CARRERA y CARRERA

Now recognised as one of the world’s thirty most prestigious jewellery brands, Carrera y Carrera has its roots in Spanish culture and traditions. In 1885, the founder (a very young Saturio Esteban Carrera) moved from the town of Alcalá de Henares – now a UNESCO World Heritage Site – to Madrid, where he opened a small goldsmith’s workshop in the heart of the Barrio de Las Letras, already a meeting place for the best writers of the Spanish ‘siglo de oro’. His son José Esteban, who completed his studies in Paris, returned to Madrid and continued his father’s business,opening a new atelier on Calle Santa Isabel. As he had no children, he taught the art of goldsmithing to his four nephews José, Saturio, Pedro, Andrés. The company quickly gained a solid reputation thanks to its unique style, innovative manufacturing techniques and skill in cutting and engraving gems. In 1960 it was all over the news for creating the tiara for the wedding of the aristocrat Fabiola di Mora y Aragón with the Catholic King Baudouin of Belgium. The founder’s great- grandson, Manuel Carrera, would later transform the family business into an internationally recognised brand, with collections freely inspired by Spanish art and culture, nature, and animals: real masterpieces skillfully balancing volumes, where jewellery borders on sculpture and features a powerful symbolic and figurative component. Carrera y Carrera creations are exhibited in galleries, museums and private collections worldwide. The brand’s jewellery pieces are handmade and feature a matte-gloss finish, giving the gold a velvety effect and enhancing the micro sculptures’ details. They are appreciated and requested by royal families, aristocrats, celebrities, as well as actresses and supermodels who have often lent their faces to the brand’s campaigns. After the setback of the last few years, Carrera y Carrera returns to international markets with a new management and Manuel Calvo as creative director, already the creative soul of Magerit, with a long experience in the industry and the winner of several jewellery design awards. A passionate Art Nouveau connoisseur and avid fantasy reader, Calvo draws inspiration from art, mythology, ancient civilizations and nature. He intends to bring Carrera y Carrera back to its former glory, enriching it with his passion and sensitivity.