HOLEMANS AND MANALYS MERGE TO SUBLIMATE BRUSSELS’ JEWELLERY ART

Written by Archives Partenaires | Published in So Soir - le lifestyle selon Le Soir in september 2024

Driven by a shared love of excellence, the Brussels jewellery houses Holemans and Manalys are extending their collaboration at the end of this summer, formalising an alliance that has existed since 2013.

Holemans, a famous Brussels jewellery house that has been in business since 1922, and Manalys, founded in 2009, share a passion for creativity and the creation of unique jewellery, designed and crafted in a constant quest for quality.

At the end of this summer, the jewellers are merging to create a single entity that highlights their shared heritage, under a single new banner, that of ‘Holemans Manalys’, both on the Place du Grand Sablon and on the Boulevard de Waterloo.

This precious heritage is embodied by Moïse Mann. Originally from Liège, he moved to Brussels in the late 1980s, where he honed his craft for 20 years at Holemans. In 2009, he took flight and founded Manalys, before taking over Holemans in 2013 to perpetuate its century-old tradition.

The same approach, the same name

‘The two houses already shared a similar philosophy,’ explains Moïse Mann. ‘Our jewellery is entirely handcrafted, unique and often made-to-measure to customer specifications. Everything, from the design to the setting of the stones and the working of the gold, is done in our open workshops located in the heart of our boutiques.

The first synergies, particularly in design and setting, began in 2013. Eleven years later, the merger was a natural progression. The two jewellers now share the same name, logo and visual identity.

Stones bought direct

The coloured stones, a speciality of Holemans Manalys, are carefully selected by Moïse Mann during his travels. Whether they are rubies, sapphires or emeralds for the precious stones, or tsavorites, tourmalines, spinels, tanzanites and amethysts and other fine stones, they all come directly from the mines he visits or are purchased during his travels, particularly in Sri Lanka.

‘I work directly with the miners, which enables me to guarantee top-quality stones at competitive prices, without intermediaries, an advantage that we pass on to our customers,’ he explains. ‘The diamonds, offered with the same high standards of quality, are supplied by my partner on the Antwerp stock exchange."

Creative freedom and specificity

However, despite being united under the same banner, the two jewellers retain their creative freedom and their specific characteristics, adapted to their respective customer bases: mainly Belgian for the Place du Grand Sablon, and more international for the Boulevard de Waterloo. ‘Each boutique offers slightly different jewellery collections.

The two stores also differ in terms of watchmaking: Holemans Manalys Grand Sablon distributes Baume & Mercier watches, while the Boulevard de Waterloo jeweller offers the Girard-Perregaux range.

https://sosoir.lesoir.be/622043/article/2024-09-25/holemans-et-manalys-fusionnent-pour-sublimer-lart-joaillier-bruxellois