In my twenties, while I was studying and doing my first internships, I took that dream further. With my savings, I began buying stainless steel jewelry in bulk and selecting designs that made sense to me—pieces that felt “cool” and girly at the same time, speaking to different styles and personalities. I started selling at my internship, then to coworkers at my full-time job, and eventually across other departments.
I designed the brand myself, created a logo, and prepared the packaging manually—wrapping each piece with care so it felt like a personal gift. I also photographed all the products myself, drawn to a soft, vintage style that made the pieces feel timeless and heartfelt. I loved the handmade touch in every detail from how the jewelry looked to how it was presented. It wasn’t just about selling; it was about creating a brand that felt close, warm, and thoughtful.
TUMANA was born from a mix of memories, creativity, and the entrepreneurial spirit I’ve carried with me since I was very young. As a teenager, I discovered a deep love for making jewelry—working with threads, beads, and Murano glass, creating pieces by hand that combined colors, textures, and meaning. Even then, I wasn’t just creating—I was thinking about how to share it. I began offering my handmade pieces to family and friends.
But the heart of TUMANA lies in its name
(a very personal story)
When my little sister was a toddler, she couldn’t pronounce “tu hermana” (“your sister”). My parents constantly told her, “Anda con tu hermana,” “Pídeselo a tu hermana,” “Pregúntale a tu hermana.” She heard it so often that she started calling me “Tumana,” and that became my name in her little world. It stuck with our family, always making us smile—especially the time she shouted it proudly during one of my school plays: “That’s not Pili (My character’s name), that’s Tumana!”
That memory, and our bond, became the soul of this project.
TUMANA is also inspired by how the women around us fill our lives with symbols as we grow. Jewelry is often one of the first gifts we receive from a mother, sister, aunt, or friend. These pieces carry meaning—they mark moments, show love, and create connections. TUMANA celebrates that feminine tradition of gifting, of sharing something beautiful and intentional, woman to woman.
This brand is my tribute to those everyday rituals, to sisterhood, to starting small with heart—and building something that lasts.
This was a beautiful entrepreneurial journey that taught me a lot about understanding your own
businessóand recognizing when a product-based activity hits a limit because it lacks a scalable
foundation. Thatís when the world of services started to make more sense, and it was time to
take the leap.