Institut du Grenat

The Garnet at the crossroads of different aspirations   After the Second World War, Roussillon becomes one of the laboratories a new consumer society eager for holidays in the sun. Beginning in 1963, the Racine mission launched an unprecedented project to develop the coastal region, in order to allow millions of vacationers to stay on home soil, doubling the summer population of the Pyrénées-Orientales. An influx of tourists spread out … Continuer la lecture →

Without neglecting traditional methods of production, the Perpignan garnet today has been able to adjust to new designs. The return of the raised closed setting managed to satisfy two principles: the current tastes of the client, and respect for Catalan traditional techniques. However two schools have emerged: creation of a unique handmade piece, and that of the stylist which makes used of the latest techniques. There are two very different … Continuer la lecture →

Powerful and active after 1900 in an environment of regionalism, the Catholic Church also turned its interest to this gem, now a symbol of a people who once had built the Romanesque Abbeys and a Catalan culture always demonstrative in its lively faith. Some chalices were adorned with garnets such as the one Paul Soulié willed to his son, ordained as a priest in the Cathedral of Perpignan in 1905. … Continuer la lecture →