SantayanaPower!

Get to Know Santayana

Our father, Rodolfo Santayana, started selling jewelry on his own when he was in his early 20’s in Miami, FL. Many of his first customers recall seeing my dad arrive at their homes, dressed in a smart suit, with a large briefcase full of jewelry to sell.

Some time in the 80’s, I’m not exactly sure when but I do remember, right off the top of my head, I was 5 years old. I watched as, brick by brick, the building in Tamiami was built where the Original Santayana location stands today. There was almost nothing all the way over there, “en la ciento-ventidos y la ocho del Southwest”, as dad would say. It was a risk that turned out to be a triumph. 

Growing up we were encouraged and sometimes forced to work at the store. I began stringing necklaces at age 6 or so. My mom would hand me the longest, teeny-tiniest pearl necklace she could find to entertain me for about 3 hours. I made my first-ever sale when I was 8 years old- a $500 sapphire bracelet. 

A whole mess of years later, we are still here. The city has changed and even the name of the street has a new name- “Rodolfo Santayana Jr. Ave.” But a few things remain the same, Santayana Jewelry is a family owned and operated business, dedicated to making unique jewelry designs. 

Above all, we want our future and current customers to feel absolutely welcomed to call or email us if you see something on our website you like or if you have a question about design or just want to learn a little more about us. We are working on making our jewelry more available via our santayana.com website but for now, we have some charms available though our Storenvy site. Contact us if something you want is not available on Storenvy, we’ll make it happen.

We’re friendly.  :)

This is the link to our website

This is the link to our Facebook

This is the link to our Twitter

This is our Custom Jewelry Design Blog

This is the link to where you can BUY OUR CHARMS ONLINE

And, our phone number is 305-559-8565

Miami Summer Wish List

I’ve gone through dozens of summer must have lists and resort wear blogs and have yet to have found anything I would EVER wear in Miami. The weather here is special. Not only is it hot, it’s also sticky! And it can rain at a drop of a hat. So I’ve put together a short list of my own, the Miami Summer Wish List. 

White pants are the definitive summer pant. 

Gap Demin Jeans

A bright printed tunic can be paired with white pants or shorts

Tory Burch Tunic

Maxi dresses are great over a bathing suit or for strolling Lincoln Road. 

The Webster Miami for Target

A strapless dress can go day to night! And won’t leave unsightly tan lines ;)

J. Crew

Python knows no season and matches with everything!!

Proenza Shouler PS1

Big sunglasses always remind me of Jackie O. These will keep the sun out of your eyes and make a killer headband if the wind kicks up and makes your hair all crazy.

Old Navy

These flats take me back to the 80’s! Love them!!

Old Navy

I’ve noticed in the past few months a significant increase in the use of rain boats in Miami. Consider these short Chanel booties for making mad dashes between your front door and you car. 

Chanel 

How Do You Know If You’re a Real Miamian?

By :  Kyle Munzenrieder

Ever notice how New Yorkers have such strong opinions about what makes a person a “real” New Yorker? (The answer: you have strong opinions about what makes one a real New Yorker.) The phrase “Real New Yorker” has 802,000 Google results. The phrase “Real Miamian”nets just 347 results.

We’re a transient, melting pot of a city, sure, and it’s hard to define our people, but we thought we’d try to establish some basic requirements for 305 realness. Take our test to find out if you’re a “real Miamian.” Don’t take it too seriously though. No real Miamian would.

It’s pretty simple. For each bullet point that applies to you, go ahead and give yourself a point.

