Finally the world lives in a feminine key. It's the time for women. The era in which, while at the Thyssen-Bornemisza, the work of masters such as Artemisia Gentileschi, Angelica Kauffmann, Sonia Delaunay or Maruja Mallo was rediscovered, in response to the erasure in the history of art that they suffered along with others who broke the mold with works of undoubted excellence, in the rest of the sectors the female voices that shape it are also rising with determination. It also happens in the world of high jewelry.
Gemma Grau, manager of the family jewelry store founded in 1947 in a small workshop in Lloret de Mar, has a lot to say about this. In fact, she has been saying it for decades. “Jewelry should be easy to wear. They should be combinable with both a signature dress and jeans and they should be very feminine, they can make us feel powerful and confident,” she explains. She is a firm defender of the casual chic style that always imbues her jewelry with character. Different.
Graduated in Information Sciences, highly traveled (in the nineties she spent a good time in Southeast Asia, but she never tires of finding new places and new inspirations) and certified by the GIA (the Gemological Institute of America was created to equip industry a more professional tone through gemological education, research and instrumentation), knows exactly what it wants.
Although the company is family-owned (his brother Ricard co-governs this universe of beauty, in his case, with greater responsibility in the workshop area), his vocation for jewelry is innate. And his teachers and his references have always been women. Admire the work and personality of the great Jeanne Toussaint (she created the myth of Cartier's panther) and smile, grateful, when remembering that she had the enormous luck of meeting Elsa Peretti, the Italian jewelry designer who was also a philanthropist and model, whose jewelry and designer pieces for Tiffany
In that way, these four women are very similar. Very much. Gemma Grau's idea is precisely that: “Turn jewelry upside down, seek to make it easy and, above all, wearable,” she explains, which is the perfect example of what she says.
When she returned from her stay in Los Angeles (that's where she obtained the GIA), in 1993, completely in love with the American lifestyle, this tall, blonde Catalan with authentic Californian highlights marked a before and after in the history of jewelry. familiar. She colored the new creations with her experience and knowledge and pushed in 1994 the creation of Grau's flagship collection. It's Cosmos. “Jewels with our DNA, with our essence, that tell authentic stories that each one makes their own. And they want to be forever. They seek to be eternal,” explains Gemma Grau.
It is she who thinks them up, and who designs them and who draws them, just like her brother Ricard and her son. Because the three Grau also master that. This ability is also genetic. They are total artists, and it is inspiring to see them, pencil in hand, transforming that beautiful idea that at some point crossed their minds, sometimes inspired by the strength and color of the gems they choose; others, in the legends that those stones are so often associated with.
“The process begins with a drawing, capturing the idea in a white and gray sketch and with watercolor to enhance the tones of the stones and materials. It is then made in the Grau workshop, where Ricard selects the stones and directs the creation and finishing process with our jeweler artisans,” says this versatile artist who also has training in Fine Arts.
This is how, for example, the El Amor de Galatea earrings came about. “They are inspired by one of the oldest legends of love,” remembers Gemma, who also knows about it. Of myths and legends. “The Nereid Galatea falls in love with Acis, a Sicilian shepherd, awakening the wrath of the Cyclops Polyphemus. He, sick with love and overcome with jealousy, killed Acis, and she, Galatea, broken by the loss of her, turned the blood of her lover into a river so she could be with him forever,” she summarizes.
The result is an exceptional piece. An example of the good work of his artisan workshop, who design and produce by hand, and of the enormous connection that exists between everyone who makes up the Grau universe. But, as has already been said, not everything is jewelry. Here they also know a lot about fine watchmaking. That is why in 2011 they landed, faithful to their original spirit, in up Barcelona as an official Rolex point of sale and technical service on the Diagonal.
A new stage then began that the Grau brothers are making the most of. They continue to create these very special jewels with their imperturbable essence, at the same time that they are a more than recognized multi-brand point of sale with a beautiful selection of pieces by Cartier, Omega, Messika or Pomellato, among other great brands. That is the reason why Gemma Grau has been spending so much time in the capital for more than a decade.
In her beloved native Lloret, she enjoys her house with a slow but elegant and brilliant design like herself and her jewelry. And in Barcelona she not only sells but also accompanies and often even instructs her very loyal clientele with her knowledge and advice.
It is a pleasure to talk and learn with her. Gemma Grau, distinguished with an innate elegance that underlines her firm but soft tone of voice and her aquamarine gaze, likes the idea that with her work she can generate a positive impact. She makes beautiful pieces, but she also strives to enhance everything in her power to generate a better and calmer world. And, if possible, more feminine. Not only in the choice of the motif that her jewelry will express and in the selection of gems and materials, but also always supporting cultural and sustainable non-profit actions whenever possible. An already classic collaboration is the one that this Buddhism and yoga enthusiast promotes every year with the Thinkpink campaign, contributing with “forever” pieces turned to pink.
