Our Story

Amplifying Cultural Heritage with Thoughtful Design

High in the Peruvian Andes, semi-precious gemstones in lush natural tones are shaped into objects to hold, turn over, and play with. DAR Proyectos was born from a chance meeting in the Amazon, perhaps written in the stars, between textile designer Jenny Boucher and industrial designer Mauricio Navarro. Navarro grew up surrounded by the stone-carving traditions of the Andean highlands. Working together with local artisans, they transform gemstones into puzzles, games, and home décor.

Our Designs

Our products are not just decorative—they are designed to be touched, played with, and used. By shaping gemstones into colorful geometric forms, the designs open new opportunities: reaching audiences who might not traditionally engage with gems, and reframing stone as a material for everyday presence, pause, and analog joy.

Our Pace

Responding to a broader cultural shift toward analog rituals and intentional living, we offer an alternative to screen-based entertainment. Through hands-on engagement, our puzzles and accessories create moments of presence, reinforcing the idea that play remains a vital part of adult life as a means of balance and connection.

Our Craft

In a context where half of local workshops have disappeared over the past decade, and traditional practices are increasingly marginalized, our products offer a path to revalue skills that might otherwise be left behind. By translating these techniques into playful, functional objects, the design gives new life to craft that has been burned by mass markets, ensuring that culture remains viable, meaningful, and desired. Each object becomes an expression of both place and process.

Our Materials

Working with stone introduces an extraordinary opportunity to manipulate a natural, weight-bearing material into something both playful and grounding.The natural colors and tonal variations of each gemstone give every piece a distinct identity, allowing different stones to coexist within a single object while maintaining clarity and balance in its composition. Materiality is not an added aesthetic layer, but the system that gives the object its clarity, function, and meaning.

Crafted in the Andes

Our work is shaped through close collaboration with artisans in the Andean highlands, where inherited knowledge meets contemporary design. By working directly with natural gemstones and traditional techniques, each object becomes an expression of both place and process, grounded, tactile, and playful. Follow our journey on instagram:

Design That Lasts

We don’t follow trends. We design objects with lasting value — grounded in craftsmanship, enhanced by design, and built for enduring cultural and emotional significance. This commitment has been recognized internationally through multiple design awards.

  • 2023, Toronto, Canadá.  Juror Choice award, Living well

    Design TO
    Weaving the Light installation Juror’s Choice Award:

    Living Well2023 Toronto, Canada

  • 2020, Seattle, USA. Winner product design

    Gray Design Awards

    Weaving the Light Collection

    Winner of Best Product Design

    2020 Seattle, USA

  • 2023, New York, USA. Ethical compensation certificate

    Build a NEST Foundation
    Stone & Textile Manufacturing

    Ethical Production Certified

    2023-2026 New York, USA

  • 2016 Frankfurt, Germany. Gardening & Outdoor Living award.

    German Design Award
    Ocean Planter Collection

    Gardening & Outdoor Living Award

    2016 Frankfurt, Germany

  • 2015, Milan Italy. Stationary & Gift Items Design.

    A Design Award
    Gemstone Clips

    Best Stationary & Gift Items Design

    2015 Milan, Italy