Historic aerial view of the Perlas Orquídea factory

THE ORQUÍDEA STORY

THREE GENERATIONS. ONE SHARED PASSION.

Long before it became a piece of jewellery, the pearl already fascinated humankind.

Abrir las ventanas al mundo — fábrica Perlas Orquídea

17th century

THE ORIGIN OF THE PEARL

Since ancient times, its shine and natural lustre made it a symbol of beauty, distinction and power. Unlike other gems, it did not need to be cut or polished: nature made it perfect. Perhaps that is why, for centuries, owning genuine pearls was a privilege reserved for kings, nobles and the powerful.

Until, in the 17th century, something began to change.

In Paris, a perfumer discovered that the lustrous essence obtained from the scales of certain fish could be used to coat delicate glass pieces and give them the appearance and glow of a pearl. That discovery brought him fame among kings and nobles and opened the way to a craft that, over time, would cross borders.

At the end of the 19th century, that knowledge reached Mallorca. Small workshops began to appear on the island where, with patience, precision and expert hands, pearls were made by hand.

And this is where our story begins.

D. Juan María Forgas — Primera generación

First generation

FIRST GENERATION: THE VISION

Manacor, 1952.

My grandfather, D. Juan María Forgas, an industrialist from Barcelona and a man of entrepreneurial spirit, arrived in Mallorca and was captivated from the first moment.

Where others might see a small artisan workshop, he saw something more.

He saw a unique product. He saw knowledge accumulated over generations. And, above all, he saw an opportunity for the future.

He acquired one of those small workshops in Manacor and began to transform it. He preserved the artisans' know-how and the value of work done by hand, but brought in a new way of understanding the business: organisation, professionalism, ambition and a clear vocation to grow.

That is how the story of Perlas Orquídea began to be written.

D. Juan María Forgas — taller histórico Perlas Orquídea

Second generation

OPENING THE WINDOWS TO THE WORLD

Years later came the time to hand over the reins.

My father, D. Alejandro María Forgas, was barely twenty when he made a decision that would shape his life: to leave Barcelona behind and move to Mallorca to carry on the project his father had begun.

But he did not come simply to continue what already existed.

He came to make it grow.

He introduced modern management methods, drove the internationalisation of the brand and opened the first company-owned store. Little by little, those pearls born in a Mallorcan workshop began to travel far beyond the island.

New markets. New customers. New horizons.

Perlas Orquídea grew and, with it, so did its bond with Manacor and with the people who were part of the company. My father ended up becoming a figure closely linked to the economic and business development of the region.

The small family story was beginning to become a big one.

Third generation

A NEW PERSPECTIVE

And then it was my turn.

I am the third generation of a family that has spent more than seventy years looking at a pearl and seeing in it far more than a piece of jewellery.

The world has changed. Fashion has changed. So has the way we discover, choose and buy the things that move us.

That is why, in recent years, we have wanted Orquídea to look ahead once more.

We have introduced new designs and collections, combined the tradition of the pearl with the trends of contemporary jewellery and opened new stores and new paths to bring us closer to our customers.

And today we take another step. We are opening the doors of our new online store.

We are doing so with the enthusiasm and drive of a fourth generation that has just joined this story, bringing new ideas, new sensibilities and, above all, the desire to keep building on the legacy we have inherited.

With them we are renewing our image, our logo, our boxes. In short, the way we present ourselves to the world. A new image for a new chapter, but with the same essence as always.

A different door from the one my grandfather opened in 1952, but driven, deep down, by the same impulse: curiosity about what is to come, without ever forgetting where we come from.

Three generations later, many things have changed.

But one thing remains untouched: the fascination with that small object born to shine.

The pearl.