The Mallorcan firm Coolook was born as a result of a trip.
"Life is a party, dress for it." It seems that Audrey Hepburn said it and we couldn't agree more. Because paraphrasing one of Liz Taylor's husbands -she really knew about jewelry-, in life it's the little details that count... little rubies, little diamonds... Jewels bring joy to our eyes and daily life, this is undeniable, and in times of more conscious and responsible consumption, we want to discover new signatures that change our mood without harming the planet.
These that we have selected are Spanish, They are manufactured in Spain and are made with care, without haste and promoting quality materials and original designs. In addition, they have prices for all pockets and, as it could not be otherwise, travel inspiration.
Nature and travel are the two pillars of the Coolook brand.
1.Coolook: Lakes full of frogs in Mallorca
The origin: “The firm Coolook was born in 2008 after a trip from my mother, in which she needed to make a gift and bought some stones and made a necklace herself. She was so successful that she began to make more for friends and acquaintances until she was encouraged to set up her own brand”, Mar Bermejo Aldeguer tells us. “The frog symbol refers to my grandmother, who was the one for whom she made the first necklace and she always referred to these animals when she spoke of luck. or reward for effort. She had several lakes in her house in Mallorca full of frogs, and the truth is that she was always extremely lucky”.
DNA: “The concept was born from the desire to be beautiful and favored, fashionable and with affordable prices to be up to date with trends. We unite this with completely handmade processes, from the drawing of the piece to the manual techniques through the materials from nature that we use so that all the pieces are unique”.
The journey continues: “Inspiration is almost entirely travelling. Traveling and nature are our two great pillars. But it is not so much about drawing what we see, but what we feel. That is why many of our pieces are abstract. Now we have created a collection of images of virgins and ethereal forms that they bring us faith, hope and strength to overcome this pandemic that has devastated so many beautiful things and with so many dreams, we are not going to allow him to take even one more”.
Where: “The design is made in Spain or wherever we are at that moment, since many times we design when we are traveling. The stones travel all over the world until they reach our workshops”. They put out two big collections a year, and another two capsule collections, this year one of them will be totally focused on men. They sell online and already have fans in Texas and Japan.
BPCR pieces are born from the travels of their creator around the world.
2.BPCR: The Barcelona Traveler
From the closet to the jewelry box: Blanca Pérez Cabrero launched the BPCR firm in 2018. “In the design school we had fabrics that we could use for classes and I practiced at home making clothes for myself. My friends began to like them and little by little I made more. I made dresses, tops, bikinis, I began to discover shops and markets, until one day I made earrings with the fabric of a dress. And there I saw that accessories were my thing! I started designing earrings, necklaces, bracelets, hair clips…”
Timeless pieces: “I think they have personality. You can wear them with a t-shirt, jeans and sneakers, as well as with a look for a special and elegant night. They are accessories with a slightly crazy point. I mix vintage pieces with contemporary ones. A mix between pieces of gold and pieces of resin, plastic and a thousand colors, that create a fun and carefree style”.
The workshop, Catalan: “The manufacture of the pieces is completely handmade. I have a small workshop in Barcelona where I mix chains, pendants, stones”.
Blanca Pérez Cabrero is the creator of the BPCR firm.
Travel inspiration: “We make two collections a year, but I am also taking out pieces spontaneously. When inspiration comes you have to let it out! After much searching I have found suppliers that usually have huge workshops full of dust, but at the same time full of treasures that need to be found. I also go a lot to antique markets. For example, in Barcelona I find pieces in the Cathedral market. And on the trips I make, I always look for the old area to see what I discover. In other cities of the world, through the most hidden streets of Marrakech, or Jaipur... Old shops where you can find dishes, clothes, tablecloths, chairs, cutlery... From Paris, or Swedish individuals with relics... The more I leave Spain, the more extravagant and different pieces I find!”.