• Hearing the words “palmetto” and “dolphin” in the same sentence does not conjure up a scene of a tranquil paradise in your head, but rather one of traffic horror.
• “Lights! Food! Rides! And so much more!” makes you think of the holidays more than “Jingle Bells.”
• Not only are you aware that places like Naranja, Redland, Ojus and Country Walk exist, but you can give general directions to get to those places.
• You use your horn more than your turn signal.
• Whether you started out as a Spanish speaker or an English speaker, you’re now proficient in Spanglish.
• You either were or remember seeing someone visibly upset the day Celia Cruz died.
• You’ve got a Dan Marino jersey you still rock, of course, but somewhere deep in the back of your closet resides either a Fielder, Harrington, Culpepper, Rosenfels, Frerotte, Green, Beck, Pennington, or Henne jersey.
• You own more flip flops, excuse us, chancletas, than coats.
• You’ve owned either vinyl, cassette, CD or digital copies of Nice & Wild’s “Diamond Girl,” Debbie Deb’s “Lookout Weekend” and Stevie B’s “Spring Love.”
• Starting times are just suggestions, and you never get to an event or party within an hour of the actual kick off.
• You’ve bought seafood or meat out of a car trunk.
• You’re asked “Where are you from?” within a minute of meeting someone, or you’re doing the asking. “Here” is never a valid answer.
• $7 for a well drink seems pretty damn cheap to you.
• You have no idea what a yellow light means.
• There are people living on your street or in your complex that you’ve never meet, but yet you know all their favorite salsa tunes because they blast the stereo so loudly.
• You’ve voted for someone who is now behind bars, removed from office or resigned in disgrace … multiple times.
• There was a time in your life when leaving clubs, bars, or parties after 3 a.m. on a weekday and still showing up to work the next day was a regular occurrence.
• Sitting at a red light means ignoring someone either trying to ask you for money or selling you something.
• You’ve recognized a random person out in public who’s acted for one of our many fine Internet porn companies.
• When a hurricane comes, preparing for a party and preparing for an actual disaster go hand-in-hand.
• You use the terms “bro” and “guy” all the time, but never, ever “dude.”
• You visit New York City and are the only tourist who actually thinks the locals are polite.
• Watching football is a good way to find out what some of your former classmates are up to.
• You get offended when people call Miami sports fans bandwagoners. Sure, you’ve only gone to like three games in the past decade, if any at all, but you watch the Heat, Dolphins, Marlins and Hurricanes on TV all the time.
• You consider a 5’10” man tall.
• You’ve passed by the taping of a reality TV show or telenovela.
• You have strong opinions about the art of Britto.
• Going out on South Beach is a last resort. “Really, you’re sure there’s nothing going on closer to home? How about downtown? No one’s having a house party? Jeez, OK, I guess we’ll go out to South Beach if we have to.”
• Broward County legitimately feels like a foreign country. It might as well be in Canada.
• Viewing art is not considered a sober activity.
• You’ve freaked out enough out-of-towners by trying to show them your favorite places around town that now you know you’re just better dropping them off at Bayside and directing them to the Chili’s.
• If you wind up drunk at a tattoo shop, there’s a good chance you’ll walk out with a “305” tattoo, assuming you don’t already have one.
• You wouldn’t even notice if all the Starbucks shut down. They don’t have cafecitosanyway.
• You’re familiar with the beggars in the neighborhoods you frequent.
• You can’t remember the last time you voluntarily went anywhere on Ocean Drive.
• You’ve used the bathrooms at Churchill’s Pub multiple times and lived to tell about it.
• When a new restaurant or club opens, you often say, “Oh yeah, that used to be called … and before that it was …”
• Out-of-towners just assume you know where to buy coke.
• Any old man with a beard and a track suit reminds you instantly of Fidel Castro.
• You still judge people based on which local high school they went to.

How’d You Score?

0 points - You live in Boston. Why did you read this?

1 to 4 points - Did you just move here for a job and are trying to impress your bosses by working 80 hours weeks? Get out and absorb the local culture some.

5 to 9 points - Congratulations on purchasing one of our many foreclosed upon condos as a vacation home, but you’re not quite a Miamian.

10 to 15 points - You’ve reached the bare minimum of “Miamian” status. You can now tell people from outside of Miami that you’re a Miamian.

16 to 20 points - Some born-and-raised types may still scoff, but go ahead and wear that Miamian status with pride. Someone has to.

21 to 30 points - If you weren’t actually born here, you’ve definitely been reborn here in one way or another.

31 to 40 points - Watch out Pitbull, there’s a new Mr. or Ms. 305.

(Source: blogs.miaminewtimes.com)

Mother’s Day Weekend

Looking for something to do this Mother’s Day weekend in Miami way off the beaten path? Here are some ideas:

DANCE! A Flock of Seagulls at Grand Central, Friday May 11 - Florals, neon and hammer pants? Its official, the 80’s are BACK!! This concert is sure to sell out so get your tickets early! It’s a great night to cash in babysitter favors. 

EAT! Andiamos - Hands down the best place to have pizza in MIami. Andiamos is an old service station repurposed as an adorable outdoor restaurant. It features a gigantic  projector screen that streams games, or whatever’s good on TV. 

LEARN! O’Cinema Comic Book Movie Weekend - The Avengers blasted box office records last weekend. Go with the family to learn more about what makes these heros so SUPER!!