About the Artist

Valerie Perez-Prosick was born in New York City & raised in Pottsville, Pa. She developed a love of art in the second grade after winning an art contest held by the local paper.

During Valerie’s junior year in High School, she learned the art of silversmithing & has been in love with it ever since. She won her first Scholastic Achievement Award for a sterling silver & Tiger eye bracelet. Also in her junior year, she won a scholarship to participate in the Pa. Governor’s School of the Arts. In her senior year, she won a scholarship for Artistic Excellence, which enabled her to attend the prestigious Tyler School of Art (Temple University) - an Art School world-renowned for its Jewelry & Metalsmithing Program. She received her BFA in Jewelry Design & Metalsmithing.

A few years ago, she started her own jewelry business: CAVANA DESIGNS, in tribute to her late father, Valerio Perez (whom she was named after). Her father came to this country as a professional boxer & worked as a cook in a New York City newspaper (where he met her mother). After being injured in a kitchen accident, he could no longer box and decided to open his own restaurant named after his 3 daughters: CAroline,VAlerie, and NAtalie - CAVANA was born! Unfortunately, he did not live to see his dream come to its full fruition. It is in tribute to her late father that Valerie hopes to keep the dream of CAVANA alive!