The oldest jewelry store in Mahón:
Vives Jewelry Store
Juan Vives, the current manager of this very special corner in Mahón, tells us the story of his family and his business.
"My grandfather was the one who opened the jewelry store. He was born on the island in 1900 but at a very young age, he took his brushes and went to Mallorca, where he joined the Pollença school together with painters such as H. Anglada Camarasa or Tito Cittadini. Let's say he was the first artist in the family. He was followed by two of his three children, my father who chose his father's trade, and my uncle who opted for goldsmithing. He was the one who taught me the trade that I follow today.
When I think of my childhood, the first things that come to mind are the smells of turpentine and oil paint. I have grown up between the painter's workshop and the goldsmiths.
My wife Ana and I, together with my cousin Aina, have two stores, Jade y Vives. They are two completely different but complementary businesses and, in fact, our clients belong to both.
Vives was founded 100 years ago by Juan Vives Llull, my grandfather, later handing it over to one of his sons and his wife Ines, who would add a key component to the business: a passion for traveling to remote destinations and an interest in exotic cultures. Juan Vives Campomar then started traveling to China, India, Morocco, and northern Thailand... and this is how Vives jewelry acquires the air of a chic bazaar.
At the age of 17, my uncle took me on one of his trips to Jaipur. For the next 30 years, one or two months a year were spent in Asia. In the beginning, we collected handicrafts from the places we traveled, until the day we decided to open the Jade store, 15 years ago, to share with our clients what we most like.
In the workshop, we create unique and unrepeatable pieces, many of which are the result of the fusion and transformation of exotic objects.
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