Famed Hollywood starlets like Beyonce, Fergie and Paris Hilton are linked to Southwest Florida.
They wear jewelry designed by Erika Pena, the owner of Erika Pena Designs, a Fort Myers-based jewelry company that has been featured in a number of magazine.
"Beyonce bought like $6,000 worth of pieces and sometimes I flip through a magazine and say 'wow look at my necklace on her'," said Pena, 33, who designs lightweight, dramatic jewelry made of stone, gold and natural materials. "I just love to design so much."
And, designing comes naturally to Pena, who studied clothing design at the Parsons School of Design in New York. Jewelry was her calling and she opened the business four years ago.
She now spends much of her time being a jet-setter who promotes the Erika Pena jewelry line and creates collections every three months.
"I do my best work on planes," Erika said.
Her jewelry ranges in price from $53 to $170. "I am gone for months at a time but my travels are my inspiration."
Pena designed her first line on a plane after visiting the beaches of Portugal.
"The people, the cultures, the feeling of each place is so great," said Erika.
She frequently travels to exotic locations like Bali in Indonesia, Paris and her birthplace of Puerto Rico.
"It has a bohemian feel and I just found the idea on the beaches there."
The company sells to 30 countries worldwide and more than 300 in the United States.
Her business partner and sister, Bielka, is the behind-the-scenes operator of their Fort Myers warehouse and distribution center.
She often wonders how her sister juggles flying, meetings, schmoozing clients and designing.
"She isn't here much but that's how it's supposed to be. Erika trusts that I will make the right business decisions,"said Bielka, who lives in the area year-round. "Erika is very free-spirited and it shines through her design."
The offices of Erika Pena Designs were recently moved from Puerto Rico to Bali because of the craftsmanship of the area.
"I like my jewelry to mean something special to clients ... to identify themselves with," said Pena.
She flies to Bali and hand selects the materials for each piece.
"As women we want lighter materials and things that are comfortable," said here sister, adding that the materials in Bali are of higher quality.
Labor has also risen because of a slow economy in the United States and that contributed to the decision to move some of their operations abroad.
"We are expanding in Europe more because of it,"Erika said.
Sales of Erika Pena Designs often exceed 500 to 2,000 pieces a month.
Some are debuted in fashion shows in New York, Spain and Europe. Plans are in the works to launch a clothing line and another jewelry line in Spain.
And that's just the start. Within two years Pena plans to open retail locations in California, New York, Florida, Texas and Puerto Rico.
"I love designing. I'll be doing it for the rest of my life," she said. "It's who I am."
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