“From the streets of Soho slinging leather and brass to Paris luxury showrooms and independent pop ups in the Marais, Castro always had something to share,” said longtime friend and fellow designer, Jules Kim of Bijules. “I was honored to tag team those streets, showrooms and dreams with him. He never ceased to impress me through his smart ass storytelling and artisanal innovation. I have stories for days…and nights.”

David Rees, co-owner with his partner, Ron Anderson, of Ten Thousand Things, first met Castro on those same Soho streets, “Ron and Andrea Linett [with Conde Nast at this time] found him in Soho, selling brass and silver jewelry, and they just raved and raved about him,” Rees reminisces. “I finally went to check out what they were talking about, and I was blown away by his creativity; his talent was undeniable.” Inspired by what he describes as a truly “world-class” artist, David did what he could to help Castro out, introducing him to stores and providing whatever small amount of mentorship Castro’s independent spirit would accept from him.

While he ultimately vacated his Soho stand and began working in finer materials and expanding his business, Castro’s approach to his craft kept him elusive for many years. Well-known and highly respected within the design community, and a vocal advocate and mentor for many BIPOC designers, for a long time he eschewed traditional commercial success, keeping his genius largely under the radar. In recent years, however, he had begun to be recognized for his talent more broadly, albeit by his own rules. “I’m the boss,” he said in a 2020 interview about his “Have a Heart” collaboration with Muse. “I do only what I want.”

The Muse collaboration came about through a close friend who was also one of his fiercest advocates, Carmen Busquets, an international founder, investor and financial advisor. When asked in that same 2020 interview about his decision to work with Muse’s owner, Jennifer Shanker, Castro said, “My friend Carmen Busquets asked me to lend my talent to the cause of charity that she was part of and brand ambassador. I didn’t have to think about doing it, I jumped on it. I would do anything for Carmen and to help someone.”

“He became a close friend fast,” Busquets explains of their relationship in a conversation following his death. She lamented that she always felt like she was pushing Castro hard to be his best, but explains she was intensely committed to helping him succeed; she deeply appreciated his artistry and loved his beautiful, free soul. One critical strategy in fostering his success was introducing him to Shanker.

“Carmen introduced me to Castro because she thought we could help guide him in the American market. She also thought we would get along, and she was right,” Shanker said. “When we first met on Zoom, I saw that he understood the direction that I was giving him and he took it really well, still while making everything his own. He trusted me because he came to me through Carmen, and he knew she only had his best interest in mind. Castro was his jewelry. He was complicated and intense and detail-oriented and edgy and wild and fabulous and not like anyone else.”

Another catalyst to the increasing awareness of his exceptional talent was his good friend, writer and curator, Melanie Grant, who noted in a devastatingly beautiful post on Instagram, “The first time we ever spoke our conversation lasted 5 hours and I knew I had connected with someone who would change my life.” Grant and Castro spoke almost daily, and she included him in her curation of the September 2021 “Brilliant & Black” exhibit at Sotheby’s, which garnered international acclaim and more wide-spread acknowledgment of Castro’s work.

Understanding how meaningful it was to be showcased in a group of Black artists is foundational to understanding Castro’s core ethos. “My favorite Castro moment was when we were in Vicenza together,” Morgan Amelia Miller, Senior Account Executive of COUTURE, tells us. “We were up until the wee hours of the morning philosophizing and talking about how important Blackness in jewelry is and how each piece he makes holds that in his heart and in his art.”

Designer Lorraine West, who is also part of the Muse “Have a Heart” collaboration and one of the designers in the “Brilliant & Black” exhibit at Sotheby’s, looked to Castro as a big brother. “There was so much trust and freedom between us,” she told us. “We respected one another and admired one another’s work. He always told me to keep my eye on the prize, to stay in my lane and keep creating my way; he loved my big, bold designs and told me to keep creating from that place.” West serves as a mentor to many young jewelers, so she considers receiving wisdom from Castro a real gift. And the feeling was mutual; Castro’s last text to West read, “You are the blessing.”

According to Busquets, Castro was embracing the progression towards monetizing his artistry, “I believe Castro died evolving and in peace. He told me, ‘I’m not going to disappoint you with Jennifer, I’m not going to disappoint Melanie, trust me, I’m changing, I know I have potential and I’m gonna do it Carmen, you’re going to be proud, I’m gonna do it,’” she recalled. “He died doing it. I believe the way in which one dies is a miracle, and how Castro died is how everybody should die—doing what we love but improving and perfecting our individual talent that God gave us. He died doing it.”

Castro’s work was shown at COUTURE in the Muse salon, and is now carried by COUTURE retailer, TWIST, “It is a privilege and a joy to represent the jewelry of Castro,” noted TWIST owner, Paul Schneider. “Each piece he created was a tiny window into the beautiful crazy and outrageous vision of the universe in which he lived. He could sparkle and strut and then vaporize right in front of you. He was Puck with dreadlocks and a serious creator of very personal and inspired jewelry. There will never be another. The jewelry world lost one of its best and anybody that owns a piece of his is one lucky SOB.”

“He was truly a legend, an artist, a mentor, a champion, and an advocate of the highest order,” noted Miller. “I have so many good memories of him that I will forever be grateful for. Castro was always a trailblazer and meant a tremendous amount to the Black and Brown community. To see his work starting to gain the recognition it beyond deserved meant so much. Experiencing his presence was a gift and I will remember it, and him, forever.”

“Castro’s kind of talent is a rare commodity, and I’m just happy in the end there was a groundswell of recognition of his greatness,” Rees said. “And yet, it’s all of the unrealized possibility that we can’t stop thinking about today.”

“There was no-one else like him,” Grant told us. “His work expressed an otherworldly surrealist gothic universe that changed design. I can’t believe he’s gone.”