Sara Beltrán Says Veronica Beard’s Apology Is Not Enough After Copying Controversy

By Karen Dybis | October 22, 2026

Jewelry designer Sara Beltrán is using her experience of being copied and underestimated by competitors to become a stronger voice and advocate for independent designers like her.

In mid-October, Beltrán took to Instagram to call out fashion brand Veronica Beard for copying her Dezso by Sara Beltrán designs. That post, entitled “Shame on You, Veronica Beard,” has nearly 62,000 likes and more than 2,800 comments largely supporting Beltrán and her concerns.

“I think the industry learned this weekend that no matter the size of your company, times have changed and the audience is ready to protect the rights of small, independent companies, like myself,” Beltrán tells JCK. “They need to be ethical. It’s not right.”

Veronica Beard has apologized to Beltrán on Instagram, saying it is aware “that certain pieces from our recent jewelry collection closely resemble Dezso designs.”

Sara bracelets — *One of Beltrán’s signature styles is the Puka bracelet ($3,500) made with white shells, a carved onyx fish bone bead at the center, black enamel shark fins, and 14k rose gold discs.*

“We deeply respect Sara Beltrán, her craft, and her business. We have removed the relevant pieces from our stores and website. We are reviewing our design process to prevent mistakes in the future. We sincerely apologize to Sara. Veronica & Veronica,” the Instagram story said.

However, Beltrán says the statement is not enough.

“I don’t accept that as an apology. That was a reaction due to the backlash they received,” Beltrán says. “They have been very informal and unprofessional for a size of a company like that. They have mishandled and disrespected me. They have underestimated me.”

Beltrán says in 2024 Veronica Beard’s director of buying contacted her to talk about her jewelry and design work. The brand wanted to collaborate, Beltrán says, but she told them she was not interested at the time.

She discovered the copies of her signature work when Dezso began to use ShopMy. Beltrán says she was learning how to use it when she saw one of Veronica Beard’s paracord necklaces.

Sara necklace — *One of Beltrán’s most recognizable jewelry motifs are shells, which she uses in a variety of ways, including hand-carving them with initials or setting them with gemstones.*

“There’s many copying me, but this is a very specific situation because they reached out to me in 2024 to ask for a partnership. So I was shocked to find products of copy. And not only that, they stole the identity of my brand that I’ve been building for 20 years,” Beltrán says.

“It puts my brand in a fragile position as I started casing shells and carving shells to build a fine jewelry line. When a brand like that comes and takes your DNA, it completely devaluates what I spent years building,” Beltrán says. “Think about how offensive it is for my collectors. You not only offend the artist but also the group of people who collect and understand the art. You give away work that is not yours and you also give away trust that is not yours either. You commercialize and destroy everyone’s work.”

Since Beltrán’s post, media outlets including WWD and Air Mail have covered the story. She has received support and comments from everyone from magazine editors to jewelry designers to legal experts.

Dezso was created from Beltrán’s passions and reflects how she lives, the designer says. To move forward, she says she is going to continue to fight and help others.

“I would like to learn how I can best advocate for designers. This has been a big struggle for me in the last years. I would like to create a petition to create better rights and protection for jewelry designers,” she says.

Top: Jewelry designer Sara Beltrán says fashion company Veronica Beard copied her signature designs and she wants credit for her work and that of other independent jewelry designers. (Photos courtesy of Sara Beltrán)