Sustainable Spirit: “My future forecasts are to grow little by little, organically. Do things safely. I would like to reach more and more international audiences. During these months where everything is very uncertain, I think the way of consuming has changed. Everything has become much more digitized and the way of buying online has expanded. We have had to improve in terms of graphic material, forms of payment, and to be able to speed up the purchase”.
Olivia & Me, special pieces and without hurry.
3.Olivia & Me: Exclusivity (and an inner journey)
One thing led to another: "The brand is going to be seven years old," Reyes Martínez tells us. “At first it was something casual, I started designing pieces for myself and my sister and they were very successful among our friends. I saw the opportunity and jumped on it. From the beginning I wanted Olivia & Me to be a brand with little production and without following the trends, I do the work that I feel like at all times, I need to enjoy it. If not, it doesn't make sense, there are already too many brands without spirit”.
Madrid crafts: “All our pieces are made by hand in Madrid by artisans who have spent a lifetime practicing their trade with patience and excellence. I don't work with collections, we do many models to order, special editions, engagement rings, recycling of pieces and thus we managed to have more variety and movement”.
For whom: "Our customer respects the design, trades and exclusivity of small brands, is responsible with its consumption and appreciates the work behind each of the pieces. We have changed? I hope and it seems that yes, the trend speaks of a change, of relating to what we buy, of not accumulating, recycling and optimizing. We consumers have the power, not the big brands”.
An inner journey: “Inspiration is not trends, images, or decades…. it has more to do with inner, personal journeys, with colors and silhouettes. Talking about the future now is complicated, but we are a fairly stable brand with very loyal customers. if we manage to stay like this we will be happy. Objective: to reach more to the European public”.
4.Musula: Know-how from Bilbao
Transformer part: Behind this signature are a mother and a daughter from Bilbao (Mus and Ana) who are the creative soul; Paloma Méndez-Castrillón Fdez joined them a little later and is the executive director. “Musula was born in 2017, although We had discovered the soutage sewing technique and we began to make some pieces for friends and acquaintances who commissioned us with something exclusive and special. In addition to earrings, we also make headdresses, brooches and bags, all with a point of exclusivity and 100% craftsmanship. We decided to focus on the earring as a piece of value that transforms and makes any look unique. We always say that some Musula lift our spirits, they are a very good investment”.
Pure craft: “Soutage is a sewing technique that It comes from the 17th century, from the French court, when clothing was enriched by setting precious stones. This tradition has remained alive and is currently used in bullfighters' costumes, Goyesque dresses and military braid. We were fascinated by the idea of taking it to the field of accessories. In the case of earrings, This technique allows for a multiplicity of designs, using threads, leather, feathers, shells, crystals, porcelain... a world of shapes and materials that result in a pair of comfortable, featherweight earrings.”
Values: “We only manufacture in Spain and We use natural and semi-precious stones in addition to silk thread. All our pieces are sewn one by one by expert seamstresses, they are very detailed invisible stitches that make up small unique works. Our workshop is in Bilbao, in the Basque Country there is a wonderful tradition of high quality sewing. The packaging is made of 100% recycled wood and the duster in organic cotton”.
Other places and cultures: “When designing we use the same creative process as that of an artist when he faces his work. Each piece is the result of a specific inspiration, mainly trips, places, cultures and different times. The latest collection, Opulentia, is inspired by the city of Havana, its colors, its people, the bustle of a city in beautiful decline”. The idea of him is consolidate the business in Spain in order to continue growing abroad. Today they are present in France, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Hong Kong, Portugal, Mexico...”.
For artistic women: “Our consumer usually loves the artistic and the artisanal. A while ago it started to build a current counterpoint to fast fashion that sought durable and quality pieces with a story behind it. We believe that as a result of the current world situation This current is consolidating and more and more consumption will be responsible and thoughtful”.
Anna Wallander of Akind.
5.Akind: Eco-Friendly Diamonds
Sustainability first: Akind was launched in May 2019. "The idea came about in 2017 when I was looking modern and sustainable gold jewelry at reasonable prices. I couldn't find something we liked and decided to create my own brand," Anna Wallander tells. "So together with my two co-founders we started building a jewelry brand for conscious women."
