Our Founder's Story
It all started when Rebecca was 8 years old. She declared her favorite animal to be horses.
Her parents were first generation immigrants from large metropolitan cities in China, and had never grown up on a farm. They had immigrated to an island called Guam in the West Pacific-- where a sight of a horse was even more out of place. They quizzically thought it was a phase she would grow out of. After all, it was quite normal for little girls to go through a pony / horse phase. Little did they know how wrong they were-- for no one could obsess like Rebecca could.
Her obsession led to various forms of horse art (paintings, sketches, macaroni art), riding lessons, joining her college equestrian team, and then discovering a love for polo, all in the span of the last ~20 years.
Her parents, although generally confused most times, supported her the best that she could. As jewelry retailers and designers, they would gift her with small horse pendants and jewelry during holidays that Rebecca happily wore. Over the years, she realized the power of what a simple fashion statement could do in representing your identity to the world... and that's how the idea for Palmera was born.
Palmera Polo was started as Rebecca's project that brings together her passion for horses, love of simple, beautiful, designs, and as a tribute to her family's business.
Origins Behind Our Name
Our inspiration comes from "la palmera", the Spanish word for palm trees. This was a nod to our founder's island origins, and represents the calm, peace, and simple joy one experiences in your happy place-- in the tranquility of the barn, or on the back of a horse.
Note from our Founder
Thank you for choosing Palmera Polo. We couldn't be more grateful for your support.
There is a sense of kinship amongst all equestrians-- that we boldly entrust our safety to a powerful animal as our companion and teammate, we never give up (even after multiple injuries and falls) in our never-ending pursuit of perfection, we are never ones to shirk away from hard work through all of our manual labors at the barn, and we are all courageous to the point of being daredevils.
We hope our beautiful jewelry can help you express your love of what we do as lifelong horse lovers and equestrians. We hope that you can take pride in your accomplishments as a rider, and that our pieces can become an essential part of your everyday style.
We wish you the best in all endeavors-- horse-related, or not. Happy riding!
- Rebecca Leung
