My Favourite Pieces: Carmen Borgonovo’s love of charms — like parts of her soul

Born in El Salvador and raised in Miami, Carmen Borgonovo has held various editorial and styling roles at Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue and W magazines. But after years curating looks across brands, she felt the market lacked what she called “dream dresses” — joyful pieces in expressive prints, bold colours and fluid silhouettes. In 2017, she joined forces with former fashion executive Joana de Noronha to give life to her vision and launch Borgo de Nor (a blend of their surnames). The brand’s dream dresses have been worn by royalty, soprano Katherine Jenkins and supermodel Claudia Schiffer.

For someone who has always been obsessed with creating the perfect look down to its tiniest detail, when it comes to personal jewels, Borgonovo does not consider them mere add-ons. For her, jewels are miniature vessels of her memories, materialising in charms she likes to wear in necklaces, bracelets and even earrings. Over the years, charms, just like her memories, have added to a sizeable ensemble.

Heirloom gold charm

It all started with a gold charm originally encrusted with small pearls, but which are now missing. It was a gift from a family member in El Salvador for her fourth birthday. “I remember standing in the garden, the sunlight flickering through the trees, mesmerised by this little charm, which, I believe, in that moment sparked a life-long love,” Borgonovo says.

“Every piece marks a chapter. Whether it was a gift or something I found, each charm evokes where I was in life. It’s like wearing a timeline of meaningful experiences close to my heart,” she says.

In Latin American culture, Borgonovo explains, gifting charms to mark special occasions, such as birthdays, baptisms and communions, is a deeply rooted tradition and, naturally, her most cherished pieces are family heirlooms.

Necklace with charms and a religious amulet

Among Borgonovo’s most meaningful pieces is a necklace filled with golden charms from Italy, handed down by her grandmother and great-aunts. Among these, an ornate Virgin amulet and a gold sphere set with pearls hold a special place for her. “As a child, I was mesmerised by the craftsmanship,” she says. Yet, when it came into her possession, she hesitated to wear it, because its religious symbolism felt too weighty, so she asked designer Julia Muggenburg, founder of London-based jeweller and gallery Belmacz, to modernise it.

Placing the charm on a blackened gold chain gave the piece an edgy, rock-and-roll feel. “There’s something incredibly powerful about wearing pieces that hold the spirit and stories of one’s family,” Borgonovo says. “[They] feel like an extension of who you are and are able to hold memories and energy.”

Lucy Delius antique-finish charms

Beyond pieces inherited from her family, Borgonovo loves trawling through antique fairs, vintage dealers and Instagram (“a dangerous rabbit hole”) in search of new charms that attract her for their symbolism, aesthetics and craftsmanship. “The history of the piece, imagining who wore it, what makes it magical” leads her to consider how she will incorporate it into her collection and wear it.

Borgonovo speaks fondly of her pieces by Lucy Delius, whose antique-finish pendants “sit effortlessly alongside treasured heirlooms”, she says. She has often mixed them with a classic bean-shaped pendant by Tiffany & Co — an icon designed by Elsa Peretti — and a Cartier Trinity ring, which she likes to wear as a pendant.

Grainne Morton charms as earrings

Borgonovo’s love of charms is not limited to necklaces and bracelets; it extends to earrings too, particularly if by Edinburgh-based, Northern Irish jeweller Grainne Morton — “exquisitely crafted, almost like miniature works of art, there’s something mystical about them”, according to Borgonovo. “I rarely go out without a charm,” she adds.

But she also likes to play around with them when designing a new collection. “I like to experiment with charms, layering them, as they create a sense of bohemian elegance,” Borgonovo says.

Golden cigarette holder charm

Something that Borgonovo particularly likes about charms is their power to spark conversations. One such is a small gold container that opens to reveal a golden cigarette holder that belonged to her grandmother. “I can imagine her in the 1930s, impeccably dressed, a cigarette in hand. It’s a window into her world and a connection to her I carry with me,” says Borgonovo, who inevitably is asked many questions about its provenance.

I Am a Man necklace by Grayson Perry

Symbolism is something deeply embedded in every charm and has a strong appeal for Borgonovo. Charms can work as talismans and catalysts of energy, and sometimes they are the emblems of a new era. A piece embodying a turning point in Borgonovo’s life is a bold brass necklace by artist Grayson Perry, entitled I Am a Man.

“At the time, I was embracing my stronger, more masculine side as a co-founder of my brand,” she says. “This piece helped me lean into that strength. It represents the fluidity of masculinity and femininity, a strength that exists in all of us.”