What you’ll learn in this episode: How Nicolas made the jump from the corporate world to jewelry Why there is unlimited potential for the art jewelry market  How Nicolas finds the artists he showcases in his series of jewelry books Why art jewelers should focus on finding customers who love beauty, and not just customers with expendable income About Nicolas Estrada Nicolas Estrada (Medellín, 1972) discovered his artistic pathway in Barcelona, a city that he had come to for entirely different reasons. Until that point, he had been an inhabitant of the business world, where he was involved in marketing. His destiny, however, was to follow another path: creating one-off jewelry artworks that were meaningful, unique and infused with stories that speak to the senses. At Barcelona's Llotja and Massana schools, he came into contact with the jewelry world for the first time, where he discovered that his efforts opened up infinite possibilities for expression to him. He has studied widely, learning the techniques of gemology, setting and engraving. Nicolas has given lectures and workshops at universities and art centers in England, Germany and the United States. In 2019, he was invited to represent his homeland, Colombia, at World Art Tokyo in Japan, where he also had the opportunity to give a lecture and lead a workshop at the Hiko Mizuno College of Jewelry in Tokyo, Japan's most highly regarded jewelry school. Nicolas is the author of the five books in the series on jewelry that has been published by Promopress in several languages and distributed worldwide. Nicolas lives in Barcelona, the city that allowed him to be who he wanted to be and to do what he wanted to do. He has his own studio, where he shares his craft and experiences with other jewelers who also live in or are passing through this wonderful cosmopolitan city. Additional Resources: ·        Linktr.ee: https://linktr.ee/NEJ ·        Instagram: @nicolasestradajeweler ·        Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicolasestradajeweler ·        Video about his books: https://youtu.be/Ph8aoK8Vg4I ·        Video about his studio & work: https://youtu.be/SxwJYAPZfJQ Photos: Earrings 1: hand-carved rock crystal, gold  Earrings 2: trapiche emeralds, diamonds, silver Brooch: agates with intaglio, silver, steel Ring 1: rock crystal with intaglio, silver, pearls Ring 2: wood, copper, silver, paint Transcript: Although Nicolas Estrada entered the jewelry field later in life, he has as much enthusiasm for the industry as any newcomer. Coming from a background in the business world, he brings a wealth of creativity and keen insight to his work as a maker, researcher, and author. He joined the Jewelry Journey Podcast to talk about why he thinks art jewelry will explode if makers tap into the right market, how he compiled his series of jewelry books, and why he finds more meaning in art jewelry than traditional jewelry. Read the episode transcript below.  Sharon: Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Jewelry Journey Podcast. Today, speaking with us from Barcelona is my guest, Nicolas Estrada. Nicolas is a maker, entrepreneur and creator of five books featuring art jewelers from around the world. Each book focuses on a different type of jewelry such as necklaces or bracelets, and I’m sure many of you have his books on your shelves. We’ll hear more about his jewelry journey today. Nicolas, welcome to the program. Nicolas: Thank you very much for inviting me, Sharon. I am very happy to talk to you today. Sharon: It’s great to talk with you. Tell us about your jewelry journey. Were you creative as a child? Nicolas: My journey in jewelry started in 2000 exactly, I think around the same month. I was a very creative child. My parents and my sister thought I was going to study design. In Colombia at that time, if you were very creative, you could go to architecture school maybe, but I went into engineering because I wanted to be like my father. So, I went to electrical engineering, but I crashed