Meet the Designer

I'm Maria Matheus, the heart and hands behind Lila Miami.

My love for jewelry began long before I ever imagined creating a brand. I was born in Venezuela, where some of my earliest memories are walking hand in hand with my father through local markets. He was a natural businessman, and he loved to nurture my curiosity. I was about six years old when he first took me to buy tiny beads—canutillos—so I could start making jewelry.

Those small beads became my first treasures. In fact, I still keep some of them today, saving them for special necklace designs that carry a piece of my childhood.

Years later, life brought me to Miami Beach. Between ballet classes and endless summer sandals, I began creating bracelets and necklaces that I would sell to my friends in the locker room. Even then, jewelry felt like a natural extension of my creativity—where art, movement, and design came together.

As I grew, so did my passion. I eventually moved to Los Angeles, where my creativity expanded even further. That experience pushed me to refine my vision, experiment with new ideas, and truly believe that jewelry could be more than a hobby—it could be a voice.

During that time, the name Lila began to take shape. For me, Lila stands for Living In LA. A chapter of my life that expanded my creativity and encouraged me to see jewelry as something meaningful and expressive.

When I moved back to Miami from Los Angeles, something unexpected happened. My mom suggested throwing away the old beads I had saved since I was a little girl. But instead of letting them go, I opened the box. Holding them in my hands again, I felt a spark—a whisper of the little girl I once was—and began creating jewelry all over again. Those same beads that had carried my childhood dreams now carried my renewed passion.

That moment reminded me why I fell in love with jewelry in the first place. Soon after, Lila Miami was born.

Every piece I design is carefully chosen and thoughtfully created for the women who wear it. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing my clients bring these pieces to life with their own style, grace, and confidence.

For me, jewelry is not just about beauty. It's about story, heritage, and emotion.

Lila Miami carries with it the memories of my family, the creativity that shaped my life, and a deep passion for art and design. Today, I continue to design with the same excitement I felt as a little girl holding those first beads in my hands—always dreaming of the next piece that will shine on someone special.

Miami's everyday gold — handpicked for the modern woman.