The Pyrénées-Orientales region soon became a hub of silver, gold and garnet working; these minerals forged the reputation of the town and region's goldsmiths and jewelers from the 18th century onwards. The 19th and early 20th century are considered as great period in the history of Perpignan smithery, and in particular garnet cutting. Garnet breccias were widespread in the mountains of the Pyrénées-Orientales, but booming enthusiasm for these poppy-colored stones in shades of red and pink soon exhausted local sources and obliged jewelers to export them. Despite this, the town developed its very own "Perpignan cut" mounted on colored foil, which became the revered hallmark of the Perpignan jewelers until the 1920s. The "Perpignan Garnet" designation was subsequently registered and the Institut du Grena (Perpignan Garnet Institute) was founded in 2010 to cherish, perpetuate and promote the town's unique know-how.
Visitors to the Musée Provençal du Costume et du Bijou (Provencal Costume and Jewelry Museum) in Grasse, on the French side of the Mediterranean Sea, are invited to explore every facet of Perpignan's singular craftmanship skills. From the 18th century to the early 20th century, jewels from Perpignan were worn from Roussillon to Provence, in farms and country houses, bourgeois lounges and for strolls along the promenade alike. Over one hundred different jewelry models adorned women from the South of France, Grasse, Cannes, Toulon, Marseilles, Arles, Avignon, Montpellier and, of course, Perpignan.
This exhibition is staged in partnership with the Perpignan Garnet Institute, under the direction of historian Laurent Fonquernie, a specialist in the history of Roussillon and Roussillon jewelry, together with the Mill'or jewelry store in Montpellier directed by gemologists and regional jewelry specialists Hortense Favier and Odile Pascal, and with the help of passionate private collectors.
