Suchafl

A feature interview with Isabel Rivera Peterson of Muses Jewelry, following the Muses x Bernie’s Vintage collab shoot.

Some women don’t follow trends, they build a whole world around themselves. Muses Jewelry is that kind of world: bold, layered, unapologetically maximal. After spending a day styling her pieces alongside vintage finds from Bernie’s Vintage, we sat down with the woman behind Muses Jewelry — Isabel, known to her community as bels — to talk about pearls, doubt, maximalism, and what it means to step into who you’re becoming.

Getting to Know You

Tell us about yourself, beyond the bio. What should people know?

I’m Isabel, or bels on socials :) I was born and raised in Los Angeles and made my way down to San Diego about ten years ago for college. I’m multifaceted and multidimensional in a lot of ways — I studied neuroscience and work in health care, and I also own a maximalist jewelry brand, Muses Jewelry. Two completely different worlds. I spend a lot of my free time on the brand, but when I’m not working my job or Muses, I’m with my husband, family, and friends, or crafting, doing yoga, traveling, or petting my dog, Tippy.

I care deeply, feel deeply, and have a lot of imagination — all of those feelings and ideas get channeled into Muses Jewelry. It truly is my way to express my art. I’d love to be a full-time entrepreneur one day, living each day creating, and I spend my days working to make that dream a reality.

What’s your earliest memory of jewelry, and who was wearing it?

My earliest memory of jewelry is the big plastic “gemstone” and “diamond” jewelry from the toy section of the dollar store. I loved all things sparkle even as a little girl, wearing it with princess outfits and plastic princess heels.

“She was definitely such a fucking lady too — always had her jewelry, red lipstick, manicured nails, hair done.”

My earliest meaningful memory of jewelry is from my aunt, who passed away in 2012 from ovarian cancer. She was a huge mother figure in my life, and she always wore pearls — red lipstick, manicured nails, hair done. She was definitely such a fucking lady too. Throughout my life she gifted me my own pearl sets — the earliest one I remember is a ladybug bracelet and earring set, because I was obsessed with ladybugs. When she passed, she left all of her pearls to me, and I still hold onto them dearly.

The Beginning

How did Muses Jewelry begin?

Muses Jewelry has such an interesting history, and to really understand how it started, we have to go back to 2020. Like a lot of people during that time, I was trying to find something to do while stuck at home. I was in my senior year of college, and all the things I used to do weren’t really possible with the world shut down. I’ve always been an arts-and-crafts, DIY girl, so I had the thought: let me get a jewelry kit and just start making things. I played around with making jewelry for about a year, just as a hobby.

In 2021 I started my first “big girl job” and realized being an adult, working on someone else’s time, kind of... sucks. Then the thought of putting my jewelry on Etsy came to me — I figured, why not? Within about a month, I had my first sale. I couldn’t believe it. Kyanite Greens was born, and lived until 2022 — a fully handmade gemstone jewelry shop, very different from what Muses is today.

It was so fun running that shop, making jewelry, going to markets. For a while it felt like I was on top of the world. But I ultimately closed it because, honestly, I knew nothing about business. I was in the negative, even though I was working hard and getting sales. It was overwhelming, and the accounting and taxes side of it didn’t interest me enough to push through. So I closed shop in 2022, and from 2022 to 2023 I didn’t think much about being a creative business owner.

But of course, the little flame inside me wanted more. By mid-2023 I’d had enough of just being an employee with nothing creative to show for it. I decided to take a chance on starting a business again — but this time, do it right. I’d actually learn about business: marketing, profit margins, taxes, social media, all of it. I spent six months learning, brainstorming, and sourcing, and — most importantly — thinking about what kind of brand I wanted. I knew I didn’t want to do fully handmade, or only gemstones. I wanted to build something bigger: not just a jewelry piece, but a world. An editorial. An aesthetic. On January 12, 2024, Muses Jewelry was born. The story from then to now is an even bigger one.

What inspired the brand?

Muses has evolved so much over the past two years — there have been about three rebrands, three eras of Muses, and each one was pivotal in becoming what Muses is today.

