Austria
With a series of video portraits, TV journalist Sibylle Tiessen takes us on a captivating journey into a world full of exciting projects, cultural diversity and authentic stories on Mallorca. Supported by TUI, the TUI Care Foundation and Majorca Daily Bulletin, viewers learn more about the island from a whole new perspective, from inspiring stories of locals to social, artistic, ecological, scientific and political aspects.
Episode 12: Jewellery designer Isabel Guarch: How she immortalises Mallorca in her collections
Isabel Guarch is a Mallorca-born jewellery designer whose collections are entirely inspired by the island. During her wanderings through Palma's old alleyways, she decided to take the capital's architecture as a model for her designs and use it as the main element of her shiny, predominantly 18-carat gold jewellery.
"I was literally born with a love of jewellery design," says Guarch. In 1957, her mother transformed her own flat in Carrer de Jaume II into a showroom for her unique pieces of jewellery, which she made to order. By word of mouth, the company founder established a luxury brand. Daughter Isabel studied gemology, specialising in diamonds, and then completed a design degree in Paris. But she also learnt a lot from her mother.
“At the age of 39, I took over the family business in 2005 and decided to bring out a new collection every year,” says Guarch. “I wanted to revive the Mallorcan tradition with new life and style in my art pieces.”
One of her two sons, Gonzalo Guarch, had no intention of continuing the tradition. When he noticed that his mother's range did not include any jewellery for men, he decided to change this and joined in. “We created an all-male collection together,” says the proud mum. This time, she chose the local indigenous population as the theme. “These include the stone slingers, who used special slingshots and stones to defend the land and go hunting. Now they serve as a motif for rings and bracelets.”
“Every generation brings something new. Gonzalo has shown me that it's not enough just to design the jewellery. The collection also has to be marketed and publicised,” says Guarch.
The content that the Isabel Guarch brand stands for remains the same. “It's like a journey through the island's time and culture. Meanwhile, the Mallorcan spirit, the special light of the island, the colours, the warmth and tranquillity that Mallorca radiates can be carried home on the skin. The island remains in your memory and in your heart”.
Find out more in the video:
