Laura Luna, the talent behind the metal and the woman who brings lunae.ec to life.

Lunae was founded in 1988 and is now entering a new chapter. The company remains committed to handcrafted jewelry, combining the work of Mexican and Ecuadorian artisans while making room for a second generation with the involvement of Gerardo and David Gutiérrez, the founder’s sons. Its digital presence is also built around lunae.ec, as the company seeks to adapt its management to new consumers and new tools.

In this conversation, Laura Luna Gaibor discusses Lunae’s origins, generational transition, the value of craftsmanship, the role of women within the company, and the challenge of evolving without losing its essence.

Laura, Lunae was founded in 1988. How did the idea of creating the company come about?

The idea emerged during my time in Mexico, where I had traveled to specialize as a plastic surgeon. There, I discovered a different way of working with silver: there were larger pieces, chains, accessories, and a variety that I had not yet found in the same way in Ecuador. I saw an industry that was growing and realized that these kinds of products could have a place in the country.

During my childhood, 18-karat gold was very prominent in Ecuador. Silver was present, but I remember it more in household objects, such as cutlery or small vases. Discovering another way of working with it in Mexico allowed me to recognize an opportunity.

What turned that opportunity into a company that has remained in business for nearly four decades?

Over time, we built a distinctive proposal of our own. It was not simply about bringing something I had seen abroad into the country, but about developing products that could evolve and respond to what our customers were looking for.

The stores grew, and the brand was well received because it offered pieces that were different from what people usually found. Maintaining quality, taking care with the materials, and preserving a close relationship with people have also been important. A company that lasts for so many years inevitably has to change, but it also has to recognize which things are part of its essence.

For many years, you combined medicine with Lunae. When did you decide to focus entirely on the company?

Until before the pandemic, I divided my time between plastic surgery and managing Lunae. After that, I decided to dedicate myself primarily to jewelry.

It was an important moment because the company was also entering a different stage and required more attention. Now, another change is taking place with the involvement of my sons. Gerardo is a physical engineer and David is an economist, and they come from different professional backgrounds that can bring new tools and knowledge to the company.

What does it mean to you to see a second generation begin taking on responsibilities within Lunae?

It is very rewarding to see that a project that began so many years ago has the possibility of continuing. Gerardo and David grew up seeing the effort required to sustain a family business, and now they can contribute through their own skills.

The challenge is finding a balance. A new generation has to bring new ideas, tools, and ways of working, but without disregarding the history that made it possible to build the company. Today, there are opportunities to incorporate technology, better organize processes, analyze information, and respond to changes in the market. All of this can help professionalize Lunae without losing the family and artisanal character that has been with it from the beginning.

“The challenge is to bring in new ideas without losing the essence of the company.”

Lunae combines Mexican and Ecuadorian craftsmanship. How was that relationship built within the brand?

The experience of Mexican jewelry-making has been present since Lunae’s beginnings, but over the years we also incorporated the work of Ecuadorian artisans. That combination allows us to develop pieces based on what we imagine and want to offer our customers, while maintaining quality and taking care with the purity of the materials.

We do not want one tradition to replace the other. They are different forms of knowledge and different techniques that can come together to create a proposal of our own. Working with artisans also means supporting people who preserve knowledge connected to this craft and who depend on it to support their families.

In an era of mass production, why is it still important for you to preserve handcrafted work?

Because the artisan’s involvement gives each piece its own characteristics. We work with 925 silver and, in certain pieces, with 990 silver, but the value of a piece of jewelry does not depend solely on the metal. Who made it, the knowledge behind it, and the way each design is executed also matter. Even when two pieces begin with the same idea, they do not always end up being completely identical.

Those small differences also show that there was a person behind the process. Craftsmanship contributes something that goes beyond simply manufacturing an object. There is knowledge, experience, and time embodied in every piece.

You have said that a piece of jewelry becomes connected to the emotions of the person who receives it. What does that relationship mean to you?

A piece of jewelry may arrive as a gift, as a personal purchase, or later become an object passed down from one generation to another. It becomes connected to memories, celebrations, and important moments in people’s lives. That is why its meaning is not found only in the material itself. There is also an emotional relationship with the person who chooses it, gives it, or keeps it.

“A piece of jewelry is connected to emotions and special moments. Its meaning goes beyond the metal.”

Women make up nearly 90% of Lunae’s team. What does that mean for the company?

Women have held a central place at Lunae since its foundation. Today, nearly 90% of the team is made up of women, and many of them are heads of household. That carries a responsibility because behind each employee there is also a family that depends on her income. That is why stability, compliance with working conditions, and opportunities for learning and growth within the company are so important.

I also believe that women bring sensitivity and a particular understanding of the emotional relationship that exists between a person and a piece of jewelry. That perspective is present both in customer service and in the way each product is presented.

Today you have five stores, a second generation becoming involved, and a company that must adapt to new consumers. What is Lunae’s main challenge moving forward?

To continue evolving without losing what allowed us to get this far. We need to modernize processes, incorporate new tools, and respond to consumers who are also changing. The involvement of a new generation is part of that process. At the same time, however, we must preserve craftsmanship, the quality of our materials, the human relationship with our customers, and the legacy built since 1988. Modernization makes sense if it strengthens the company, not if it erases its identity.