Initially, what inspired the brand was pearls, and partly, my aunt. Because of her, I’ve always loved pearls, and I wanted to showcase them in a way that let women feel like they could wear them anytime, any occasion. Over time I realized what I also loved about pearls is that they’re very “out there,” hard to ignore, and that slowly led me to maximalism. I knew I wanted the brand to be about self-expression through jewelry; jewelry as an art form and a statement.

In phase two, I focused on making maximalism part of the brand style — a lot of trial and error in terms of branding, but that’s when I found a lot of the statement pieces you see on the website now, most notably the Martini Hour Necklace stack. Still, I wasn’t satisfied with my branding, messaging, or style. I felt a little lost and overwhelmed, so I let it go and took a mental hiatus from figuring it out.

One day I was thrifting and saw some beautiful wooden beaded necklaces, and the vision of upcycling them came into my head. I also had a lot of beads left over from the Kyanite Greens days and wanted to use those too. I was inspired by wooden beads, my culture, earthy colors, and luxury, and that’s how this new era of Muses — and the Un Verano en el Yucatán collection — was born. This era feels the most authentic to what I want the brand to be: warm, feminine, loud, bold, chic, and everything I originally wanted Muses to be, but didn’t know how to fully express until now.

What do you hope to translate through the pieces you curate and make?

I hope that the people who wear our jewelry feel beautiful in their own unique way — that’s ultimately the goal. You know that feeling when what you’re wearing feels so authentic to you that you feel beautiful, confident, and like your whole day feels complete? That’s what I hope my jewelry does.

Walk us through how a piece goes from idea to something someone wears. Where do you find your materials?

When I make a collection, I always start with a moodboard, usually pulled from outside inspiration — my Pearls for Dinner collection came from the baroque and Renaissance eras, my Mixed Metals collection from Y2K chrome fashion, and my Un Verano en el Yucatán collection from my Mexican culture. From there I look for pieces that fit that world and are made of quality materials — 18k gold-plated stainless steel or brass when I’m curating, and quality wood, glass, gemstone, or pearl beads when I’m handmaking or upcycling. I try to stay away from fake gemstones or plastic, though I’ll use plastic occasionally if the quality is there.

Was there a moment early on when you doubted it would work? What kept you going?

Being a small business owner is honestly a constant cycle of doubt, pivoting, and growing confidence. I started Muses all on my own, with the help of Google and whatever free online classes I could find about branding, marketing, pricing. I didn’t have a mentor, or family members to show me the way. All I had was my previous failed business and the self-awareness not to repeat those mistakes — and I think that’s the cycle every entrepreneur goes through, over and over.

“True failure is when you give up or don’t even try.”

Two years into Muses and I still have days where I doubt what I’m doing is valuable. It’s especially hard when the algorithm somehow knows how you feel and starts showing you video after video of other business owners and their mountains of success, and you start to wonder, “why is it working for them and not me?”

What keeps me going is that I’m not going to give up. I’m really not. I’m going to keep trying, pivoting, and trying again until I get where I want to be. I’m not afraid of failure, because I’ve failed before, and to me, true failure is when you give up or don’t even try.

I want more than anything to create art and live a life supported by it, and I won’t give up until I do.

Style and Philosophy

We love that you have fully leaned into the maximalism ethos. What drew you to it while so much of the world has gone minimalist?

I think that’s exactly what drew me to maximalism. Yes, a lot of the world has gone minimalist. We see it not just on social media but in the American world around us: the “millennial grey” homes, the beige and boring architecture built solely to maximize profits, century-old brands simplifying their logos to feel more “modern.” Modernity has somehow turned into meaning minimalist, and most of the time, boring.

“To be a maximalist, you really can’t care what people think about you.”

I miss when architecture was grand, when colors flooded stores, when patterns were everywhere. Most of all, what drew me to maximalism is the philosophy behind it. To be a maximalist, you really can’t care what people think about you — you have to be confident enough in yourself to wear what you want to wear. I love that. Muses carries that philosophy in its own aesthetic.

Which piece you’ve made feels the most you? What’s the story behind it?