'Make it simple': The goal is to create high quality jewelery at fair prices and without compromising the environment. "We believe that people want a piece of jewelry that lasts forever. Our products have a timeless design and are handcrafted with the utmost attention to detail and precision, made from 100% recycled gold and lab-grown diamonds. This means that the same conditions that form diamonds are recreated underground, but with only a fraction of the resources of mining operations. The idea is similar to planting a tree in a greenhouse instead of looking for it in the forest. Our customers have a right to know where their jewelry comes from and how much it costs to make it, so we reveal the true costs behind our production flow. We call this honest pricing. We have eliminated all middleman costs and instead work directly with our factories and manufacturers."
Akind, sustainable jewelry made in Córdoba.
The perfect factory: This is not a Spanish brand, but it is manufactured in our country. "Before learning about our current factory in Córdoba, we were looking for manufacturers all over the world; the Middle East, India, the US and various countries in Europe. We visited various trade fairs and finally, at a trade fair in the north of Italy, we met a factory in Córdoba and soon after we started working with them. Only two days before launch we were informed that they could no longer meet our needs. We panicked! Fortunately, they recommended another factory based in Córdoba, run by a third-generation family business with 15 workers". Our jewelery is designed in Stockholm and has a Scandinavian style: timeless, delicate and minimalist."
A better future: “We want to drive positive change and educate consumers. The more we educate and raise the issue, the more demands the consumer will make of the industry. We are transparent, ethical and sustainable. We sell a lot in Europe, especially in the Netherlands and Germany. Recently, we are also seeing more and more consumers from France and Spain."
Workshop of the Valencian firm Sie7e Jewels Gallery.
6.Sie7e Jewels Gallery: Valencian Elegance
A family business: Sie7e was born in 2009 as a tribute by Guillermo Martorell to his wife, for whom this number is special. “We are declared lovers of colored diamonds. With him we managed to get closer to fashion, which continues to be our main influence. Architecture and art are also linked to our work, which is why our space is closer to an art gallery”.
'Made in Spain': “All our production is made by hand in Spain. All of our pieces are developed in our workshop in Valencia. We are inspired by all the things that surround us, but art and travel they are without a doubt the source where we drink the most to develop new collections”.
Architecture and art inspire Sie7e's pieces.
A unique future: “We want to develop our passion in different cities in Spain. We address a consumer who seeks customization and quality above any fashion or trend. Our clients seek originality and the security of dealing with an expert team. This current situation has led us to be more aware of the important things in life and, therefore, consumption has changed. Today quality and really unique pieces are sought”.
7.Suma Cruz: Headdresses and jewels with a soul
Live accessories: “The firm was born in 2008. I have always been a faithful defender of the accessories since I consider that they are the ones that change a look, the ones that finish it off and enhance it (they can also be charged)”, Susana Cruz tells us. “My paternal grandfather was a jeweler and my maternal grandfather was an architect. I always dreamed of being a designer. All our production, not only of jewelry, but also of packaging, is made in Spain. I bet a lot on local work. It is more expensive? Yes. But it's also better. Everything is done by hand, including the boxes that "keep" our jewelry, made by a small family business. Smelters, gold plating... everything is done in Madrid, except for the bags, from a company in Barcelona. I like the close relationship with the production, meet those who are part of this process... and support my country”.
Pure materials and fantastic critters: “The materials we use in jewelry are 100% pure. No mixtures and of course nickel free. The gold bath is hypoallergenic, free of metals that damage the skin. My jewels breathe history, trips, dreams and memories. We do not work for collections, they are timeless. I like to work for 'families' that grow when new members join. I capture childhood memories. Beetles, spiders, ants, butterflies, mantises or dragonflies... I am a lover of the "fantastic". Crocodiles, octopuses, prehistoric animals. Jules Verne and his book Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea is one of my references."
