Maria Bernal is a creative and autodidact jewellery designer based in London. Through her design, she explores the roots and connections between humans and Mother Nature. Always driven by the universal language of geometry with simplicity at the core, her pieces are handcrafted from precious materials, elevating our daily life and overall well-being.

She studied a Psychology Arts degree at Seville University, following her passion in human and arts history. In 2017, she founded Jakhu Studio, a brand rooted in Pre-columbian Art & Culture that aims to preserve Peru's jewellery heritage with an ethical and responsible approach. When she first travelled to Peru in 2012, she met the artisans of San Jeronimo de Tunan, in the Andean highlands. That encounter inspired the idea of creating a collaborative partnership that could support the community and forge a link amongst ancestral tradition and contemporary culture.

Beauty is the embodiment of harmony and balance—deeply tied to simplicity and the philosophy of wabi-sabi, embracing both transience and imperfection. It is an inherent quality found in certain moments, people, or objects, yet it can also be cultivated by transforming elements of physical or mental reality.

Jakhu Studio is a London-Lima based jewellery brand founded in 2017 on the principle of creating contemporary designs with high quality craftsmanship and the finest materials. Rooted in Pre-columbian art and culture, Jakhu jewellery is handcrafted in Peru in partnership with silversmiths from San Jeronimo de Tunan (Central Andes), using locally sourced silver and traditional techniques of jewellery making.

‘Jakhu’ means things of value in Aymara and ‘Yakhu’ means water in Quechua, paying homage to the indigenous heritage of the Andean region.

Jakhu Studio jewellery transcends beyond adornment, for that reason, every piece responds to the ancestral traditions of wearing jewellery as a powerful form of self-expression and communication. Its mission is to generate through its collections a connection with Nature, humanity, spirituality and our sense of self.