Jan 4, 2021
Fawaz Gruosi launches his own jewelry brand
Jan 4, 2021
Fawaz Gruosi, one of the most influential jewelers in the industry, has launched his own eponymous jewelry brand.
Gruosi has also open his first boutique in London, located in Berkeley Square, across the park from famed nightclub Annabel’s in central Mayfair, designed by happening interior designer Francis Sultana.
“When I look at myself in the mirror, I know I'm right to create a new brand. Everything we have done so far, we have done well. We bring something different to the world of jewelry. And once again, I followed my heart. I believe in what I do,” said the jeweler.
The launch comes more than one year after Gruosi departed his job as creative director of de Grisogono, where he had established a unique reputation for his eclectic style. During his tenure, the de Grisogono annual gala dinner became a must-attend social highlight of the Cannes Film Festival.
De Grisogono, whose fans included Salma Hayek and Naomi Campbell, filed for bankruptcy last January, costing the jobs of 65 employees.
In 1993, Gruosi launched de Grisogono, opening a small boutique in Geneva’s Rue du Rhone, the Swiss city’s main luxury shopping artery. His first commission: earrings for the Begum Aga Khan; before going onto his pathbreaking black diamonds collection and the development of the first de Grisogono watches.
In 2017, de Grisogono set a record at Christie’s Magnificent Jewels, when it sold the biggest ever emerald cut diamond at auction, a 163 carat stone incorporated in a Gruosi-designed necklace for 33.5 million Swiss francs.
Born in Florence to an Italian mother, Gruosi began working at the age of 16 in the Florentine jeweler Torrini to support his family after the early death of his Lebanese father.
Subsequently, he joined Harry Winston, going on to become general manager of its flagship in Saudi Arabia, just as the Middle Eastern jewelry market began to boom.
By 1982 he was hired by Gianni Bulgari and brought to Rome as the luxury Italian brand’s global manager for its VIP clientèle. Before then deciding to launch Grisogono, whose name stems from the Greek Chrysogonos; meaning “begotten of gold.”
His debut store’s design takes its cue from Paris or Milan in the 1920s, at the height of Art Deco. Clients enter the 105-square-meter space through a vestibule with inlaid marble floor, leading into an intimate space, with upholstered seating; Art Deco-inspired columns and deep bespoke carpet, the deep red of Mattia Bonetti velvet sofas contrasted with the burnt orange of scagliola consoles and tables by Sultana.
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