “We travel to Colombia to gather the materials and then return to Chicago.”
The family takes great care to source materials sustainably and ethically. They used to work with tagua nuts, but stopped using them due to ethical concerns. “We realized it wasn’t ethical anymore,” Valencia-Cortes explained, noting that the government rents the land where the nuts are harvested.
Once the materials are collected, there is still significant work to be done. Many of the watch parts the family brings back aren’t suitable for use in Cortes’s designs. However, her meticulous eye and steady hand—skills she honed as a dentist—help transform these materials into unique pieces. She carefully assembles everything, whether it’s laying flowers to create miniature scenes or disassembling watches and removing rust.
Valencia said the family expects to sell at least 1,200 pieces of jewelry this year, based on last year’s sales. “We’ve already finished 700 pieces, and another 600 are nearly ready,” he said.
Part of the appeal of Organic Jewelry is its affordability. Prices range from $15 for small earrings made with preserved plants to $60 for more intricate pieces crafted with watch parts, and $120 for rare coffee bean creations. “We could charge more, but why should we? We make the jewelry ourselves, so we keep the prices low and affordable,” Valencia explained.
When it came time to present their business to the panel of jurors at Brookfield, Valencia admitted to being nervous. “I told my wife, ‘I’m a math teacher, I’m used to speaking in front of people,’ but when it was time to present, everything got mixed up,” he said. Despite the hiccups, Valencia-Cortes said the entire family was overjoyed when they received the news that Organic Jewelry had secured a spot in the Brookfield Shops.
“I was in class at Concordia University when my mom sent me the email screenshot, and I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “I’m so proud of my mom for starting this business and growing it so much. It’s amazing to see it all come together.”
Valencia also expressed the excitement of sharing the news with family members in Colombia and New York, all of whom celebrated the achievement. “Everyone was calling us, saying, ‘I told you, you’ve got something special,’” he recalled.
Both Valencia and Valencia-Cortes appreciated the organization and support provided by Brookfield officials. “They’ve been clear and organized, and they’re really trying to build a community,” said Valencia-Cortes. “It’s great to have others to lean on, share ideas with, and learn from.”
Looking ahead, the family hopes to establish an online presence for their business. While Cortes dreams of opening an online shop, Valencia acknowledges that they still face challenges in making it happen. “I wish for her to be able to run the business from home, but we’re still figuring it out,” he said.
Valencia-Cortes added that managing the logistics of selling at pop-up locations can be physically exhausting. “Transporting all the inventory is heavy, and there’s always something to remember,” she said. “That’s why building an online presence through social platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok is so important to us.”
With the support of the Brookfield Shops program, Organic Jewelry is on track to expand its reach and continue growing its family-run business.
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