11 Girona jewellery shops

It's increasingly common knowledge among both Girona locals and visitors that in Plaça Sant Pere is one of the city's most modern jeweller's, a hideout created by Montserrat Lacomba. Once a painter, she developed her artistic career with a move to goldsmithing. After graduating in Fine Arts from the University of Barcelona, she discovered jewellery-making at the prestigious Massana art school. For Lacomba, making jewellery is much more than a trade, and over time, she's become a key player in the sector. This is thanks in no small part to her blog, 'Mar de Color Rosa' where, until November 2015, she talked about the latest happenings in jewellery and wrote articles regarding her work and key concepts. 

Vladimir Joia is a project created by Vladimir Padullés and Elisabet Majó who, after discovering the art of making contemporary jewellery at the side of renowned Catalan creative Enric Majoral, decided to create their own brand featuring pure, powerful lines inspired by their day-to-day experiences and the places around them; 'transforming sensations into jewels', as they put it. They first set themselves up in Barcelona, then moved to Garrigàs before finally settling in Figueres in 2010. Their shop-workshop aims to give access to the creative process to those people who will eventually buy their pieces. If you like the look of their work but can't make it to Figueres, you can check out their online store.

This story starts in 1985 when Anna Casals began studying jewellery-making at Escola Massana. It gradually occurred to her that she had enough ideas to create her own workshop, and she set herself up in various spots until, in 2005, and having adopted the commercial name of Baobab, she moved to C/Hortes in Girona, where she continues to be based. Good taste is found throughout the venue where, as well as offering her own designs and undertaking commissions, you'll find a selection of items from the collections of various other contemporary Catalan jewellery-makers. Casals considers herself an artisan, we think she's an artist, and everybody agrees that without an unconditional love for her work, she wouldn't be able to create her beautiful pieces. 

The jewellery shop of Gemma Ridameya is one piece of her wider portfolio; it's a unique spot in the old town of Cadaqués where stone, metal and glass combine in a game of shapes to create a special space, workshop and exclusive place to buy artisan jewellery. Ridameya's creations also respond to nature's wild character in the Cap de Creus, and feature whimsical shapes. She says that spatial and conceptual ideas from contemporary architecture and sculpture have also been a strong source of inspiration. The result is pieces imbued with a lot of character, the kind that you're proud to wear, the type that define you and make you feel good. Discover them for yourself; now you have another good reason to lose yourself in this singular part of the Costa Brava.

The names of Eva Lozano's jewellery collections largely define her small creations: the colours of my soul, autumn moon, circle of life. Lozano says that when she creates her pieces, she ignores the material hierarchy of the minerals she's using, such as gold or precious stones (like tourmaline, aquamarine and carnelian). She adds that apart from the pure, simple, serene lines she features, she tries to bring humility to her jewellery by giving it emotional value, converting the objects into amulets. Lozano, who's based in Trementina Lab, works with sterling silver and gold plate. All the silver pieces are treated superficially to slow down natural oxidation, while the plate is made from three layers of 18kts. You can also find Lozano's pieces in Girona clothes store Delicada Greta.

The aluminium jewellery of Oana Millet features an explosion of colour: they burst with vitality and humour. Inspired by the nature that surrounds her workshop at the foot of Les Guilleries sierra near Sant Hilari Sacalm, her creations are fun and affordable. Millet presents new collections every summer and winter at international fairs such as Bijorhca (Paris) and Bisutex (Madrid), and she's already found success around Europe. Find her products in Baobab Joieria in the city of Girona and No-Res in Olot. If you prefer, go to the website, download the catalogue and start creating your own piece, by combining different shapes and colours.

The people behind Fauna y Flora are Marta and Òscar. In 2015, they set up their home and workshop in La Garrotxa, where they design and produce their handmade pieces. They say that everything they make is inspired by the organic shapes that surround them, and uses natural materials, such as wood and minerals. The simple, delicate designs feature golden, silver and pastel tones; what's more, they try to adhere to the 'slow' philosophy and work as much as possible with local providers. None of their jewellery contains nickel or lead, the dipping and refinements are carried out in Barcelona, the wrapping paper is FSC-certified and their bags made of organic cotton. Buy at Concept in Platja d'Aro (Passatge Sant Lluís, 16) and Sa Botigueta in Cadaqués (Av. Victor Rahola, 3). Check the website for more stockists and online shopping.

DEBOSC is the history of a whole family fascinated by wood: Lluís, the father, is an expert in this primary material and commercial matters; mother Teia is the handiwoman in charge of giving the final touches to the products; younger daughter Raquel is the artistic director and, together with her older sister Eva, takes care of social networks and the company's website. Everybody works on design, creation, productions and sales. In spring 2016, they launched their first jewellery collection (Wood & Shapes) and it was an instant success. Each of their pieces are unique because the wood is polished by hand and because every one has its own seams, small knots and different colour hues. Buy online or check out some of their homewares at Cal Rei in Girona (Nou, 25 and Migdia, 5).

Joid'art was founded in 1981 and takes creativity, modernity and craftsmanship as the basis for its signature jewellery. Set up in the Girona town of Santa Coloma de Farners by Jaume Julià, it has achieved success across Spain, Europe and Russia, and has its own chain of shops. As well as jewellery for women, some of which is inspired by local writers and other creatives, they also produce items for young women and girls, such as 'The Paintingflies', which is based on butterfly illustrations by Mariadiamates, the alter ego of Girona artist Clara Mercader. Find their pieces in the city at Argenteria, 11, and on their website. 

Demiim is a project that emerged five years ago, in the middle of the financial crisis but with a lot of excitement behind it. The passion of those involved for a job well done, design and tireless research into new techniques and materials for making jewellery that can be sold at reasonable prices have been the recipe for the success of this small, four-partner enterprise. While they have two bases (in Olot and Santa Coloma de Farners), No-res is their official shop where, apart from their own products, you can also find bags, glasses and watches. Thanks to their presence at two annual fairs in Paris and Madrid, Demiim is already well-known around Catalonia and Spain and available in France and Belgium.