Nestled beneath a pale pink rose is a ring of purple sapphires and garnets, surrounded by blue and leaf-green diamonds; half-hidden in the moss beside a purple clover, is a pair of diamond daisy earrings, with centers of dark blue tsavorite.
Like a walk in an enchanted garden, this is how you might discover the handcrafted jewels of the Portuguese house Rosior.
Run by the brother-and-sister team of José and Graça Rosas, Rosior does not advertise, and its one-of-a-kind bijoux cannot be found in stores (beyond its own small boutiques, one in Lisbon and one in Porto).
Rather, its jewelry — known for exuberant color, exacting execution and innovative design — can be found within its gardenlike displays at premier art-and-design fairs in New York City, the nearby Hamptons and Palm Beach, Fla.; on online platforms such as its own website or 1stdibs; or by appointment at the atelier in Porto. (“So you won’t find us at the Oscars,” José, 39, Rosior’s director of sales, joked during a recent video interview).
And, of course, it appears on the arms, necks and hands of loyal collectors, including Fernanda Arrepia, an art collector in Porto whose Rosior cache includes a bracelet that replicates a sunset photo her husband once took on a southern European holiday. Pink, blue, yellow and orange sapphires and yellow and white diamonds depict a golden sun descending over an ocean of blue sapphires, blue and white diamonds and emeralds — a pointillist painting comprising nearly 43 carats of gems. The cuff was created in 19.2-karat gold, the quality considered standard in Portugal, by Manuel Rosas, José and Graça’s father.
