À LA CARTE GOES TO MACAO
7 NATIONAL BRANDS PRESENTED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MACAO
Portuguese Jewellery is an inheritance of art and tradition that is now renewed by contemporary design. Its essence is drawn in luxurious details: how each jewel is handcrafted by expert artisans, the authenticity of traditional techniques passed from generation to generation, the versatility to create unique and exclusive pieces.
AORP – Portuguese Jewellery and Watchmaking Association, with the institutional support of the Consulate General of Portugal in Macau and Hong Kong, is hosting an exclusive showcase of Portuguese Jewellery on June 28th and 29th, at the Consular Residence of Portugal in Macau (Former Hotel Bela Vista). The initiative is part of the new international promotion campaign “Portuguese Jewellery À La Carte”.
According to Fátima Santos, AORP General Secretary, “this is the first event of an agenda of promotional events that we are preparing as part of the new international campaign.The choice of Macau as a starting point came as a result of our successful participation in one of the world’s leading jewellery fairs in Hong Kong. It’s a major step we longed to take and now we found the perfect pretext to do it, thanks to the institutional support that the Consulate gave us along the way.”
The exhibition “Portuguese Jewellery Goes to Macau” will showcase a selection of brands that represent the essence of Portuguese Jewellery, a fusion between the tradition of art and technique and the sophistication of contemporary design. The exhibition will feature seven Portuguese jewellery brands: Dos Santos, a luxury jewellery brand by the brothers Marco and Nuno Santos, Liliana Guerreiro, one of the most prominent contemporary jewellery designers, Inês Barbosa, one of the most antique filigree workshops, J. Soares, a full-service manufacturer, and also three brands under the umbrella of the Filigree Route of Gondomar: ARPA, J. Monteiro Sousa and centenary Topázio.
One of the attractions of the event will be the live demonstration of Portuguese filigree, in partnership with The Filigree Route, an initiative promoted by the Gondomar City Council, region is the cluster of Portuguese jewellery, where most workshops are preserved. Visitors have the opportunity to closely follow the process of this millennial technique, which requires great talent and expertise.
The exhibition will be on June 28th and 29th, with restricted hours for professionals, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and open to the public between 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
ABOUT THE “PORTUGUESE JEWELLERY GOES TO MACAU” BRANDS:
DOS SANTOS
Dos Santos was born inside an evolving Portuguese family business specialised in fine jewellery for countless generations. Two brothers united to create a brand that celebrates their past with a present-day attitude toward the craft of Jewellery.
One of the most distinguishing traits of their high-end jewellery is the handcrafting, whereby their expert craftsmen use meticulous techniques to create limited and unique jewels. At Dos Santos, Jewellery requires such traditional expertise and delicacy in all of its stages of creation that it is considered a form of art.
INÊS BARBOSA
Fifth generation of a family of goldsmiths, Inês Barbosa gained a natural passion for the art of filigree that is carved in her jewels. Made by hand, shaped by the experience and detail of the handcraft work, her pieces respect the tradition of technique, reproducing the shapes that are part of the heritage of Portuguese jewellery, as well as creating original and exclusive designs.
The filigree process requires prodigious skills and attention to detail, a perfection that involves years of experience and dedication. Her legacy has passed down to her daughter, Rita Barbosa, whose brand NANA, combines the tradition of art with contemporary designs.
J. SOARES JEWELLERY
J.SOARES was founded in 1991 with the ambition of becoming market leader in the jewellery industry. The company combines state-of-the-art technology and high productive capacity with the talent and mastery of its artisans to guarantee high quality jewellery pieces. Based in Gondomar, a region with a centuries-old tradition of goldsmith, J.SOARES offers highly specialized and qualified services, designing its own jewellery collections and providing tailor-made services for private labels.
Its jewellery collections evoke the perfection of nature, reproduced in organic and delicate shapes, that reveal in each detail the mastery of the technique. It also designs and produces a wide-range collection of gold jewellery, from timeless pieces to the latest fashion trends.
LILIANA GUERREIRO
Liliana Guerreiro found in Portuguese filigree her creative inspiration, recovering and enhancing this ancient technique of Portuguese Jewellery. Working side by side with one of the most experienced duos of craftsmen in the country, she establishes a dialogue between the mastery of art and the delicacy of the shape.
Her contemporary and sustainable designs are expressed in different collections drawn in pure and minimalist traces. All pieces are made by hand, individually, as unique as they are. The brand is showcased in some of the most prestigious stores, museums and art galleries around the world and participates often in international exhibitions and shows.
THE FILIGREE ROUTE
Gondomar is currently the core territory of Portuguese Jewellery, where most handcraft workshops are located, many of them family-owned and with long tradition in goldsmith. Filigree is the trademark technique of the region, an art passed down from generation to generation that is preserved in the talent and mastery of its expert artisans.
To protect and enhance this heritage, the Gondomar City Council promotes an initiative that invites to visit the main filigree workshops in the region and the schools, where the future of art is shaped. Visitors have the opportunity to closely follow the artisans’ work, as well as to learn and experience some of the traditional techniques of Portuguese jewellery, such as chiselling and stamping.
The “Filigree Route of Gondomar” currently includes six companies of the region, where art and talent merge with creativity, innovation and a new entrepreneurial vision. In the event “Portuguese Jewellery Goes to Macau” are showcased three brands: ARPA, J. Monteiro de Sousa and To
ARPA
At ARPA, dreams are shaped by the talented hands of master craftsmen, since 1986. From the most detailed techniques to cutting-edge processes, ARPA offers customized jewellery services, to address any challenge, as far as imagination goes.
It all began in a piece of filigree, one of the noblest and most traditional arts of Portuguese jewellery and for which ARPA has always been recognized. Nowadays, the company holds a highly specialized team and state-of-the-art technology to fulfil the needs of the most demanding projects.
J. MONTEIRO DE SOUSA
It is one of the oldest Portuguese jewellery workshops and one of the pioneers to challenge borders, sharing its art with the world, since mid-70s. A heritage of knowledge, art and technique that passed down four generations of the same family making each piece a testimony of heritage and tradition.
In the workshop, about 30 artisans preserve the artisan techniques of Portuguese jewellery, namely the filigree, combining the talent of the handcrafted work with the innovation of technology to produce from exclusive to large-scale pieces, either own creations or for private label.
TOPÁZIO
With more than 140 years of history, Topázio is a premium brand of sterling silver and silver-plated products, where the quality of the craftsmanship goes hand in hand with design, creating timeless and exclusive pieces. Its artisans are masters of creation, who transform, with their personal imprint, designs into pieces of decoration, cutlery, jewellery and Art de la Table.
The creation of pieces of undeniable symbolic and artistic value make each object a testimony of unique and memorable moments, that cross generations.
