Canadian volleyball star teams up with Vancouver jewelry brand

The limited-edition collection aims to weave together "beauty and strength" while also touching on an inspiration that's near to the professional athlete's heart: the environment.

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Published Dec 31, 2024  •  Last updated 1 hour ago  •  2 minute read

Melissa Humana-Paredes of Team Canada has created a limited jewelry collaboration with Vancouver brand True Curated Design. Photo by Michael Reaves /Getty Images

The product: True Curated Designs Sol x Melissa Humaña-Paredes.

Why we love it: Vancouver-based jewelry brand True Curated Designs has teamed up with Canadian Olympic silver medallist and professional beach volleyball player Melissa Humaña-Paredes for a jewelry collaboration.

The limited-edition collection, crafted from 10- and 14-karat gold, aims to weave together strength and beauty, while also touching on an inspiration that’s near to the professional athlete’s heart: the environment.

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The collaboration came together when founder Tori Dundas spotted Humaña-Paredes training for the Paris Olympics while wearing jewelry from her brand.

“During the Olympics, I’m particular about the energy I want to exude and surround myself in. I usually wear symbolic pendants through competitions — something that gives me that vote of confidence, that extra edge or bit of magic,” says Humaña-Paredes, noting she wore the Valiant coin necklace, which features a lion on it, from True.

“Jewelry, to me, is how I choose to express myself through my strength, my femininity and my creativity. And it can also be a nod to the past, a way to hold on to memories.”

Connecting via social media, the duo decided to create a collection together. And Sol was the result.

“The name Sol was inspired by my profession as a beach volleyball athlete chasing the sun and my Chilean heritage — sol meaning sun in Spanish,” Humaña-Paredes said. “Since I spend most of my time on beaches, playing under the sun, it only made sense to create a collection that paid homage to the beauty of nature.”

The Olympian points to the Sol Pendant as her personal favourite from the launch.

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“I have been drawn to the symbolism of the spiral lately,” she says. “The meaning of circularity, how we’re all connected, to each other and the Earth.”

True Curated Designs by Melissa Humaña-Paredes Sol pendant. Photo by True Curated Designs

The collaboration is the latest in a string of female-led partnerships for the local small business. Dundas has teamed up in the past to create capsule collections with content creators Alicia Haque and Reese Wonge, Vancouver-based stylist Susie Wall, and others.

The price: $69 to $669.

The retailer: Truecurateddesigns.com.

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