Fawaz Gruosi
FAWAZ GRUOSI: WHOSE DOMINANT MOOD WAS PASSION
It all began in 1952…
Born on 8 August of that same year, Fawaz Gruosi spent his childhood in Florence, city of culture, good taste and aesthetics, which would permanently influence and inspire him. So much so that very soon he dreamt only of devoting his life to beauty... He therefore set out to acquire the necessary training, firstly as a sales assistant to a very famous local jeweller. At the age of 25, he left for London, where this same jeweller opened a boutique. He worked there as a consultant, but was quickly appointed director... He stayed there for four years.
He was only 30 when the Alizera family, Harry Winston's official agent, noticed him and proposed that he become its representative in Saudi Arabia. The young entrepreneur did not hesitate to take up this new challenge.
After three years in that country, he returned to Europe where he was immediately contacted by the Bulgari company. Gianni Bulgari, a mythical name in the world of jewellery, created a new post for him. He hired him in Bulgari Precious Trading and accorded him his complete trust. Fawaz thus became the first person in the group to have access to all the new designer jewellery collections which he would be responsible for selling worldwide, with the exception of the Bulgari boutiques of which at that time there were only … eight! A fantastic field of opportunity thus opened up before Fawaz, which would also enable him to fill up his address book through numerous contacts.
This provided a unique experience, but destiny would for the first time take a new turn. Gianni Bulgari left the family company. Having lost his role model, Fawaz then decided to start out on his own. That was in 1993. Without any specific strategy in mind, he founded de GRISOGONO and very quickly his original and extraordinary creativity ensured that each jewel he fashioned immediately aroused passions. This almost immediate success would give him strength and self-confidence. History was on the move. And the future still held many exhilarating moments in store for Fawaz.
1996: destiny took a turn for the second time…
Fortified by more than 20 years' experience with the greatest jewellers, during which time he came into contact with fabulous jewels, Fawaz then felt the urge to express his own ideas and leave the beaten track. This need would find concrete expression through an encounter which was as fortuitous as it was stunning – a genuine flash of lightening. Rarely had two destinies, that of a man and of a precious stone, ever been so intimately and rapidly linked.
It was in fact during a lecture that by chance he discovered the 190-carat black stone, of a rare and almost pernicious beauty: the “Black Orlov”. An ever curious gemmologist, he was captivated by its colour, and learned not without surprise that this stone was a diamond and that its jet-black colour and the mysterious aura radiating from it were caused by minuscule inclusions, that is to say imperfections. But it is such a rare stone and so difficult to cut that, after its heyday in the decorative arts of the thirties, specialists were loath to use it and finally turned their backs upon it, only to forget it altogether.
However, the fascination that this stone exerted on the founder of de GRISOGONO was such that he decided to visit diamond mines all over the world with one obsession: to gather a sufficient quantity of these stones. His goal? To create a collection of gems simply unique in the world. Convinced of the merit of his vision, little did Fawaz know what a revolution he would spark off in the world of designer jewellery. He thus easily gave this pure marvel its rightful place, side by side with rubies or emeralds, both the clientele and professionals welcoming it with the greatest possible enthusiasm. And so the black diamond became de GRISOGONO's hallmark…
It was a wild gamble to bet on an almost unknown gem and to elevate de GRISOGONO to the rank of the most innovative jeweller of his generation. Fawaz Gruosi nevertheless took up the challenge with brio. For, only three years after its market launch, the price per carat of the black diamond literally exploded on the precious stones market. It was unheard of!
Nowadays these black diamonds embellish necklaces, earrings, rings and bracelets. This jet-black-coloured stone has become the most beautiful setting for voluptuous pearls, flamboyant rubies and profound emeralds, or quite simply for white diamonds. They also adorn original models, pieces which Fawaz Gruosi, the top jewellery designer, makes to measure according to his clients' wishes, always indulging himself by adding if not a snub to convention, then at least a dash of humour… like with this cell phone, set with 240 black diamonds.
But his concern with perfection is nonetheless ever present. Treated like a queen, each stone is the centre of all attention: the meticulous and pitiless choice, the cut, as well as and above all an extremely discreet setting, to show off the stone and let it reveal its brilliance. An important detail which confirms the company's spirit of excellence: these black diamonds are certified as natural by the internationally recognised gemmology institutes.
“The success of de GRISOGONO encourages me to continue along this path. Taking a rest is out of the question for me. I'm brimming with ideas and projects”, enthuses Fawaz Gruosi, this tireless creator who admits to only acting in life out of passion, friendship or love.
