Portuguese jewellery.
A world of tradition to be discovered on digital platforms.
Photos: AORP
Words: Ilídia Pinto
From the experienced hands of artisans who have been working gold and silver for decades, the most beautiful pieces of Portuguese gold smithery are produced every day and span the world under the collective brand Portuguese Jewellery — Shaped with Love. This is an industry that has always practiced sustainability, in a world that has only recently woken up to its importance. An industry in which avoiding waste is an intrinsic part of its DNA, working on a micro-scale with raw materials of high intrinsic value.
And let us not forget that jewellery is timeless, with a concept of eternity that fits extraordinarily well with the present time, when consumers are increasingly conscientious about what they buy and the slow fashion movement is gaining supporters around the world. Not just because jewellery can always be restored and modernised, but ultimately because it can also gain new life after the precious metals have been melted down and given new form.
Nevertheless, this sector is also waking up to the digital and its promises. In the past three years alone, more than 600 new brands have been established and licensed for e-commerce, accounting for more than 15% of the entire jewellery business.
And to assist these efforts, especially in international markets, Portuguese jewellery now has a new online presence. At portuguesejewellery.pt you will discover a “shop window that is representative of the energy and creative diversity” that characterises the sector, all vigorously supported and promoted by Portuguese Jewellery and Watchmaking Association (AORP) campaigns and promotions. This new portal will soon develop into a marketplace that will bring Portuguese jewellery closer to its audience on a global scale.
”From new blood to luxury brands, including companies that are preserving traditional Portuguese goldsmith techniques and designs, it aims to bring Portuguese jewellery closer to its global audiences’ says Nuno Marinho, head of AORP.
In the year of the pandemic, the AORP has offered a stage to the leading lights in the sector who work every day to promote Portuguese jewellery around the world. An industry of diversity, where small traditional workshops exist alongside the most modern and innovative producers, and which has launched a new campaign to highlight the Portuguese jewellery value chain.
“Together we stand”, is the motto they have chosen, referring to their unity and commitment in their mission to promote Portuguese jewellery around the world. Anselmo 1910, Eugénio Campos, JCF — Joalheiros, TMB, José Martins Barbosa, Juliana Bezerra and Maria João Bahia are its public face. Because interdependence is an essential feature of the chain, showing that everyone has an important part to play in ensuring it works. The sector is very conservative, comprising micro- and small-family businesses that have come together to combine the best of tradition and the mastery of what is made by hand with the boldness of the most modern designs and the most innovative techniques. Not forgetting the more classic pieces or the more modern ways of reaching the consumer, through digital means.
