Cordoba, the city of jewelry. History and tradition

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Centuries of history and tradition in the jewellery sector guarantee the quality of its products. Its beginnings date back to centuries before Christ, when the mines of Cerro Muriano and Sierra Morena were exploited and formed part of important trade routes.

The prosperity of the city of Cordoba has always been mineral density, due to the important and numerous deposits of metallic sulphides of lead, silver and copper. This wealth has led to the design of pieces of personal adornment and furniture throughout history. If we come to the Muslim period, we move on to gold work as the main activity. New techniques such as filigree and granulation were also introduced.

The silversmiths’ guild was made up of patrons. They were artists who worked with gold and silver, knew chemistry and drawing, and their creations sometimes required knowledge of mathematics or architecture. The guild exercised strong control over its members in order to maintain the prestige and recognition of the organisation.

Those small family workshops became specialised until 1976, when the current San Eloy Provincial Association of Jewellers, Silversmiths and Watchmakers of Cordoba was founded. This association is mainly dedicated to defending the interests of the sector and its national and international projection. In 2005, the Cordoba Jewellery Park-Business Space complex was inaugurated, promoted in a special way by the Provincial Association. It is a unique enclosure dedicated to jewellery activity, being the largest concentration of companies in the sector in Spain and Europe. It brings together companies dedicated to the manufacture and marketing of jewellery, goldsmithery, costume jewellery and watches.

The Cordoba Jewellery School Consortium is a benchmark in innovation. The centre was created in 1994 by the Andalusian Regional Government, Cordoba City Council and Cordoba Provincial Council with the aim of training qualified professionals to facilitate their incorporation into companies in the sector.

Today, Cordoba is the fourth largest jewellery producer in Europe, with China as its main rival. However, the value of our artisan jewellers is the high level of finish and the exquisite after-sales service.

Tradition, history and craftsmanship make Cordoba the city of jewellery and its jewellers great talents with high aspirations committed to quality.