Maracolori is an online store based in Gandia for glass jewelry pieces. All the maracolori pieces are made with lampworked glass and assembled in 925 sterling silver. Both the making of glass beads in an artisanal way, as well as the design and finishing of silver frames, using the most avant-garde techniques, are made by Mª del Mar Castellá.
Mª del Mar Castellá
I started my academic training as an Industrial Technical Engineer, then continuing my studies with the title of Industrial Organization Engineer. Soon after I discovered my passion for glass, and in the last 20 years I have been combining my job as manager in a well-known aeronautical company with my training in the art of jewelry and glass.I have finally quit my job as an engineer to dedicate myself completely to my passion.
In these years I have been continuously working to learn and perfect the techniques of glass crafts and jewelry. I have taken a Blown Glass Course with Juan Carlos Calabria. I attended various lampwork courses with internationally renowned artists Kristina Logan and Astrid Riedel in Murano, the capital of glass. Likewise, I have also received a course on artisan jewelry from the great artisan goldsmith Alberto Arbona (Maralvent).
In my craft work I incorporate modern jewelry techniques to innovate and create more freely, thus combining my passion for crafts with my training as an engineer. To this end I have supplemented my training with 3D modeling and jewelry courses.
Awards / Exhibitions
Fusión
In 2018 one of my jewels was selected from among the works of the best Spanish glass artists to form part of the FUSION Glass Jewelery Contest, convened by Fundesarte, chair of promotion of craftsmanship at EOI -Education of Industrial Organization, and by the Museum of Contemporary Art in Glass of Alcorcón- MAVA. In conmemoration of this event a brochure with the selected pieces was published by Fundesarte.
This event has toured various Spanish cities with exhibitions at the Royal Glass Factory of La Granja de San Ildefonso (Segovia), the Zaragoza Crafts Center, the Catalonia Crafts Center, the Center d'Artesania of the Valencian Community, the Regional Center of Crafts of Castilla y León, and the Glass Art Museum of Alcorcón, among others.
Valencian Community Crafts Awards
In 2020 my Nenúfar collection was selected as a finalist for the Valencian Community Craft Awards in the Vanguard category. These Awards, convened by the Centre d'Artesania de la Comunitat Valenciana, are intended to encourage artisanal creation, innovation, commitment to sustainable development, adaptation to market trends, and reward the know-how of artisans of the Valencian Community, through their social and business recognition. The finalist's works can be seen in the catalog Premis d'Artesania Comunitat Valenciana 2020.