"The Giraffe Collection It takes us to Kenya, Tanzania, but also to Thailand, to Burma... I am inspired by those tribes that decorate and make up their entire body, tribes that also remind me of my childhood, to the costumes. The collection of flowers makes us travel to the Alps. Peru, Mexico, Thailand are present”.
Online sale: “In 2019 we launched the website and, today, orders are placed from many parts of the world. I would like to be able to sell in physical stores in Paris, London... cities that are committed to fashion and design (in Spain we sell in El Corte Inglés de Serrano, the only one dedicated to luxury in Spain). The pandemic has encouraged many shoppers to go shopping online.
Fair trade and craftsmanship, firm values Tell me you love me.
8.Tell me you love me: Design and fair trade
The importance of family: The firm was born in 2012 by Eva Verdeal, founder and designer. tell me you Love Me was born from the need to consider a new course in his working life that would allow family reconciliation.
For whom: “Our designs are our own and designed to a modern, feminine woman, who follows trends but who also opts for jewelery that she can wear on a daily basis and that will serve to make a difference. In addition, all of them have a romantic touch and we could say, slightly Frenchified. Many of the jewels we have can be personalize with a name, a date, coordinates, family initials or the lyrics of a special song”.
Closeness and affection: “We manufacture in Spain and We take care of even the smallest detail, from the production process, to attention on social networks, packaging... We are committed to a traditional creation process and our artisans work in workshops in Madrid, Córdoba, Valencia, Barcelona... In addition, the entire creation process is part of a way of working that complies with the rules of fair trade”.
Bags full of inspiration: “I love to travel, it is one of my great passions. I am inspired by the native vegetation of each place, in the paintings of the museums, the architecture of the buildings, the animals, the sea...".
'Online' and in physical store: “If the Covid leaves us, our forecast is to continue growing. The idea is to continue opening new stores in Spain (we currently have eight) and continue with the international expansion in the online market. Our way of consuming? I think it's still early to set a trend, But these months I have noticed an increase in sales on the web (although we have been noticing it since before) and a decrease in sales at physical points of sale. It will be necessary to see if this trend continues or if sales in stores recover again, I sincerely hope so."
Velatti's pieces take inspiration from different cities around the world.
9.Velatti: Pieces with an international spirit
Love for gems: When Sandra Acosta graduated in Tourism, she began working in the hospitality industry. “But she wanted to do more things. I studied ADE and taking advantage of the fact that one of my relatives was a gemologist, we founded Velatti in 2008. Initially, we were dedicated to importing precious and semi-precious stones for jewelry companies and designers. And in 2010, while I was studying jewelry at the Industrial School of Barcelona, I knew that I wanted to dedicate myself fully to jewelry design. We refounded the company, which now belongs to my husband and me, and in 2012 We launched my first collection at the Bisutex fair in Madrid. Now we exhibit several times a year at the best fairs in New York, Paris, Milan...”.
Materials from around the world, workshops in Spain: “What characterizes my designs is that they are handmade and 100% made in Spain. I draw a piece, I shape it with waxes or other materials and we cast it in metal. No matter how small the piece is, a small complement to a necklace, the first unit is always made by hand. The only thing that we do not manufacture is the cotton of the pendants or the semi-precious stones. We look for the best quality: We buy the cotton in Japan, the minerals in India and China and we carry out the gold baths in the second most important company in Europe, that works for the most important jewelry firms. The materials used are always natural”.
Postcards from New York, Paris, Hong Kong...: “I launch two collections a year. I am inspired by everything I see. I am lucky that I spend one month a year in New York, another month in Paris and I also travel regularly to Italy and China, so the different cultures, the different visions of fashion or life are a source of inspiration".
New pathways: “The fact that there have been stores that have had to close for two or three months has caused an increase in sales through the internet. We highly value the physical point of sale, since it is there where the differential characteristics of each brand can be explained better and with time. But it is true that the pandemic has changed the way we consume.”
