An Ancestral Legacy: The Wrap on Sol de Cobre

Over 20 years ago, Felipe Dorantes and Ana Casas were working at a jean factory in Mexico. Today, they sell handmade jewelry all around California. 

Originally from Tehuacán, Puebla, Dorantes has always been a creative. 

“In Mexico, there were a lot of local artisans that would make and sell jewelry at the local town plaza. I would go there and just watch them work away, fascinated by the designs,” Dorantes said. “Over the years, I got into it myself and developed my own designs. It was all visual learning for me.”

And thus, Sol de Cobre was born.

Sol de Cobre, which translates to “copper sun” in English, perfectly describes the core of the business’s products, handmade wire-wrapped jewelry.

Along with jewelry, the family business also sells suncatchers made with varying crystals and charms. Photo by Georgie Smith.

Dorantes began to display his art at local fairs and markets throughout his city. With a simple piece of cloth laid across a small table, he would try to sell his work to anyone who happened to pass by. 

It started off slow. Yet, despite others telling him that he wouldn’t make it as an artist, he persisted. Casas was even skeptical at first, but over time, she grew to appreciate the handmade aspect of the operation.

With Dorante’s designs and Casa’s sourcing and support, the two made the perfect team, pushing each other to become better artists and better people.

Jose Melquiades, their now 26-year-old son, has been there for the entire experience as well. 

Jose Melquiades was born into his familiy business, Sol de Cobre. Over time, he also created his own shop, called Ancestral Legacy. Photo by Georgie Smith.

“I used to feel embarrassed that we had to go to swap meets. I didn’t want to be seen that way,” Melquiades said. “After a couple of years though, I realized that I was being selfish. Once I started to see how many people appreciated the art and how many compliments my dad would get, my whole perspective on the business changed.”

Melquiades had a newfound appreciation for his family’s business and wanted to become more involved. So, he began to work under his family’s name, going to different events and selling artwork. He quickly became accustomed to the lifestyle, as sales came naturally to him.

“This is a blessing,” Melquiades said. “I feel lucky that I was able to be born into this.”

For the past six years, Melquiades has also operated his own pop-up storefront, Ancestral Legacy.

Drawing inspiration from his parents, Melquiades started Ancestral Legacy to further pursue his ventures as an entrepreneur. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, it also took on the role of an online storefront for the family’s business. 

With the pandemic in full force, all the events that the family had signed up to be at for the year had been canceled. They were scared, but through social media and encouragement from loyal customers, Melquiades and his sister were making sales within weeks. 

Despite the challenges, Sol de Cobre has always been a family affair. The family all works together to create a unique style of artistry that most could never replicate.

Bigger handmade pieces, such as wrapped pendants wrapped in real silver and wire-wrapped trees decorated with various gemstones. Photos by Georgie Smith.

“It’s a blessing to be able to do this with my family,” Dorantes said. “It allows us to spend a lot of time together, whether it be traveling, designing from home, or setting up at the next event. We get to work together all the time. Nothing beats it.”

Along with Melquiades, his three younger siblings are also interested in the business, playing a key role in the family’s motivations to create every day.

“I know they can take it further! They have grown, seen and learned a lot from what we do, so I know that they, too, will do bigger things,” Dorantes said.

Besides family, the heart of the business is the people that they come across and connect with.

On top of attending various markets and events, Sol de Cobre and Ancestral Legacy began consistently vending at Long Beach State about two years ago. 

“We’re very thankful to be here,” Melquiades said. “The students here actually appreciate the work, and to us, that’s what keeps us coming back.”

Typically located right outside of the bookstore, Sol de Cobre and Ancestral Legacy are often on campus with a plethora of handmade jewelry. Each piece is designed using different stones and materials such as copper, silver, brass and stainless steel.

Jose Melquiades comes to CSULB to share his family's creations with the rest of the world. Photos by Georgie Smith.

They sell necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings, pendants, decorative pieces, suncatchers and other miscellaneous items.

The business also imports and exports a lot of their pieces from Mexico, working closely with local artists to buy different pieces and turn them into something even more special.

“I had a great experience buying from this vendor,” said Nuelle Obaseki, a student at Long Beach State. “I feel like for the quality and complexity of their jewelry, everything is decently priced, and so far, I have gotten quite a few compliments on my new necklace.”

If not vending somewhere, both Sol de Cobre and Ancestral Legacy can be found online on Etsy, where more pieces of jewelry and artwork are available to be purchased. Further information about where they plan to set up next can be found on Instagram, @soldecobre and @ancestrallegacy_.

For this family, creating and sharing their artwork with the world is a way of life.

“It means everything to us because it has given everything to us, and it’s still giving so much,” Melquiades said.