Marlon Obando Solano grew up exploring the tropical forests surrounding his home in rural San Lorenzo, Nicaragua. Alongside his 11 siblings, Marlon was raised on a small farm where he learned to use what was available to eat, work and play. While he was a student of archaeology he traveled throughout Central America and began experimenting with found natural materials to make jewelry and sculpture.

Amy and Marlon met in Nicaragua when Marlon was selling his handmade jewelry at a conference about environmental justice. We fell in love, and began working together to sell jewelry to friends and travelers. We originally named the business "Naturaleza al Descubierto" or Nature Discovered, to represent our commitment to creating jewelry that was sustainable and inspired by nature.

Our love story was built on shared dreams of building a family and contributing to a more just, sustainable and peaceful world while straddling the two countries and cultures of our birth.

The first rings Marlon ever made were our engagement rings, made with coyol seed. Married in 2004, we moved to Kentucky in 2005.  We participated in our first juried art fair within days of the move, where we were awarded “Best in Show.”  Marlon established a small home workshop and continued to create new designs to sell at art fairs throughout the region while also studying English, working as an archaeologist and playing music with his band, Appalatin.

In 2007 we opened our Etsy shop, naturalezanica. A friend requested an engagement ring with Mayan Numerology to honor his own Mayan heritage. Before long, Marlon had created a unique collection of handmade wood rings with his own designs and process, when wood rings were not common. Naturaleza Organic Jewelry found its niche in creating custom made wood wedding rings and selling them online to customers around the world. 

Little by little our business has grown and blossomed, and so has our family. We are now proud parents of two children, and we are celebrating over 20 years of working together. We have been fortunate to create a sustainable business that also allows us to stay connected to our family, community and values. We continue to operate the business as the sole employees. 

We are excited to be implementing our vision by reforesting farmland in Nicaragua with native species of trees. We travel to our family farm in Nicaragua regularly to care for the nature sanctuary we are creating and to collaborate with family and community on sustainable farming and economic development projects. We built a home, organic swimming pool and garden to create Casa Girasol Bed & Breakfast in San Lorenzo, our other passion project.

When we met we dreamed of creating a life that would allow us to travel and spend time in Nicaragua and Kentucky with each of our families. We imagined being able to do a little of all of the things we love. We still work towards these goals every day, but we are so grateful for the customers who value our art and our principles, making it possible for us to pursue our dream. Our journey of building a sustainable family business built on integrity, social and environmental justice and meaningful relationships has only just begun. We appreciate your interest and your support.