Team

Our team of artisans

All our pieces are handmade in Mexico City by a team of skilled artisans. We have been working with them for many years, and have a very close relationship with all of them. For personal reasons they have asked us not to disclose their identities on our website and social media.  

Paulina Villalpando

Founder

Paulina is a self-taught jewellery designer and environmentalist. She founded PAAR in Mexico City in 2003 at the age of seventeen, the summer before her last year of high school. 

She holds an MSc. in Environmental Change and Management from the University of Oxford, a B.A. in International Relations from Universidad Iberoamericana Mexico City, and the Associate Jewellery Professional (AJP) Diploma from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). 

Paulina is passionate about producing fine jewellery sustainably. Her B.A. dissertation explored the role of diamonds in fueling conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. For the last twenty years, Paulina has balanced a successful career as a global sustainability expert, while building one of Mexico's first independent fine jewellery firms. Her two parallel careers have been crucial in motivating her to explore new ways of producing sustainable jewellery, such as promoting use of recycled and reclaimed stones and metals.

Paulina lives between Mexico City and London.

Scarlet Angel

Project Manager

Scarlet joined PAAR in 2020. She is passionate about socially and environmentally responsible design. One of her fist tasks at PAAR was to help design the WILD collection.

She holds a B.A. in Industrial Design from CENTRO. In 2019, she collaborated with the German luxury watch brand JUNGHANS. At university, she developed an environmental education project called ‘Little Earth Heroes’, which won her CUMULUS GREEN honorus at the New Circular Economy competition. After finishing her degree, she studied Experimental Jewellery at IED-Barcelona, and has taken several practical jewellery workshops in Mexico City.

Scarlet is in the process of obtaining the Associate Jewellery Professional (AJP) Diploma at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).

Scarlet is based in Mexico City.

Paco Villalpando 

Partner

Paco joined PAAR in 2013 as a Partner. He studied International Business Management in Mexico City and worked for Maersk Mexico for several years, leading on finance process migration, sales performance and marketing and communications in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua. 

In 2014, he joined KTBO, a creative digital advertising agency, as Project Manager, in charge of the entire digital strategy for whisky and rum brands. From May 2015 to April 2016, he led the DIAGEO team inside the agency, managing a total of 9 brands. As Head of Data Center at Media House Mexico he serviced all The Coca-Cola Company brands as Head of Publishing, in charge of all social media communications.

Today, he is Co-Founder of Panorama, a boutique brand consultancy and studio based in Mexico City that creates solid and timeless brand concepts and strategies through market understanding, brand development, web and app development and marketing operations.

Paco is based in Mexico City.