Working as an air traffic controller at one of Brazil’s busiest airports, Gabriela Rodrigues da Cunha faced a huge responsibility and long hours in the stressful and challenging job.
Yet there also were moments of pure beauty, she says. Her tower was one of the highest in Latin America, and she felt like she could see the world from there.
“The view was amazing,” says Rodrigues da Cunha, now the CEO and founder of Latitude Jewelry. “The most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen were from the tower. In Brazil, the weather creates these amazing colors where the sky graduates from pink to orange to red.”
Rodrigues da Cunha retired from air traffic control work after nine years, a decision made in part because of some personal losses, including that of her grandparents. She knew she needed a new career path, and the former fashion and shoe designer started to think about jewelry.
In 2019 she debuted her jewelry company, which nods to her airline past, her love of travel, and her interest in sharing the sights she saw during her years in travel. One of her first collections, A.E, is named for Amelia Earhart, an aviation pioneer and inspiration to Rodrigues da Cunha. The World Pendant, a gold and lapis lazuli globe, is Latitude’s most meaningful piece for her.
Rodrigues da Cunha, who now works from Portugal to be closer to her suppliers and the European jewelry industry, was born and raised in Brazil. As a child, she wanted to be a costume designer and was always making clothing for her dolls. She attended college for fashion design, and her first job was at a shoe factory in Brazil.
Although she was right where she thought she wanted to be in the shoe industry, the work environment was not what Rodrigues da Cunha expected due to ownership and family politics. Her mother, Lucia, was an air traffic controller and persuaded Rodrigues da Cunha to test for the job.
“I used to work six days in a row and then travel for 10 or 12 days,” Rodrigues da Cunha says. “It was good when I could travel—it balanced the stress and challenges of the job.”
To combat that stress, Rodrigues da Cunha took classes at a jewelry school. Working with her hands has always calmed her, she says. Her classmates loved her work, and she felt like she had found a new talent.
Soon enough, her designs outpaced her skills and Rodrigues da Cunha sought out manufacturers to help her realize her vision. Now she is working on expanding the Latitude brand, adding engagement rings and wedding jewelry. She also hopes to grow in the U.S. and elsewhere, giving her even more reasons to explore the world.
“I like jewelry that starts conversations as people share what they’ve done and seen,” Rodrigues da Cunha says. “All of my pieces have a meaning for me in terms of a place I have visited, like the mosaics in a mosque in Casablanca. If you’ve seen that as well, you will connect with my pieces.
“When I see something that really touches me, I want to re-create it,” Rodrigues da Cunha adds. “I want to make it real for people so they can see what I saw.”
Top: Gabriela Rodrigues da Cunha went from fashion design to air traffic control before creating her own jewelry brand honoring her two previous careers. (Photos courtesy of Latitude Jewelry)
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