Manuel Carrera: Would you rather wear accessories or art?

I hope you don’t think I’m just a businessman trying to sell something. This is really my creation, my passion,” Don Manuel Carrera tells me with a laugh. The intimidating prefix ascribed to his persona, though not to be taken lightly, is contrary to his kind, calm presence and gentle demeanor. There is no need for his disclaimer, though — he comes across as an artist in every way, at once shy and proud of his work, his words revealing, empathic and personal.

The founder of Carrera y Carrera, considered one of the 30 most prestigious jewelry brands in the world and favored by Hollywood A-listers, socialists, and ah, yes, the Spanish Royal Family, shows me pieces from his private collection, a revival inspired by the original collection that he created 40 years ago. It was a collection that marked the beginning of the special style of Manuel Carrera, the jeweler — matte-shine effect on gold, work in volumes, and meticulous craftsmanship.

First, it was the hand — a tiny gold pendant about the length of a small grape. “The hand is always a struggle for a painter or sculptor. It’s a very difficult thing to recreate,” he says. His vision, you see, is founded on a rigorous, demanding creative process that draws from both the art and science of sculptural design. Coming from a family of jewelers and sculptors, Don Manuel, at an early age, was exposed to both arts. “This is the collection we’re presenting this year at Basel. It’s a marriage between sculpture and jewelry making,” he explains. “It’s very difficult to reference something, in this case, human anatomy — to come from a sculpture to a mini sculpture, to create this small piece of jewelry in such detail. People will always compare to the original.”

Seeing the hand, I thought it must’ve been based on the most delicate hand they could find, the kind that hasn’t worked a day, with long fingers and perfect oval nails always polished to perfection. “Look at the intricacy,” he says — and I see it. From the ruffled bejeweled cuff to the rustic matte gold of the flesh and the metallic shine of the nails, it is the ideal hand immortalized in solid gold. He shows me the rest of the collection — miniature sculptures of fluid female bodies hanging from golden chains or rising from thick golden bands.

Such is the spirit that Don Manuel brings to Carrera y Carrera, and the same spirit of playfulness, precision and daring that was once misunderstood.

“In the 1930s, jewelry was very beautiful, but after that time, there was nothing very relevant, nothing artistic or exciting. Boring designs, everybody doing the same thing,” he says. It was then that he started rethinking jewelry and how it is made. “When I came up with my first collection and started doing things differently, everybody turned their backs on me. They said, ‘This is not how you make jewelry, you don’t do things this way.’”

This first collection, which he describes as “small and strange,” was fortunately exhibited at Basel World — “Just yesterday, 1967,” he jokes. The Spanish Chamber of Commerce gave him a grant, which allowed him to participate at the fair and secure a very small booth in the farthest corner of the venue. “So I had my collection, but Spain didn’t appreciate it. And then paramount jewelers from Germany and the United States passed by my booth and they paid attention. Neiman Marcus placed many orders. They were impressed. That was probably the happiest day of my life as a jeweler. It was vindication,” he shares.

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Don Manuel is in his 70s, but he recalls his childhood vividly. The inspired collections that Carrera y Carrera has released through the years were products of a creative home environment and a supportive family. “My home was humble but full of love. We were happy with not too much — imagination was a powerful tool. We lived near the Prado Museum and my grandmother used to take us to there. I grew up in a very intellectual environment,” he says. “I remember when I was eight years old, I was at the workshop of my uncles who were jewelers and I saw them working on the crown of who was to be the Queen Fabiola of Belgium. It was the tiara for the wedding — they were working on the cutting of the stones. Imagine, to create the crown of the Queen! I thought, ‘Wow, that’s great. That must be very difficult!’” he shares.

Exactly on his 14th birthday, at the turn of the Spanish Civil War, he had the opportunity to study. “My uncles put me in a very known jewelry workshop in Madrid. Of course, at that time, I was still running errands for my uncles, but during my spare time, that was when I could be creative. I realized then that I’m really made to be a jeweler.” He adds, “When you have a calling or you are gifted, that is a blessing. But more often than not, we do things we are not meant to do because the circumstances just are not there for us. I got the luxury of being able to do what I want to do.”

Fast forward to the present, Carrera y Carrera is a global brand that has prime space at Basel Fair always, is present in over 40 countries, and loved by Demi Moore, Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga, Paris Hilton, and the newest face of the brand, Olivia Palermo. On being present in the Philippines, Don Manuel says, “I was lucky enough that in another exhibit of Basel, Rustan’s dropped by and took notice and wanted to bring me here. The Filipino market is very discriminating, even more demanding than the US market. It’s very important for me to be here.”

Don Manuel visited the country to personally present Carrera y Carrera’s latest collection — the Tesoros del Imperio — with designs, shapes, textures and patterns faithfully taken from paintings of the Prado Museum and merged with the luxury of the Spanish empire. The collection features four lines: Reina, inspired by the lightweight, sheer lace used by the queens of the Spanish Golden age; Velásquez, taken from the name of the Sevillian royal portraitist and inspired by the fabrics and colors of the Golden Age; Cervantes, inspired by the most identifiable symbols of the Spanish Empire; and Isable, a romantic bridal line that focuses on the brilliance of diamonds.

True to the brand’s tradition, which it has carried since the end of the 19th century, Carrera y Carrera continues to make its own trends. Drawing inspiration from the Spanish Golden Age, it makes a statement in solid gold. While jewelers today vie for accessibility, reducing what could’ve been art to mere accessories, Don Manuel sticks to his brand of jewelry making despite the odds, as he always has. “I don’t see very bright prospects this year as far as design is concerned. People want simple, run-of-the-mill things that look very smart, but have no quality behind them. However, together with this down trend in demand, I see a counter force by the real jewelers, and they will compensate for this short-term trend of simplicity, in the bad sense of the word.” And then he adds, “I speak from experience. Been there, been that.” Spoken like a true artist — now which would you rather wear, accessories or art?

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In the Philippines, Carrera y Carrera is exclusively available at Rustan’s.