Carrera y Carrera, Madrid’s historic brand, has returned to sparkle with a second life. And, as often happens with those who have a long tradition behind them, they want to enhance their experience, their skills, but without forgetting the style that has characterized the stages of its history. For this reason Carrera y Carrera, which has returned to being present at fairs such as Vicenzaoro, has summarized its jewelery in the Origene collection. As the name indicates, it is a return to the origins, which are many and different from each other. The collection thus offers a series of jewels with an aesthetic that has a common basis, but with different subjects.
Origen offers new creations with exotic animals, as always made with realism, but also ornamental, architectural and geometric elements. The jewels use the bas-relief technique, with the shiny and opaque combination, which characterizes the creations of the Spanish brand. For example, they range from the motifs of the Jardín de los Placere jewels, which allude to the gardens of antiquity where, together with plants of different species, it was common to find various exotic animals, such as felines and peacocks, to jewels inspired by the hexagonal motifs used in paving of ancient terraces and gardens. Or, with an animalier touch, a realistic reproduction of the panther.
Carrera y Carrera’s sculpture jewels are back
Origen, that is, return to the origins. It is the name of one of the new collections of Carrera y Carrera, the largest Spanish jewelery brand that has returned to full-scale play after a brief interlude. The name of the collection is significant. The collection follows the style of the house: very rich, with the intention of competing with the world of sculpture, including exotic animals, interpreted with realism, together with ornamental and architectural elements. The use of bas-relief and the combination of glossy and matte is also among the distinctive features of Carrera y Carrera. Many of Carrera y Carrera’s jewels, in fact, are small works of naturalistic goldsmithing, with statuettes, animals and plants that seem to have come out of a laboratory from the Baroque period. Like another of the novelties, the My Angel collection: follows the same direction, with a mini sculpture of a golden angel combined with the letters of the alphabet.
On the other hand, the goldsmith tradition of eighteenth-century Spain is still alive. Of course, Saturio Esteban Carrera, a young emigrant to Madrid at the end of the nineteenth century, where he opened a small jewelery company called Barrio de las Letras, would never have imagined it. Instead, the jewels of the Maison of the Spanish capital have been worn by royalty (the tiara for the Queen of Belgium, in 1960) or exhibited in museums, such as the Dream of Icarus, chosen by the Kremlin museum.
Flower shaped jewelry
Jewels and flowers: an eternal bond, but that each jeweler interprets in his own way. Here are the jewels of flower power ♦
The link between flowers and jewelry is longstanding: flower power in jewelry is not a new discovery, as happens now in fashion. Maybe because petals and pistils are a source of inspiration, they do not set limits to the imagination, to the use of colors and shapes. A real godsend for any creative, insomuch as every year the floral theme is one of the coolest trends. In short, it never goes out of fashion and with a good reason, because often the results are amazing. Some examples: the collection of fine jewelry Secret Garden by Faberge, a triumph of precious stones surrounded by leaves of carved jade, that look like a bouquet of flowers.
Or the corolla collier by Pasquale Bruni, a soft lawn buds, in white diamonds and morganite. The ring Lily of the Masterpieces collection by Damiani There is also a branch of a cherry tree, a pink explosion that wraps around the finger with the opened ring by Moorphée Joaillerie or the intricate and climbing bracelet-ring by Wendy Yue.
And, yet, the Tree of Life in the earrings by Annushka, the fleshy orchid by Carrera y Carrera and the delicate one by Autore. All pieces of the highest craftsmanship. But if you want something more simple as a shepe but the same high-impact, Asprey now proposes its classic brand icon, Heritage Daisy stud earrings with petals that fade in the diamonds pistil. Monica Battistoni
The jewelers that close in Russia
The real drama is that of human lives lost in vain, of overwhelmed lives, of lives that will never be the same. But the war in Ukraine also causes a smaller, much smaller, but not irrelevant, drama related to jobs, in the West and in Russia, which will be lost to a stupid aggression. Both Russians and Westerners are dealing with the inevitable sanctions announced in time, before the invasion, which will have an impact on the accounts of companies, for example those of jewelry, as well as on the people who work there. The collapse of the ruble and the blocking of the credit card service, in fact, led many jewelry companies to suspend their business. Maybe they will close completely or reopen, if it all ends, but who knows when.
