Precious Stones, Precious Metals, Oceanic Materials & Dark Denim Cord

Mention Brazil and people think about Rio and Carnaval, the Amazon and gauchos, flame-grilled churrasco and flaky empanadas, Pele and Portugese... Brazilian-born Patricia Candido is another uncommon export from South America's largest country whose Brazilian-influenced jewelry has already caught the eye of American celebrities. Halle Berry bought every Candido-created item in one store and showered them on the cast and crew of her ABC telefilm "Their Eyes Were Watching God." Barbra Streisand wore a choker in the finale wedding scene of Meet the Fockers. Kelsey Grammer, Linda Hamilton, Rosanna Arquette, Alyssa Milano and supermodels Cindy Crawford and Brooke Burke have all decorated themselves in her distinct designs.

Each Patricia Candido creation incorporates natural elements and vibrant colors reminiscent of her native Brazil. Beginning with the world's finest precious stones, gold and silver, she combines them with such organic materials as feathers, bamboo and lambskin (unlike others who set gemstones in leather, she uses black or brown denim cord). Her creations, from a signature collection of 10-20 pieces to custom-made designs, can fetch anywhere between $55 and $750 retail. In less than two years the brand has already been featured on the covers and in the pages of Elle, Marie Claire, InStyle, Lucky, Variety, Fitness and the Los Angeles Times, among other publications.

Raised largely in Rio de Janeiro, Candido first applied herself toward public relations, servicing some of the major companies in the nation's petrochemical industry. She soon left to open her own agency focusing on telecommunications, with clients that included Bell South, Dow Chemical and Kodak. Candido met her American husband, visual effects artist Mark Devlin, while he was in Brazil making music videos.

Returning to the U.S. together, Candido decided to try a new career that combined her love of art and fashion. Her Brazilian jewelry designs were born in Summer 2004 with unwavering support from Devlin, who now serves as director of sales and marketing for the venture. From humble beginnings, her designs are now distributed worldwide: from boutiques in Southern California (e.g., Fred Segal) to New York City (Calypso), from stores in Las Vegas (Caesars Palace Forum Shops), San Francisco, Aspen, Vail, Dallas, Austin and Houston to those in Paris, Purto Rico, Japan, China and Hong Kong. The company looks to open its own branded stores in the future, while expanding the line into Brazilian-influenced shoes, belts, bags and accessories.