A online brouhaha erupted over the weekend when jewelry brand Dezso by Sara Beltrán accused Veronica Beard of copying its designs.
“Shame on you Veronica Beard, 20 years of my work, and now this,” Beltrán wrote in an Instagram post Friday. This followed an Instagram Story Beltrán posted the day before.
Beltrán explained that, in 2024, Veronica Beard’s director of buying, Gabriela Sorrentino, reached out to her, saying that Veronica — there are actually two Veronica Beards — is a “huge fan” of Beltrán’s work. Sorrentino asked for a collaboration at Veronica Beard locations in Nantucket, Mass., and the Hamptons, which Beltrán passed on due to “not aligning with her brand’s aesthetics.” Beltrán claimed that Veronica Beard “has no ethics, and ended up copying my designs.”
In the post, Beltrán showed three examples of shell necklaces she designed in 2021 that are very similar to ones that Veronica Beard was offering in 2026.
“People have been reaching out. Many have told me that Veronica Beard has copied more small brands, this is insane. Shame on you, Veronica Beard. Small designers deserve respect. Artisans deserve recognition. Originality matters,” Beltrán wrote.
By 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Veronica Beard had responded and posted on Instagram Stories.
“We are aware that certain pieces from our recent jewelry collection closely resemble Dezso designs,” the brand said. “We deeply respect Sara Beltrán, her craft and her business. We have removed the relevant pieces from our stores and website. We are reviewing our design process to prevent mistakes in the future. We sincerely apologize to Sara. Veronica & Veronica.”
On Saturday, Stephanie Unwin, chief executive officer of Veronica Beard, reached out to Beltrán offering an apology and an opportunity to speak.
Veronica Beard executives declined further comment on Monday.
In an interview on Monday, Beltrán told WWD she didn’t consider Veronica Beard’s Instagram Story an apology. “That’s not an apology,” she said. “I don’t think of that as an apology because I will tell you that I sent them an email [about the similarities] on Monday [Oct. 12] and they kind of gaslighted us. I can also send you the email and I’m happy for you to publish that.”
She said she heard back from two people from Veronica Beard — Sorrentino and Lisa Campario — and Campario, director, merchandising, non-apparel, who emailed, “Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We’re reviewing internally and we’ll follow up with you shortly.” Beltrán said she followed up two or three times to that email and there was no response, so she started posting on Instagram Stories Thursday night. “And obviously they were forced to [post their apology] because there was so much rage on [Beard’s] Instagram. And then at one point there were 1,000 comments on [Beard’s] Instagram, so they had to block the comments.” On Saturday, Veronica Beard posted its apology on Instagram Story saying the brand was removing the relevant pieces. Beltrán said it wasn’t an apology post to have something up for 24 hours. (Instagram Stories automatically disappear after 24 hours.)
Beltrán said she understands that brands go scouting, “but I’m sorry, you need to pay attention.”
The fact that Beard’s team reached out about a partnership 2024 and Beltrán said no “doesn’t give you permission to go copy what we’re doing,” Beltrán said. “I invested 20 years of my life doing this. So when people copy me, I get very upset.”
As of Monday afternoon, Beltrán’s post had 53,800 views and 2,453 comments on Instagram.
In an industry where copying designs is deeply rooted, Beltrán’s post angered executives.
“This is not okay,” wrote Fern Mallis. “Your call out on social media is right on. I’m surprised you haven’t heard from the brand and they should remove all the pieces from their collection immediately. Carry on with your beautiful work.”
Joanna Mastroianni posted: “I’m sorry you are subjected to this, which happens quite often in our industry. Unfortunately our industry does not have copyrights in place for creatives.”
And Karla Welch wrote, “Ugh not cool.”
Born in El Paso, Texas, Beltrán grew up in Juárez, Mexico, and went to high school in El Paso. She launched her jewelry business in 2006. In a 2024 WWD story, the designer said her family took beach trips beaches to San Diego and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where she would collect shells. Her magpie collecting led her to her early jewelry, with friends asking her for pieces. She named her brand Dezso, loosely meaning “wish” in Spanish, but to her it is synonymous with desire.
“Everybody desires something,” she said.