Manuel Rosas Legacy

1870

THE FAMILY HISTORY

Rosior was created in 1978, the result of a long wish held by Manuel Rosas. However, history takes us back to 1870, the year in which Domingos Martins Ferreira, Manuel Rosas' grandfather and founder of Rosas de Portugal, Lda., was born.

1890

ROSAS DE PORTUGAL

Creation of Rosas de Portugal, Lda., an important driver of the jewelry industry in Portugal at the time, and an industry leader on the Iberian Peninsula in the 1960s.

1949

MANUEL ROSAS IS BORN

This year marked the birth of Manuel Rosas, founder of Rosior. He studied architecture and engineering, but the troublesome 70s in Portugal led him to Rosas de Portugal, the family enterprise where he worked for five years in jewelry production and foreign markets, visiting European clients and exhibiting at industry fairs in Munich, Basel, and Vicenza.

1978

CREATING ROSIOR

Disagreement with the standards in use at the family company, along with his own entrepreneurial ability, led him to create his own company. Thus, Rosior was born.

1979

GOING INTERNACIONAL

Exports have accounted for a large portion of Rosior's production from the very outset. During the early years, the company exhibited at Vicenza, Basel, and Munich, receiving orders that propelled it towards significant growth. In the years that followed, Rosior grew its production capacity. It eventually came to have 80 direct employees and 200 indirect ones. Rosior took part in the fairs at Basel and Vicenza each year for 29 years.

1981

THE FIRST PRIZES

The 1980s brought the first of several prizes awarded to Rosior and its founder and creator, Manuel Rosas. The first prize for design was awarded by the World Gold Council, the Secretary of State for Culture and AIORN, the Portuguese jewelry and watchmakers' association in the north, for one of his creations, a cross.

1983

FIRST EXHIBITION IN THE USA

The American market became especially important to Rosior in the early 1980s; its attendance at the two annual fairs in New York would continue for the following 15 years. During this time, the USA became Rosior's main market, supplying retailers such as Tiffany & Co., Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy's, Fortunoff, Bloomingdale's, Finley's, Sterling and Zales, among many others. The company would later take part in the Miami fair.

1984

OPENING THE FIRST BOUTIQUE

From the early days, Manuel Rosas felt the need to be closer to the end customer. This wish came true in this year, with the opening of the first Rosior store. It is still open today as a jewelry workshop.

1986

FIRST PATENT GRANTED

Among many other prizes awarded to both Rosior and its founder and creator, special mention is due to the “Innovative Ideas” prize, recognized by IAPMEI, Caixa Geral de Depósitos and the Ministry of Industry, given by the Minister of Industry and Energy at the time, Mira Amaral, for inventing and patenting a “Process for manufacturing hollow gold jewelry pieces by electrochemical deposition”. The patent was awarded in 1992.

This was also the year of the company's first foray into Asia by way of Japan after the World Gold Council chose Rosior to be one of 20 exhibitors from around the world representing Portugal at a major exhibition in Tokyo. The company would later take part in the Dubai Fair.

1987

THE “BIG APPLE”

This year saw the creation of a piece inspired in many journeys to the American continent, more specifically to New York, a city that has always been an inspiration to Manuel Rosas.

1988

THE FIRST LISBON BOUTIQUE

Rosior opens this year on Rua do Ouro, Lisbon, as a franchise. The experiment was brief: a few months later, a huge fire ripped through the Chiado district, destroying the inside of the store.

1990

THE ROSIOR WATCH AND A SPECIAL PRIZE

Manuel Rosas created the first Rosior watch, considered the first Portuguese watch to be made of gold. The limited edition, comprising only a few watches, quickly sold out. Rosior received the “European Community Design Prize” from Spain's Minister for Industry for the innovative design of one of its creations.

1993

EMAGOLD CHAIRMANSHIP

José Manuel Rosas was appointed Chairman of Emagold in Portugal. The association was working towards the creation of a European hallmark following ISO9002 quality guidelines.

1994

POINÇON DE MAÎTRE

Rosior receives, and holds to this day, the registration of its “Poinçon de Maître - Contrôle de Métaux Precieux” in Switzerland.

2000

DE BEERS MILLENNIUM DIAMONDS

The 1990s were marked by Manuel Rosas' creativity as expressed in pieces of fine jewelry. The culmination of this inspiration was the presentation of the “De Beers Millennium Diamonds”, a limited, numbered series of 2,000 high-quality diamonds, of which Rosior had access to 25 specimens. Each was quickly sold in Portugal, and four have been set in one of the most iconic rings of that year.

2004

AN ICON OF THE UNCONQUERED CITY

Opening of Rosior's Aviz flagship store, which remains an iconic store in Porto's Boavista area to this day.

2006

THE NEW GENERATION

José Rosas, elder son of Manuel Rosas, joins the company, the start of a new generation at Rosior.

2007

UNIQUE CREATIONS BY MANUEL ROSAS

The year that saw the start of “Manuel Rosas Unique Creations” exhibitions, a series of invitation-only events. The first exhibition was held at the Portuguese Embassy in Paris. The company's closest friends and dearest clients attended.

UNIQUE CREATIONS BY MANUEL ROSAS

This is the year that also marks the beginning of the manufacture of what would become Rosior's most iconic piece. With over 420 carats and 4700 gemstones, the "Gems Dream" clutch is in production for the next two years. It is finally finished, certified, and signed by its creator, Manuel Rosas.

2011

OPENING IN LISBON'S MOST ICONIC HOTEL

The company's first store in Lisbon opened in 2011 at the Ritz Four Seasons, where it is still in business today.

2018

IN ALL HER GRACE

When Manuel Rosas' daughter Graça (“Grace”) joined the company, she began to turn the page of a story that she herself has been writing. After completing her doctorate in Biotechnology, she found her true vocation in the family business, like her father before her. Today, she is the voice of creation, guiding the goldsmiths in the Rosior workshop to follow the legacy left by her father. This is also the year that marks the renovation of Rosior boutique inside the Ritz hotel in Lisbon.

2020

THE LEGACY

This year marked the passing of Rosior's founder and creator since 1978. His legacy lives on in each creation by Rosior, now more than ever.