A family story | Manufacture du Grenat

The legacy of a family passion

It all began in 1945, when Georges Privat, the great-grandfather, moved to Bourg-Madame in the Eastern Pyrenees region to lay the foundations for the family workshop. 30 years later, Jerome, the son, set up the workshop in Prades, at the foot of the Canigou mountain range, in a town of history and culture, famous for its Pablo Casals (or “Pau Casals” in Catalan) classical music festival.
Casa Perez - the new name for the family jewellers in tribute to Jerome’s wife - successfully continued the tradition until Henri and his wife Sandrine, the third generation of the Privat family, took over in the 90s.

The visionary and audacious Henri only had one idea in mind: to dust off the Catalan Garnet, shake up the profession, share his passion with as many people as possible and preserve the memory of this heritage, unique in the world.

A modern-day garnet

1945

Foundation of the family workshop in Bourg-Madame by the great-grandfather

1979

Installation in Prades at the foot of the Canigou mountain range

1983

Casa Perez opens up to the world: we start marketing our traditional Catalan jewellery to professionals

1991

We move to new premises. The workshops and gift shop are made visible to the public from the street

1994

Creation of the Joyaux Catalans^® brand – an emblem of beautiful artisanship and 100% local workmanship

1995

The workshops are opened to the public in the centre of Prades, and the first guided tours begin

1999

Creation of a “lost wax” casting workshop and extension of the distribution network outside the Languedoc-Roussillon region

2002

Extension and redevelopment of the workshop to optimise the reception of visitors

2003

Invention of the “immutable paillon”, a patented technique, awarded the SEMA “Prix des métiers d’Art”

2007

Awarded the “Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant” (Living Heritage Enterprise) label by the French Ministry of Crafts and Trade, managed and monitored by the Institut Supérieur des Métiers, renewed every 5 years

2008

Awarded the “Mercure d’Or” by the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in recognition of the company’s dynamism, innovations and high-quality service

2010

Workshops moved to the Canigou roundabout area to offer an even better visitor and purchasing experience. Casa Perez changes its name to “Manufacture du Grenat”