The London flagship boutique of renowned designer FAWAZ GRUOSI presents a wide array of extraordinarily opulent high jewellery, often set with unusual combinations of coloured gemstones. The high-end jewellery designer shares his views with Solitaire International.
Fawaz Gruosi London flagship showcases flamboyant, handcrafted gem-set jewellery. Located in Berkeley Square in central Mayfair, close to Bond Street, and adorned with deep carpets, furniture inspired by Art Deco and open plan display cabinets, the showroom is an alluring destination for haute jewellery aficionados in search of an exquisite item for their collection.
“My family are in London and my home is here. I find London is the most cosmopolitan city and an important capital for high jewellery Maisons,” says Fawaz Gruosi, who has a long-established reputation as one of the world’s leading jewellery designers.
Asked about his inspiration and what separates him from other designers, Fawaz says, “I am not someone who follows what other people are doing. I focus on what I’d like to do and on doing it perfectly.
“I am constantly inspired by all I see from everyday practical objects to art, nature, extraordinary people,” Fawaz told Solitaire.
“I am obsessed with coloured stones and cannot resist creating unique colour combinations and using different materials in my jewellery.”
Fawaz’s jewellery often features rarely seen combinations of gemstones and other materials, such as emerald and turquoise, or amber and emerald.
The pieces, all designed by him personally, are inspired by the natural shapes, voluminous curves, light and colours that can be found in things he sees around him every day and which constantly inspire him.
“I believe that when you have something exceptional, customers will come to you,” he says. “My clients are women who are confident, chic, innovators, not followers.”
Fawaz Gruosi’s use of colour and the voluptuous size of his pieces, distinguish him from other designers. “The proliferation of emeralds and rubies of profound perfection is also unusual, as is the size of this collection of nearly 500 pieces of unique high jewellery which we created in two years,” Fawaz says.
Supreme craftsmanship, sustainability and, as far as possible, a responsible supply chain is also important for him. “The big challenge for me and my team is ‘perfection’. The most important thing is for the workmanship to always be flawless. I have the exceptional record of producing almost 360 high jewellery designs in a year which means almost one design a day!
“This presents an enormous challenge for the team, to keep up with such production when every piece is handmade, unique, high jewellery,” he adds, referring to the highly skilled artisans working at his atelier in Geneva.
“However, when I look back on my designs, such as the first watch I designed 20 years ago, I don’t find it looks ‘vintage’ or outdated.
“I hope my pieces are timeless. Naturally, it is ever more important to ensure sustainability and a responsible supply chain in our industry, and we are always working towards the best possible practice.”
Fawaz’s favourite gemstones to work with, include top quality emeralds, rubies and sapphires – superb gemstones for crafting high jewellery.
“Colour is my joy, emeralds my signature, accompanied by rubies, sapphires and extraordinary stones of every hue,” Fawaz says. “I like to mix them with hard stones such as turquoise and onyx and modern materials like ceramic.”
Fawaz works often with untreated gemstones, but what matters most to him is a gemstone’s beauty and ‘soul’.
“What attracts me is the emotion that a stone gives me,” Fawaz says. “Even though I am looking for untreated stones, if a stone has an extraordinary soul that captivates me I will use it.
“I work with stones from every part of the world, not necessarily specifically one place. For me it is always about the emotion the stone evokes, not where it is from or who has cut and polished it.”