Meet Coralie Grzes: The designer who ignored the obvious path
There is a particular kind of jewellery designer who arrives at the craft from somewhere unexpected, and whose work is richer for it. One of them is Coralie Grzes, the latest designer to join us in The Jewellery Room.
It all started when Coralie herself studied industrial design in France, before discovering artistic jewellery at Barcelona's Massana School - and that tension between the two disciplines is exactly what makes her work worth paying attention to.
Based in Barcelona, where she recently renovated her studio, Coralie makes pieces that sit at the intersection of precision and poetry: Fairmined certified since 2017, made to order, and designed to be worn every day for the rest of your life.
We sat down with her to find out what drives a designer who has quietly been doing everything right for years.
You studied industrial design before jewellery. What pulled you away from it?
"I felt I wanted to work more with materials and create with my own hands. Then I discovered the world of artistic jewellery, which I fell in love with and studied at the Massana School in Barcelona."
Where does a piece begin for you?
"My two favourite parts of the process are the beginning and the end. The design — imagining the jewellery — and then the polishing, when the jewellery is born. Many parts of the process catch my attention, but those two are the ones I keep coming back to."
What are the values behind your practice?
"I have been deeply committed to being an ethical and sustainable brand since the beginning. Since 2017, I have been a Fairmined licensee - a label that certifies the origin of precious metals and the ethical practices employed in their extraction, including respect for workers and the environment. I work exclusively with high-quality, precious materials that are durable and can also be repaired or melted down. I produce very little or no stock, and all jewellery is made to order."
"I strongly believe in the timelessness of jewellery. I don't force myself to release collections every season, but generally new designs appear once or twice a year."
- Coralie Grzes
Is there a piece from your own collection you wear every day?
"Personally, I've worn a Lucie ring and a Floriane bracelet every day since I designed them. The Essentials collection was one of my first — I specifically envisioned it as a kit of essential jewellery that we should all have. Pieces you can wear every day and almost never take off."
What makes your brand unique?
"I believe that all brands are different if there's a human behind them. In my case, each piece of jewellery is handmade, and each one tells a story. My clients especially appreciate the timeless and ethical aspect of my creations."
What's next for the brand?
"I've just accomplished one of my goals — renovating my Barcelona studio to make it warmer and more practical. I'd like to release two collections this year: one featuring a mix of silver and gold pieces, and the other incorporating gemstones."
And if you could describe a perfect working day?
"The perfect day is one where I design and make jewellery at the workbench, instead of creating content, answering emails, and doing all the other administrative tasks that a small business owner has to perform. But I am on a good way."
Coralie Grzes makes jewellery for people who want to stop looking. Not for the next piece, not for something better, but to find the piece they will wear every day without thinking about it, and never want to take off.
The Essentials collection is the clearest expression of that: a small, considered set of pieces designed to become part of you. If that sounds like what you have been looking for, the Coralie Grzes collection is available in The Jewellery Room.
To learn more about the designer and her practice, visit her full profile here.