High Jewellery is the magical kingdom of superlative jewelry and exceptional stones – a realm filled with imagination and passion which brings together the many trades to create unique pieces capable of combining emotions and creativity in a contemporary spirit.
The High Jewellery tradition firmly rooted in Geneva goes back to the dawn of the Renaissance. Indeed, Genevan goldsmiths and jewelers were renowned all over Europe, as early as four centuries before the first jewelers were established on the Place Vendôme. With roots like these, one can nurture big dreams.
Perpetuated from generation to generation with the acquisition of new craftsmanship know-how, this tradition of beautiful personal adornments has continued right through to the present day, with ateliers such as de GRISOGONO.
The creation of an exceptional piece is generally born from the encounter between an inspiration and a gemstone: it stems from the vision of a designer like Fawaz Gruosi, a brand like de GRISOGONO, capable of thinking in terms of volumes, reflecting the nuance of colours and drawing in tune with light
de GRISOGONO takes each initial design idea and transcends them by turning each piece into a glistening reality. After a first sketch comes the preliminary drawing, which the atelier will craft into a three-dimensional piece, combining the precious metal of the mounting with the precious carats of the stones chosen. It is this unique, fragile, almost ethereal procedure that is the foundation of the legitimacy and timeless value of our contemporary creations.
The beauty of de GRISOGONO’s jewellery is not only shown on the visible side but even when the concealed side of a jewel remains out of sight; this is something that women adore because it is pure luxury, made just for them. This is all part of de GRISOGONO’s quest for excellence, and there are no limits on the journey to achieve the final masterpiece.
Fawaz Gruosi first encountered this luxurious and noble material whilst visiting an Antique boutique in Paris. Fawaz Gruosi is constantly searching for new innovative designs, materials, and ideas, and as such he often visits these marvel-filled places in hopes of finding his next revelation.
In the Galuchat, he found a sensory inspiration that would later on become quintessentially de GRISOGONO. Galuchat is defined as the skin of a fish - a ray or spotted dogfish, with «placoïdes» type scales which have the same composition as teeth. This turns the material very hard and difficult for craftsmen to work with. It had its heyday during the Enlightenment era thanks to the skill of some master case-makers, in particular Jean-Claude Galluchat who had his workshop on the Quai des Morfondus, in Paris.
This man had developed a unique polishing and dying technique for skins, for which he became famous. The Galluchat family was a long line of case-makers, their skills being handed down from father to son, and it was natural that they should give their name to this precious material. In the XVIII century, spotted dogfish or ray skin was also used as an essential material in covering cases for precision instruments, salt cellars, spectacles, watches.
Of all Galuchat skin types, de GRISOGONO uses the sting ray skin for its coarse grain and the feel of it in its untreated and unpolished state. With all its roughness, it is a real «black diamond of the sea ». Fawaz Gruosi started using it on its first watch collection launched in 2000 adorning the Instrumento N.
UNO with a Galuchat strap. Becoming one of the few to ever do so and by thus integrating the elite circle of luxury brands. Following the incredible success of this launch, the Galuchat jewellery collection was launched in 2003 creating the paroxysm of merging organic materials with gold and diamonds.
de GRISOGONO offered a precious and fun line fit for parties in town or by the seaside. With an array of playful motifs inspired by creatures of land and sea, the octopuses, elephants, dolphins, turtles and ladybirds are indispensable and absolute inescapable must-haves.
Galuchat has since then become a trademark of de GRISOGONO's success. It is the ultimate statement of luxury and avant-gardism which solely defines the brand and is part of its DNA. Its use has transpired through time into different watch collections such as Instrumentino, Piccolina and Tondo Collection but also through jewellery with magnificent pieces such as bracelets, earrings and rings
