De Grisogono

There was a man who lived in Italy. And he had a dream. He worked hard for a long time to make it come true. But most importantly, he still achieved everything he wanted. Now he continues to dream every year. And now, dreams come true for others… you just have to want to.

The history of the brand De Grisogono

Fawaz Groosi went to work in a Florentine jewelry store before he graduated from high school. His mother refused to give him pocket money, so the young man went to earn his own money. Work quickly became a real passion for the young man. However, his story is not an impetuous one. It will be a long time before Groosi can bear his creation like a child, present it to the world and create his own, unique style, and then establish a company and consolidate his name as the best designer of expensive watches and jewelry.

Bringing his dream to life was the fruit of painstaking, dedicated work. Certainly, the guy had incentives. He was appreciated by the jewelry firms where he worked for many years. Groosi was the main representative for Harry Winston and Bulgari. It was him who was engaged in their global promotion, which required maximum dedication and crazy ambitions.

He opened his own company, de Grisogono, only in 1995. His brand literally exploded into the world of high fashion. He focused on extravagance. He chose wristwatches and jewelry as his main directions.

Gruosi’s style has always been quick and impulsive. In the beginning a rough sketch is obtained. Then it is subjected to criticism and refinement. Fawaz has always been bold in his choice of materials: his favorite black diamonds, which became a real trend through his efforts, were a real challenge to the established and tradition; watch bracelets made of stingray leather, new shades of gold. He uses innovative technologies in the processing of diamonds, which results in an exclusive quality.

Groosi’s design and style are a defiance of accepted standards of beauty, a challenge to common standards. Each de Grisogono collection is designed to captivate and seduce, to cause a flash of energy and emotion.

Major de Grisogono milestones

• 1993 Geneva. Together with her partners opens the first de Grisogono store.
• 1995 Fawaz Groosi becomes an independent entrepreneur and is the sole owner of the company.
• 1996 The world was presented with a collection that turns the world upside down. The concept of black diamonds revolutionised the world of jewellery.
• 1997 London. The new store was opened.
• 1999 A new collection of jewelry upholstered in black diamonds. Another department opened in Switzerland.
• 2000 Launch of the first Instrumento watch collection.
• 2006 Launch of de Grisogono’s own chocolate gold jewelry.
• 2012 Fawaz Gruosi sells a majority stake in de Grisogono to Isabel dos Santos, daughter of the president of Angola.
• 2016 De Grisogono acquires the 404-carat diamond 4 de Fevereiro. Together with Samsung, the Samsung Gear S2 smart watch is launched.
• 2017. A 163-carat Art of de Grisogono diamond cut from a 404-carat diamond was sold. The value was $34 million.
• 2019. Gruosi leaves the walls of his company under the influence of external and internal factors in the company.
• 2020 De Grisogono declared bankruptcy. The company was implicated in a financial crime investigation that resulted in a lack of financial resources to continue to exist.

The history of de Grisogono was incredibly bright and notable, for almost three decades the company influenced tastes and desires of connoisseurs of precious products, set trends, and directed fashion. With the closure of the Swiss brand a local, but still a real milestone in the world of jewelry came to an end.

1993 – 2020