At the time of writing this short article, the last Western brand to close the boutique in Moscow was Swarovski, while Tiffany was among the first to lower the shutter, along with Vuitton. Others have already done so, others will follow. The list of Western Maisons that have opened a boutique in Moscow, St. Petersburg or other Russian cities is long. In Moscow, for example, they have a boutique Chopard, Van Cleef & Arpels, Akillis, Piaget, De Beers, H. Stern, Stephen Webster, Carrera y Carrera, Mauboussin, Mont-Blanc, Dior, Chaumet, Pandora, Frey Wille, Cartier , Trollbeads, Vuitton, Thomas Sabo, Bulgari, Pomellato, Adamas, Damiani, Buccellati. Other brands, such as Pasquale Bruni or Alcozer, are distributed in non-owned jewelers, or in airport duty free shops.
According to an analysis concerning Italian jewelery conducted by ICE (the state body for exports) in general, the Russian buyer is oriented towards medium or medium-high level jewelery. Also according to the analysis, the daily use of rings, earrings, bracelets and necklaces, especially in the capital and large cities, is now seen as a form of accessory to one’s image, not necessarily combined with luxury clothing or for events special. The favorite items of Russian women are rings, chains and earrings; men prefer chains and bracelets, while brooches and necklaces are bought by a minority of the female population, while typically male jewelry such as cufflinks and tie pins are in low demand. In recent years, however, silver jewelery has been more successful than gold, due to the unfavorable ruble-euro exchange rate. Italy (2019 data) exports about 77 million jewels to Russia, about 22 million France, the United States 21 million and the United Kingdom 23 million. However, the one who exports the most to Russia is China with over 88 million.
The Bestiario collection by the Spanish Carrera y Carrera: realistic-looking gold animals ♦ ︎
Flowers and animals are two inexhaustible sources of inspiration for jewelers. Since ancient times, in particular, jewelry that depict animals was fashionable. Or, better, fashion to a certain point, because necklaces with lion-shaped pendants, bull-headed rings, armlets that look like snakes wrapped around the arm were also considered as amulets, to drive away evil spirits or to take hold of some force hidden in the type of animal represented.
In this vein Carrera y Carrera, renowned Maison of Madrid, has created the Bestiario collection.
In this case the animals turned as jewels are quite lively: tigers in gold that quarrel smoky quartzes, wings of raptors eagles, spiteful monkeys with sapphires on the fur, snakes ready to bite those who approach. The jewels, all in gold, are made with a realistic appearance, with a patient sculptural workmanship, as it is in the traditions of Spanish jewelry. Federico Graglia
The dragon fire heats Carrera y Carrera
The legend of the dragon with magical fire resumes in the Circulos de Fuego collection of Carrera y Carrera ♦
The legends have always inspired the artists. Not surprisingly, they also inspire designers and jewelers, especially if the legends are ancient, fascinating, exotic. Like that chosen by Carrera y Carrera for the Circulos de Fuego collection.
Here is the story from which it originated: once upon a time, there is a dragon called Orochie that lived on a hidden island in southern China. Throughout the realm it was known for turning every stone into the most precious metal with the flame coming out of its mouth. The legend states that the Emperor’s greatest desire was to get the Dragon’s Fire and thus possess the greatest treasure of the world. One morning, the Emperor decided to send his daughter, the most beautiful princess in the whole kingdom, to speak with Orochie. Princess Feng was so beautiful that Orochie fell in love with her and kissed her to gift her the fire. No one knew, however, that giving up his fire meant the death of the dragon. And so, she was so sad that decided not to marry and to always protect the fire of the Dragon with his own life.
From this romantic and sad story, the great Spanish Maison has embarked on a series of luscious jewels in white and yellow gold, plus a number of precious stones. These jewels will undoubtedly like in the Orient, but they also have a certain charm for Western women as well. Giulia Netrese
Read also: Carrera and Carrera Taoist
Carrera y Carrera Taoist
Carrera y Carrera uses the sign of the Tao for the Aqua collection.
The Tao is the Way or the Path, and it is one of the main concepts of the history of Chinese thought, which is at base of Taoism. Now it is also a main road where is walking Carrera y Carrera, the Spanish jewelery company that perhaps more than any other embodies the warm tradition combined with the Iberian creativity. The collection Aqua, in fact, existed for some time.
