Halus Story

It would be impossible to talk about the brand without talking a little about myself because Halus is an extension of me.

It might sound a bit cliché, but really, it all starts with a 4-year-old Mariana, fascinated by jewellery and anything that sparkled. It was always very clear to me that this would be my path. When I was 12, I asked my parents what course "you take to make jewellery," and from then on, I started creating my first pieces with wire and beads to sell to the neighbours!

I'll try not to make this sound like a CV...

I graduated in jewellery design from ESAD in Porto, then I started creating a few of my own things in a small studio I rented. I also worked outside the field for a while. In 2013, I won the Portojóia award with a ring I designed for the event. In 2015, I went to London to pursue my dream course, specialising in coloured gemstones, and the following year, I received a scholarship to complete my training as a gemologist, which would only be complete with a diamond course, at the best gemological institute in the world - GIA.

I worked for the last 8 years at a jewellery brand as a designer and creative director, and in 2020, when we were all locked at home, I felt the urge to create something more.

I was in Bali when COVID scared us all and "forced" me to cut my vacation short. That's why the brand's name is an Indonesian word, because, in my mind, it all had to be connected.

Halus is an Indonesian adjective with several meanings, but what interested me most was the word "delicate," because that was exactly what I wanted to create – delicate, unique, and special pieces for a day as important as a wedding day!

That's how Halus began, creating a set for one of my best friends who was getting married, and from there, my desire to keep working in the wedding sector only grew.