Born into a family that has a long tradition in fine jewelry – her great-great grandfather Sir Thomas Cullinan discovered the biggest diamond mine in South Africa and her late father Andrew Grima was a celebrated royal jeweler and founder of Grima – it was only inevitable that Francesca Grima followed in these footsteps.
At the age of 18, she joined the family business using her creative eye to create modern pieces that are yet representative of Grima’s heritage – one of her first designs made it to the finals of the De Beers Diamonds International Awards. A few years later, in 2012, alongside her mother Jojo, they relaunched the business in London establishing a by-appointment showroom where they currently curate the company’s vintage pieces, and offer a bespoke jewelry design service.
But that was not enough; Francesca wanted to carve her own path in the jewelry industry. In 2014, she founded Francesca Grima Limited offering collections “trying to see things through her father’s eyes but with a woman’s touch.” Having learned from the best, she follows in the same handmade tradition and meticulous craftsmanship, and techniques her father was famous for, but maintains a contemporary approach to jewelry design that makes it ever-modern.
Inspired by architecture, textiles and natural forms, she employs unique combinations of stones and materials in highly sculptural shapes. Her line is based on her talent to translate the symbols of modern life into precious metals and gemstones. She favors gold – textured gold, rose gold and black gold – which she usually adorns with princess-cut diamonds, but she also uses semi-precious stones, such as granite, wood burr, pyrite and dendrites from Madagascar, which are rarely seen in precious jewelry.
Her “Invaders” collection is an imaginary, romantic interpretation of digital images in fine jewelry; the jewelry is comprised of mini pixels, reminiscent of the highly popular Tetris game people who grew up in the ’90s were very fond of. “When I designed Pixel Hearts, I wanted to take an object that is usually perceived as smooth, feminine and romantic and give it some posture. The result is a shape that retains its symbolism but has a degree of attitude”.
Francesca Grima’s distinctive aesthetic challenges the standards of the fine jewelry industry, making it casual and appealing to women her own age. However, she has not yet put her father’s royal past behind her. She would love to design a special piece for another woman her age – the Duchess of Cambridge – in the future.
http://www.francescagrima.com
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Images via Francesca Grima Pinterest Account
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