But Carrera y Carrera has decided to infuse a more philosophical spirit although, in truth, the symbol of the Tao, which synthesizes the opposites (good and evil, black and white, man and woman, etc.), is regarded as a talisman, instead that an icon that can deserve existential reflections. What’s more, according to communicating with (irony? maybe) the Maison, the jewelry “give a powerful symbolic and a large flow of energy to its owner.” Since in the era of iPhone it’s not necessary to imagine that the jewels are arising from the world of Harry Potter, you can also appreciate these pieces in yellow gold with onyx and mother of pearl with diamonds, with many variations of gemstones also without magic powers. And maybe that’s the real magic. Lavinia Andorno
Carrera y Carrera cool and cold
The winter according Carrera y Carrera: white gold as ice, cold diamonds as the Polo, blue topaz like an iceberg.
The four seasons have always been one of the sources of inspiration for painters, musicians and jewelers. It was the same with Carrera y Carrera one of the oldest jewelry company in Spain (we talked about here). Each season, within the El Retiro collection, has its own style, different from the others. But, among all, the winter, of which you see the pictures on this page, has the jewels that stand out the most and have the most original lines. In short, the company has exceeded 130 years, but is still capable of inventing, instead of clinging to an unchanging style. Also for this reason it has become a landmark in the jewelry world, including at the international level. The jewelry for the winter, as the Iceberg ring, are made of frosty white gold and diamonds. Here and there sprouting blue topaz reflections, cut as a sliver of blue polar ice. It’s really a goosebumps collection. Lavinia Andorno
The 4 seasons by Carrera y Carrera
The pride of being Spanish, indeed of Madrid, better, of the center of the Spanish capital: from 130 years Carrera y Carrera is a brand synonymous with jewelry. And from Seventies, Manuel Carrera has focused to collections primarily concerned on a woman between 35-50, very confident of herself. A special features of brand is to work, that they as they explain to gioiellis.com, that is defined with word “matebrillo” (mate in Spanish means opaque, and brillo, that is glossy). In essence, the gold is degraded to make it opaque, while other parts are polished. If you look at the picture of the Dragon pendant that we publish on this page this type of work can be seen in some details, such as the contour of the mouth or some parts of the legs, which are polished to highlight the meticulous design. In short, they are jewelry made with an exclusive technique. So that in case a jewel needs a repair, the seller must in any part of the world send him back to Madrid, in the laboratory of the Maison, the only place where they know this technique.
The times of the year
Another aspect to note is that the company each year chooses a theme to represent his country. This year year is the El Retiro park, an institution in Madrid. There, the famous opera singer Farinelli gave his performances. The park was designed to have a flowery corner all year. And here, then, the new collection of jewelry that represents the four seasons, divided in some cases into two lines. The spring, for example, uses peridot or pink tourmaline for petals, where one can see the matebrillo processing. Or mother of pearl flowers with petals that start blacks and whites end up, very special. The winter is represented with very geometric shapes and stones (in this case distant of typical Carrera), to represent a icerberg. The autumn has selected stones affixed to reproduce the changing colors of the foliage: there are earrings made with the matebrillo technique, with leaves that climb on the lobe, for a semi Earcuff model. This summer, however, has multicolored combinations and animal references. Monica Battistoni
Springtime
In the following pages: Winter, Summer, Fall
The year of the monkey
Last year Cara Delevigne at her sister Poppy’s wedding wore a necklace with a sapphire pendant, in monkey shape. The jewel, by De Grisogono, has an estimated value of approximately 350 thousand euro. But it is in 2016 that the jewelry in the shape of a monkey know a resounding success. The reason is simple: this year, according to the Chinese horoscope, is the year of the monkey. A coincidence that prompted most of the jewelers to find in drawers or design some earrings, rings and necklaces in the shape of the animal closest to humans. That, in fact, has long been a subject of the most favorite animal in the collections, as you can see from these images. The last in order of time, the ring with monkey that we tracked in space by Roberto Coin at VicenzaOro January: is gold, with a diamond-paved. On the other hand, according to the Chinese zodiac monkey is a sign dedicated to creative people, inventors, designers. In a nutshell, the jewelry designer. Lavinia Andorno