The firm Apodemia has its workshop in Madrid.
10.Apodemia: The Madrid butterfly
Fashion debut: The influence that Jimena Von Knobloch, owner and creative director, had on her parents' part, made her interested in design from a very young age. “My first piece was a headdress with which I participated in different initiatives such as EGO Cibeles, the catwalk for young designers. It was an exciting premiere that prompted me to turn this first collection into my daily work creating Apodemia and using the butterfly as our hallmark”.
Where: In 2013, it opened its first physical store at number 18 Almirante Street in Madrid, while also opening its online store. In 2015 she opened two new stores in the capital (Orense 8 and Hortaleza 64). Today they have 14 stores distributed by Spanish geography.
A new consumer: “We address women and men aware of being unique, different and unrepeatable. People looking for details that reflect this personality, with pieces that are designed so that they can be passed from generation to generation. The world situation has changed us, society increasingly tends towards a more demanding, more informed and more concerned about quality consumption model. than the amount. Values such as the firm's commitment, the atmosphere of the stores or the relationship we build with our community are equal to, or more important than, the pieces we sell. We're going to people who know the value of small things and do not follow opinions, or fashions. They are the ones who move the world!”
Made in Spain: The workshop is located in Madrid. "Always I work my collections in an artisan way, I draw each sketch by hand, and later they are digitized. Next, we sculpt the first piece of each range in lost wax, to give rise to the first prototype. Although part of the production process is carried out outside of Spain, it is here that we carry out the last manufacturing step and one of the most important: the high-quality coating that all our pieces have.” Also, its Forever collection – unique pieces made with 18-carat gold and precious stones – is designed and manufactured entirely in Madrid, as well as his collection of headdresses.
Concept: “Product rotation is one of our strengths; we design collections practically every month, which allows us to offer the consumer the power to live a new and special shopping experience every time approaching the store. The nature that I discover traveling is my inexhaustible source of inspiration. Sometimes I am captivated by a landscape, like the desert in the Sand Dust collection, or the seabed in Millepora."
Mora Efron, sustainable and handmade jewelry.
11.Mora Efron: 'Slow jewels'
Caring for the environment: Mora had been working for other jewelers and designers for years when he decided to set up his own brand in 2009. A Young Entrepreneur award was her impulse to create her showroom – her workshop in La Granja de San Ildefonso, in Segovia, where she lived, and where she teaches workshops and courses, as well as in the Royal Crystal Factory. and in the Craft Center of Castilla y León. In 2014 she decided to turn the firm around incorporating sustainability. "It was not difficult, since she was quite respectful with the environment since all her pieces were always made by hand," Manuel Herrera, her partner, tells us.
Love for the craft: “Our concept is craftsmanship, handmade. We work with our hands and we like that this can be appreciated in all our pieces. We have to recover the products made by the artisans of our region, of our territory, of our environment. Recover the know-how. We have lost it and we have put it aside because of its speed, its immediate nature, and its cheapness. And all this betting on a good design. Artisanal doesn't have to be ethnic."
Quality seal: “All our pieces are manufactured 100% in Spain. All Our suppliers are Spanish and the closest to our craft workshop. Our showroom is in the mountains of Madrid and you can come to visit. We love that you see how we make the pieces! We work with metals of recycled origin in more than 80%. When we make alliances, we offer the bride and groom the possibility that they bring gold from other old or damaged pieces, melt it down and give them a new life”. Mora's inspiration always revolves around nature”.
Her motto: “Work slowly to go far. Position craftsmanship and the brand as luxury craftsmanship. Our clients are responsible people, aware of the environment and with the slow philosophy, which is a lifestyle, a way of being conscious. Who appreciate the value of craftsmanship and Spanish design. The craft is sold in a particular way, people need to touch, they need to see and connect with us. This is enriching. Our customers are very loyal and they like to repeat a lot. through these years we have generated trust in our community, that is why we continue to improve our online positioning day by day”.
BPCR: jewelry with history and personality.