Sep 7, 20214 min read

All Aboard! From Cruise Ship Waitress to International Jewelry Designer

Updated: Jan 14, 2022

Born in Lima, Peru, Analucia Beltran’s journey of becoming an International Jewelry Designer is an adventurous and fearless one that began almost 20 years ago.

As the oldest of four children, she made an important promise to her father. Annalucia was a teenager when he passed. The day before his sudden passing, he made her promise him the following: to leave Peru in search of a better life for her and her family - and that one day, have her own company and create a family legacy.

The Beginning Of That Journey

Determined to honour that promise and make her dreams come true, Analucia got a contract with Carnival Cruise Lines, a position as a waitress at only 20 years old. With her mom’s blessing, she left marketing school and a beauty pageant in Peru to honor the contract (and promise) that will allow her to provide a better life for her family and herself.

In her mind, she imagined a luxurious cruise lifestyle, being a waitress in the main dining room, ready to serve the passengers while making lots of tips in the most elegant environment, just like in the Titanic.

All her expectations started collapsing as soon as she entered the cruise. Purple neon lights on elevators, passengers wearing sandals and shorts while driving scooters, and her cabin was smaller than a normal bathroom, no windows. All this, to share with a roommate. Very far from the tuxedos she saw in the ‘Titanic’ movie.

She was going to be serving the staff, not the passengers. Her starting point was at the very bottom of the pyramid, with very challenging times ahead. Working with people from over 60 different countries under one roof, an 8 month contract awaited, over 70 hours of work a week and a less than glamorous salary, it was the beginning of a new life and the ultimate quest for success.

A New Frontier

With a lot of hard work and determination, Analucia was promoted shortly after to Restaurant Hostess, looking after dining reservations, special travel agent deliveries and coordinating weddings onboard the cruise, ”I remember calling my mom to give the good news on Christmas Eve, we both started crying on the phone. I was calling from a payphone in San Juan, Puerto Rico, while wearing my new uniform. Probably the happiest Christmas I ever had”, she recalls.

A few months after that, while sailing, Analucia got a devastating call - her mom had passed away suddenly. She immediately flew to Peru and made it to her mom’s funeral.

AIf there was one thing Annalucia learned from her mom, it was her toughness and leadership once our dad passed. The very next day my dad died, she put on her makeup and went on to continue our father’s business. “To this day, I have no idea how in the world she did that”, she recalls. This was a very tough time for her and her siblings, yet each one of them had to continue with their paths in life.

Continuing her quest, she was back on the cruise. While sailing in Europe, she got the opportunity to enter the Fine Art World working for Park West Galleries, the largest Art Dealer in the Duty Free Market aboard cruise ships worldwide.

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Analucia then began her relationship with the Diamond World. She started training in the NY Diamond District, attending brand conferences in Miami, became a Shopping Host on TV and doing live shows onboard the cruise ships while wearing and selling precious diamonds. “It was my dream job”, she happily recalls.

“I was the first Latina ever to become a Restaurant Hostess, Art Associate Auctioneer and Diamond Shopping Guide on cruise ships - ever. I always faced people telling me it can’t be done, yet I always asked myself, “Why Not?”.

With that passion, after a full 10 year career on cruise ships, Analucia moved to Canada in early 2011 to continue her career in jewelry and television. Slowly but surely, she started building a name for herself as a mainstream jewelry professional in Canada and the US for another 10 consecutive years.

It’s Only The Beginning

In 2020, during the global pandemic and against all odds, Analucia was able to secure strategic partnerships in the jewelry industry and create “Analucia Beltran Diamonds” along with her youngest brother. For Analucia, this brand is a tribute to her parents.

Based in our dear Toronto, the brand is about to expand globally. It will be part of the largest jewelry show, this side of the world, JCK Las Vegas, in August this year. The brand is also being featured on a Royal publication for Rolls Royce as one of 15 upcoming sustainable luxury brands in the world, Analucia Beltran Diamonds is the fist designer lab grown diamond brand in the world.

A new era awaits with so many exciting things on the horizon. Her story is a remarkable example that, despite less than perfect circumstances - with ambition, hard work and faith, anything is possible!