Manresa is hosting Set de Joia at the Centre Cultural el Casino, a joint exhibition that brings together seven jewellers and seven wineries from the Bages area. The show runs from 22 May to 7 June and links local wine with author jewellery.
The project began with Navàs jeweller Mercè Nicolau, who saw similarities between winemaking and jewellery making after cultivating her own vineyard. She shared the idea with organiser Anna Benedicto, and the exhibition was developed from there.
Each jeweller was paired with a Bages winery, including Heretat Oller del Mas, Abadal, Artium, La Diferenta, Can Serra dels Exibis, Jaia Viticultor and Vinyas d'Empremta. The jewellers taking part are Nicolau Jewels, Ignasi Cucurella, Mar Cucurella, Uró Joiers, CrisJoies, Dörte Seeger and Clara Niubò.
According to the organisers, each creator visited their assigned vineyard and winery to learn about its history and philosophy. The pieces draw on vineyard landscapes, wine aromas and bottle labels, and use materials such as stone, vine stock, rubies and silver. Benedicto described the works as small pieces of contemporary art.
The exhibition is being shown for a second time, after its first presentation in October last year at the Navàs Wine Tourism Centre. Nicolau said the project also aims to support artisan trades such as jewellery and viticulture, while Eva Farré of the DO Pla de Bages said it highlights two worlds that share a similar philosophy. More information on the wine region is available from the DO Pla de Bages.
Several of the participating jewellers have explained how they translated the wineries into their work. Mar Cucurella, based in Manresa, created pieces inspired by La Diferenta’s Entre Roques wine, while Ignasi Cucurella drew on the landscape of Can Serra dels Exibis, with Montserrat in the background. Dörte Seeger, based in Moià, worked with Vinyes d'Empremta, and Neus Uró of Uró Joiers in Manresa created a collection inspired by Abadal’s Nurva rosé.
Set de Joia is part of the official ViBa Fair programme. A tasting led by sommelier Dúnia Vargas is scheduled for Sunday, 7 June. Readers can also follow local coverage on News for more Catalonia-wide updates.