Palm Beach — Every month, Caribbean Queen at the Palm Beach Plaza Mall honors one local female artist who lives and creates here.  The Caribbean Queen program was launched when the store opened in late 2011. For the month of July 2014, local artist Yolanda Rivera is the boutique’s celebrated Caribbean Queen, showcasing her craft for locals and visitors to admire and purchase.

A native of Peru, in South America, Yolanda Rivera has been living in Aruba for the past 22 years, and is a naturalized Dutch citizen. She always toyed with the idea of getting into business on her own, and eight years ago she did as she got interested in making original souvenirs for tourists, under her company’s name, Ryan’s Souvenirs, honoring her own son Ryan Frank.

Her interest in making bracelets, necklaces and earring resulted in a beautiful collection which she manufactured in her free time. Her early jewelry line was made of shell, wood, and glass and with time, she became quite proficient and comfortable with the materials. Nevertheless, she was looking for that special, unique and irresistible product when she stumbled upon coins, sparking the idea of making the Aruban florin into a perfect wearable souvenir.      

She now uses the local coins to fashion different pieces, earrings, bracelets and necklaces, key holders and rings, and was consequently accepted by the Department of Culture as an artisan, her work approved with a special seal as original artisanal items from Aruba, COIN ARTWORKS, copy written as AUT-00536.

Yolanda enjoys the idea that people of different nationalities take home a piece of Aruba, a work of art manufactured with love and dedication, right here on the island.

Happy to be the newest Caribbean Queen, Yolanda shows off her work throughout the month of July at Caribbean Queen, Palm Beach Plaza Mall. She will also conduct a live demonstration of her craft, date to be advised, at the boutique. 

Caribbean Queen earmarks a percentage of all sales for its Tikkun Olam (Repair of the World) program.  The collected funds are given quarterly to local non-profit organizations in an ongoing effort to do good and serve the community. All the foundations served with donations from Caribbean Queen are dedicated to the promotion of art on the island and artisan education.