NEXT GENERATION
Jose Balli Jewelry Reimagined By Emily Hingle
Jose Balli knew that he was destined to be an artist when he was just a child, but he couldn’t predict what type of discipline he would eventually settle into. He explained, “Since I was a little boy, I knew I was going to be an artist. It stems back to when I was about 6 years old living down in Delacroix. I was at a friend’s house one day just sitting around drawing. I held my paper up to show my friend’s mom, and she looked at it and said, ‘It’s so good! You’re going to be an artist one day.’ From there, something just blossomed.” After high school, Jose took a job in a steel shop, and a seemingly inconsequential event changed the course of his life. “While I was waiting for a large pipe to finish cutting, I carved an alligator out of soapstone with a Barlow knife that I actually still use to this day. I showed the gator to a friend that I was working with, and he said, ‘You ought to become a jeweler.’ I told him, ‘That’s a good idea!’ I give God credit for that day because he gave me two things: a gift and direction. I found out I could carve and I knew I was going to be a jeweler.” Jose enrolled in a jewelry repair course at Delgado while teaching himself how to wax carve, create molds of original designs, and cast them in metal using the lost-wax casting method. After completing the four jewelry courses at Delgado and scouring the yellow pages for jewelry stores that might have a job opening, he took his skills to Aucoin Hart Jewelers in the late 1980s. After 10 years of honing his craft, Jose felt that it was time to create his own jewelry line and began wholesaling and exhibiting at local art shows. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, he then decided it was time to expand into retail. He explained, “My brother owned some commercial property in Chalmette that had about 10 feet of water. After he fixed the place up, a couple of my brothers and I pooled our resources and, in 2006, Balli Gallery was born. It
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offered custom framing, jewelry, steel art, and home decor. We created a following in St. Bernard, being one of the first new businesses to open in the parish after Katrina. A year later, we opened up a second store in Slidell. It wasn’t long after that I thought that it was time for me to open up stores under my own name.” Jose Balli now has four stores, which are located in the French Quarter, Magazine Street, Metairie, and Mandeville. They
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have thrived thanks to the business acumen of Jose’s wife Lisa, their children Sarah, Joshua, and Lucas, and his sister-in-law Tina. From design conception to the sales floor, it’s truly a family business. Sarah and her brothers have been actively involved in the family business since a young age. But she wouldn’t become inspired to be a jeweler until
Egret Cattails Collection by Jose Balli
Pet Gator Bracelet by Jose Balli
ALL IMAGES COURTESY BALLI JEWELRY
Jewelry designer and Isleño descendant Jose Balli creates handmade sterling silver jewelry inspired by the unique beauty and culture of Louisiana. Now, his daughter Sarah is creating striking and youthful jewelry of her own. The Balli brand is expanding more rapidly than ever before thanks to the dynamic father and daughter duo.
