The campaign to present Antiqüa was photographed in Cantabria.
This is the story of a friendship, that of Itziar Aguilera and María Monge. "We went to the same school but in different classes," they explain. “It was on an end-of-year trip to Italy when we met. We ran away together to buy sweets and gobbled them up in the Piazza del Campo in Siena. after that, each one went back to her own: María studied social studies and I studied art”, Itziar recalls.
Years later, during the race, María launched her first jewelry project: rings with copper wire. At that time Itziar started with the world of Instagram and offered to help him with the image. “There we discovered that we had very similar tastes and a very clear passion for jewelery that, at that time, we could not afford. What we did not know is that those first steps would be the beginning of what Antiqüa is today”, they comment.
Analog image of the campaign, made in Cantabria.
Since was very young, Itziar looked at the pieces they wore in the movies and their symbolic load: “Sealing a love, a friendship, an amulet... It has always seemed magical to me. María, on the other hand, has had the opportunity to train and get to know the sector and the trade”. Between the two they created a ring for Itziar's wedding and, during confinement due to the pandemic, they took up the idea to create something together, from scratch.
This is how Antiqüa was born, a tandem in which María is “the coconut” (she is in charge of supplier management and numbers) and Itziar is the creative and communication part. “I measure every last detail to make sure the image is exactly what we want,” she explains. “That is to say, the Eternal jewels, lovingly made by Spanish artisans and with precious metals and stones. We flee from the ephemeral”.
Itziar Aguilera, one of the creators of the firm Antiqüa.
And this idea is what they have captured in a romantic, almost personal, analog photo album in the Iguña Valley, in Cantabria. “The north is a close and wonderful destination, full of vegetation, nature and sea”, they point out. Since they saw this special house, where they took the photos, it evoked the spirit of Antiqüa.
“He belongs to a family from Madrid who decided to leave everything and live in the countryside. It is full of memories, in a way it is like a jewel that has been passed from mothers to daughters.” Selling such valuable pieces online does not seem like an easy task. “Earning trust takes time and a lot of quality. It's a long-distance race but we're not in a hurry, the important thing is to enjoy it”.
Antiqüa jewels are made to tell a story and last over time.
Why jewelry and not costume jewelry? “There are many wonderful and artisan firms with a sustainable philosophy but, in general, we believe that there is an overproduction. We want to give the jewel the importance it has, that it lasts over time, that it tells a story. Change the way of consumption. It's more worth buying one that's really important than twenty that don't mean anything."
"Our jewels are becoming symbols to freeze moments: a birthday, a proposal, a child, an anniversary or even, as a follower told us, a moment in life when everything goes well. They are memories that we want to keep in mind on a day-to-day basis.”
María and Itziar, creators of Antiqüa.
"We chose the Latin word Antiqüa –with an umlaut, to give it more force– because evokes those jewels of our mothers, grandmothers, aunts and godmothers, which one day come into our hands with a wonderful story”, they explain.
"We love going to the workshops, where each piece of jewelery is made with loving delicacy. María and I are two earthquakes and we always want to turn everything around and go fast, but they mark the times”. They produce in Spain with lifelong artisans and only on demand. “We want to rescue that waiting time while the artist works, fleeing from the immediacy to which we are accustomed. There is nothing more sustainable than the piece that is created because it already belongs to someone!”
Jewelry with personality, designed and manufactured in Spain.
The stones are brought from Colombia (emeralds) and from India (rubies, sapphires and gray diamonds). “We buy the rest in Spain, except the diamonds, which are from Antwerp. The most curious case is that of the gray diamond, historically discarded for having too many impurities and which, however, is becoming more and more precious. They are not easy to get but, on a trip to Jaipur in 2018, Maria found an artisan who worked them and kept her contact. How important it is to travel, soak up culture and immerse yourself among local people. It is a very different way of doing tourism, the one that really enriches”, affirms Itziar.
Sustainability is also creating only custom pieces.
Not surprisingly, the inspiration for his entire project is travel. “Due to the current situation, we have not had the opportunity to go far together, but we have both traveled a lot. and, when it comes to design, each one has a style marked by different cultures. And we delve into history, cinema... I arrive with my crazy ideas and María with hers, more sober”. The mixture is Antiqüa.
Detail of the Cantabrian family home where the Antiqüa photographs were taken.