BASELWORLD: Carrera y Carrera launches Seda Imperial collection
BASEL, March 30, 2014 – Spanish fine jewellery house Carrera y Carrera launched the Seda Imperial collection at BASELWORLD, inspired by a mysterious Eastern legend.
Emperatriz maxi ring in yellow and white gold, blue sapphire and diamonds
According to the legend, 46 centuries ago, there was a Chinese princess named Liu-Tsu who, at the age of 14, was forced to marry a barbaric Khan against her will for political reasons.
In revenge, Liu-Tsu hid in her shawl the best-guarded mystery of the Far East, unknown until that time – the secret of Imperial Silk embroidery – and she threw it into the depths of the ocean.
Centuries later, the captain of the Nao San Felipe plied the 7 seas, from Manila to Acapulco and from there to Seville, fighting adversaries from every continent.
Garzas mini ring in yellow gold and diamonds
One day when the seas were calm, he glimpsed something in the water.
The shawl appeared in the hands of the captain, who guarded it as if it were treasure.
That same night, a storm broke.
People say that one April afternoon, the ship appeared by itself in the port of Seville; nothing was known of its captain or crew.
A woman found the shawl and gave it to a young embroiderer for embroidering.
Garzas medium ring in yellow gold and diamonds
This woman was the captain’s lover and an aristocrat who, along with the young embroiderer, protected the mystery.
Carrera y Carrera now reveals this legend through its new collection, Seda Imperial.
Over time, that shawl that Liu-Tsu threw in the ocean became what is now known as the Manila shawl, considered an adaptation between immemorial Chinese tradition and a
Spanish emblem thanks to the fusion of Eastern and Western cultures.
The Manila shawl, originally from China, is a purely handmade, hand-embroidered garment crafted in natural silk with skill and dexterity.
Emperatriz maxi pendant in yellow and white gold with diamonds
The creation of a shawl requires the expert hands of an embroiderer that dedicates months of work to create a garment and adornment of incalculable value.
The Carrera y Carrera collection includes the most characteristic elements of the Manila shawl.
It includes the Emperatriz line, inspired by the floral pattrerns of the Manila shawl; the Garzas line, symbolizing the heron, which represents love, protection and good will in Asia; and Sierpes, named after one of the most iconic streets in Seville – Sierpes Street partly takes its name from its sinuous shape that mimics the movement of the Manila shawl’s fringe.
