China gleam

Without a big name, Spanish jewelry brand Carreray Carrera aims to win Chinese customers for its special artistic interpretation and fine craftsmanship. Photo provided to China Daily

The world's second-largest economy still looks bright for a Spanish jewelry maker eager to strike gold with a second tryin the mainland, Chen Jie reports.

One day, a designer who works for the Spanish jewelry brand Carrera y Carrera found a travel journal titled Universo in a second-hand bookstore in the old literary district in Madrid. He was so fascinated by the philosophy and adventure reflected in the journal that he has interpreted them into the brand's latest collection.

CEO Svetlana Kuprianova says pieces of the collection "Universo" are sold in Carrera y Carrera boutiques around the world, including the one in Macao.

One piece is a butterfly ring, with two butterflies, one golden, the other platinum, and the pair's sensitive antennae tangling. The bigger, golden butterfly is fixed on the ring while the smaller platinum butterfly can swing freely.

"The butterfly is an allegory of movement," Kuprianova says, demonstrating on her own hand. "The ring expresses a desire for freedom and liberation of the soul. Usually this kind of creature is fixed on the ring, but this butterfly can fly on your finger."

She visited Beijing in June last year to see her first boutique at Parkview Green. When she returned this year, the store had closed, because "it's too early".

She had believed sophisticated Chinese consumers would buy such unique jewelry without a big brand name. But she has concluded that the market is still not ripe.

The good news is that the store in Macao, which opened in December, is doing well.