Are You Where You Were Born or Where You Were Raised?

Identity is complicated. It’s not just about where your passport says you’re from or where your accent slips out. It’s made up of pieces—where you were born, where you were raised, where you’ve loved, and where you’ve grown.

I was born in Houston, Texas, but raised in the U.S. Virgin Islands. For a long time, that mix confused me more than I wanted to admit. I’d say “I’m from the Virgin Islands” without hesitation—because that’s what felt true in my heart. But deep down, I sometimes wondered about the part of me that began in Texas, the one that never got the chance to connect to its own roots.

That quiet feeling of being between places is what led me to create my jewelry line. At first, VI Jewelry Co. was something deeply personal—my way of feeling closer to the place I call home. I wanted a tangible reminder of the islands that raised me, something I could wear and carry no matter where life took me. Each piece I designed was like saying, this is who I am, this is where my soul belongs.

But as I shared the jewelry, I realized I wasn’t the only one who felt that pull—the ache of distance, the pride of belonging, the longing to stay connected to a place that shaped you. What started as something just for me became something bigger. I began creating pieces for other Caribbean islands too, so anyone who felt that same need could carry home with them—around their neck, on their wrist, close to their heart.

Because growing up in the Caribbean does something to you—it marks you in ways that never fade, no matter where you were born. The sun, the sea, the culture, the laughter—it all becomes part of your rhythm. It shapes how you see the world and how you carry yourself in it. Even if you leave, that essence never really leaves you.

It’s no longer about where you were born—it’s about what lives inside you. That deep sense of connection, pride, and belonging that ties you back to your island, even when life takes you far from it.

What started as my story became a shared one. A way for all of us to honor where we come from, and the parts of it that never stop living inside us.