Nagual Design (by Joseph Bortoli)

What does Nagual stand for, and who is D. Joseph Bortoli?

For the Toltecs of ancient Mexico, the Nagual is a shaman or guiding spirit. To lovers of gothic sterling silver jewelry Since 1995, it means pretty much the same thing, for under the hand of Southern California designer D. Joseph Bortoli, Nagual has established itself as an iconic temple of biker culture which many thousands of fans swear to.

D. Joseph Bortoli’s early life, and the birth of Nagual

Like many outdoor-loving California natives, Joseph has been an avid Surfer, beach volleyBall enthusiast and snowboarder for as long as he can remember. These passions, coupled with spiritual quests through Mexico, Europe and Asia, were catalysts to the founding of Nagual in 1995. Joseph Bortoli first became intrigued with the jewelry he saw in Mexico on his numerous surf trips there, but he couldn't actually find any pieces he wanted to wear himself. Inspired by the designs, architecture and imagery at archeological sites in Mexico and Central America, Joseph Bortoli began carving his own waxes and mastering jewelry design. Soon enough, Joseph Bortoli created his first collection for men, signaling the birth of a new luxury sterling silver gothic jewelry label.

Diversification

8 years on, Nagual as a company has expanded and diversified. Nagual CLASSICS are permanently available and form the backbone of the company. In 1997, in response to the growing market demand for a softer look to sterling silver gothic jewelry, Joseph Bortoli began designing gothic jewelry for women with its DIVINITY line. In Fall 2002, Nagual launched Joseph Bortoli's eponymous line for both men and women, bold pieces straight from the imagination and inspired by the lost continent Atlantis. Fall 2003 saw the launch of Nagual’s New Suede & Leather Clothing with touches of the 70's truly Hippie - Chic.

Nagual breaks out of the workshop and goes Retail

After years of preparation and reputation building, Joseph Bortoli realized his dreams of going retail in May 2001. Located on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in the heart of the artistic beachside community of Venice, the storefront comprises Nagual's retail space, with the design studio housed in the back. Here, Joseph and his staff display the complete Nagual collections along with apparel, new work, one-of-a-kind pieces and decorative objects. Having a retail space just beside his workshop enables Joseph Bortoli to see first hand how his customers respond to the work, allowing him to keep at the forefront of changing trends and fashions. The store is also becoming increasingly popular for non-biker custom orders, particularly wedding ring sets.

Bortoli’s Teaching pursuits

In addition to his stellar qualities as a designer, Joseph Bortoli is also a gifted teacher. In September 2002, Joseph Bortoli gave a workshop at the Hiko Mizuno School of Jewelry in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, where he was well received by an adoring crowd. The enthusiastic response sends Joseph Bortoli back to Japan two to three times annually to conduct jewelry design lectures and workshops there as a guest lecturer; a role he has also taken up with several schools in the United States.

Nagual and Child

Joseph Bortoli continues to live life true to himself; a zesty life enriched by lots of surf and travel. Not far from the Nagual studio, he lives in Venice, California with his love, makeup artist Patti Ramsey Bortoli. Their first child, a rewarding collaborative effort, arrived in the Summer of 2003.

Classic Joseph Bortoli Nagual-inspired Designs by Punksilver

Some of Bortoli’s most famous designs are his beautiful renditions of Nagual dagger jewelry, Nagual skull jewelry hearts jewelry, Nagual cross jewelry and Nagual fleur-de-lis jewelry.

At Punksilver.com, we bring you the best of Nagual’s wide selection of sterling silver biker jewelry at affordable prices. With the phenomenal rise of Joseph Bortoli’s credentials following the success of his Nagual collection, the prices of sterling silver Nagual gothic jewelry pieces have quickly risen above what most biker jewelry and gothic jewelry enthusiasts find affordable. Original Nagual bracelets can easily set you back US$8,000 to US$25,000 depending on weight and intricacy. Our collections are closely inspired by Nagual’s best classical designs, and we recreate the mood and feel of the originals by drawing inspiration from photo catalogues, and offering them to you at a fraction of the original’s retail price. Like the original Nagual item, our gothic jewelry products are manufactured only from pure sterling silver and laboriously handcrafted.