I think the pieces that make me feel the most me are my rings — I love ring stacking, chunky bold rings, long nail extensions I do myself at home. Add a bunch of rings to a hand with long nails and it looks so badass. It makes me feel badass and pretty. My favorites are the Perla Divina ring and the Anillo Caracol rings.

How do you want someone to feel when they put on a Muses piece?

I want people to feel the way I feel when I put on my rings: badass, beautiful, and like they can take on the day with confidence, strength, and optimism.

What does being a Muse mean to you?

Being a Muse is being you — a unique work of art.

It’s being authentic and being a trendsetter, not caring what people think, but also being kind and empathetic. It’s being a goddess, which is another way I want someone to feel when they put on Muses Jewelry.

The Collab: Muses x Bernie’s

What was it like styling Muses alongside vintage clothing for the collab shoot with Bernie’s Vintage?

It was so fun! Alex is such an amazing person to work with. We met each other on the same wavelength really quickly, and that’s such a great connection to have, especially for creative work. She brought the vision to life with the pieces she chose.

This collab has been my favorite content and photoshoot I’ve done to date. The clothing piece was always missing from my shoots, and it made a world of difference bringing the vision to life.

How do you think handmade jewelry and vintage clothing speak to each other?

Handmade jewelry and vintage clothing work so well together because both of them are so unique. Finding quality vintage clothing takes an eye for style and knowing where to look — it’s not as easy as walking into a Marshalls. Handmade jewelry is the same; it takes vision and an eye for style. Put both together and you get a truly unique outfit.

Suchafl and You

Suchafl is about embodiment and empowerment, integrating who we are with who we’re becoming. How does Muses fit into that?

Muses is all about empowerment — in fact, that’s another reason I started the brand. I wanted to help women feel empowered wearing whatever they want, whenever they want. When we feel confident in ourselves, we embody that, and I think our lives get better for it.

We make better decisions, we surround ourselves with better people, we’re kinder, and we become who we want to be, continuing to evolve into multiple beautiful versions of ourselves. I think that’s very Such a Fucking Lady.

What does being Such a Fucking Lady mean to you?

It means everything Muses stands for — being authentically me, confidently and without apologies. It means being the best version of myself and loving myself every step along the way, and loving others, and empowering others to do the same.

Building and Becoming

What’s been the hardest part of building a woman-owned brand, and what would you tell a woman who keeps waiting for the “right time” to start something?

The hardest part is not comparing yourself to other people, which is honestly the plight of womanhood in general. I’ve become a confident person throughout my life, but becoming a confident business owner was a whole different thing to learn. Building that confidence, and being proud of my own progress instead of other people’s success, wasn’t easy. So if you’re waiting for the right time to start: there is no right time. Do it scared, and who cares what people think — you will care, but you’ll learn to stop letting fear dictate your decisions. Trust your gut. Be proud of your achievements, but be even prouder of your failures, because they mean you’re evolving.

What’s something you’re still becoming?

I’m still trying to become the full-time entrepreneur I want to be. Right now I work full-time in health care, but my goal is to work for myself full-time. I don’t want to be a “starving artist,” so it might take a bit longer to get there — but the journey is going great.

Looking Ahead

Where do you see Muses in a few years? Who are the women wearing your pieces?

In a few years, I see Muses Jewelry being a household name for women. I see Muses being known as the maximalist brand, and the community growing so much. I hope to work with other creative women, and that creative women all around the world wear my pieces.

If you could style any woman, past or present, in Muses, who would it be?

I would love to style @benulus on Instagram and TikTok — she’s the maximalist queen. She’s also Latina, and her videos are so funny, so it would be so fun to style her!

*Model: Kristine Edyan for the Muses Jewelry x Bernie’s Vintage photoshoot.*

Where can we find you, online or in person?

You can find Muses Jewelry every day on Instagram and TikTok @musesjewelry.studio. You can find me most often on Threads @thatmusesgirl, but I’m also on Instagram and TikTok showing the founder life.

Website: musesjewelry.shop

Muses, Maximalism & Becoming Such a Fucking Lady.