There’s Something About Mary EssesIn 2002, São Paulo transplant Mary Esses followed her future husband to the United States. Armed with a degree in marketing and experience running an art school in Brazil, Esses combined all her passions, debuting an eponymous line in New York City (her new home) in 2004.Her signature fabric-like look—threaded, lace, silk, and woven effects—evolved from a mix of passion and necessity. “I was producing my jewelry in Brazil, but a few robberies by mail persuaded me to craft more pieces at the bench myself,” she says. “The more I sculpted in wax, the more my style became apparent.”Esses was selling her jewelry to clients of a Brazilian-owned salon in NYC, but a chance encounter at Tiffany & Co. proved there was a larger market for her work. (Esses stopped by the Fifth Avenue flagship to exchange a gift card, and a fellow patron bought a p