BLACKARAT was created out of defiance, escaping the trappings of established norms, conventionalities, and clichés. At BLACKARAT, there are no written rules when it comes to design. Our pieces have been created with soul, with the five senses… They are pieces with their own personality, they are unique and special, but with the highest quality used by the best Spanish artisan metalsmiths. We want to bring luxury to the street, to life, to the everyday… Just one of our pieces can be worn all day, any day, no matter what kind of life you lead or the moment you’re living… your piece of BLACKARAT jewellery will always be right there with you, just like your most faithful companion.

Our wild pieces are the fruit of the most revolutionary influences, with clear inspiration taken from the music and art of the ’80s and ’90s. Fashion has played an essential role, as have the cities where the first urban tribes emerged. Music groups, artists, and the events of these two decades is where our collection began, and we continue to create and be inspired by everything that happened and is happening in pop culture… After all, anything is possible in the BLACKARAT UNIVERSE! You’ve got a place here. This is our house, and our house is your house. Come on in, you won’t be left indifferent.

Blackarat’s history

As the heirs to a tradition that dates back to the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, Blackarat’s founding partners are the fifth generation of Marzo Joailliers; fine jewellery manufactures with boutiques in Europe’s most important cities.

The origins of the family saga are found in silverwork. As silversmiths, the Marzo family gained a reputation and recognition among the highest echelons of Spanish and French nobility, and came to produce the silver cutlery of Madrid’s Royal Palace, which is still used today for receptions and special occasions. It was Francisco Marzo (as confirmed by Spain’s Patrimonio Nacional in its section entitled “The silver and metal collection of the National Patrimony”) who was responsible for such an important assignment, marking one of the Marzo family’s first milestones in its artisanal work with precious metals.

Inside Francisco Marzo’s silversmith workshop toiled his nephew, Lorenzo Marzo, who would take the reins of the family business at the beginning of the 20th century. Without question, Lorenzo was a visionary for his time, making decisions that would mark the development of the family business for generations to come.

With the knowledge that he brought to his work in the silversmith shop in terms of artisanal precious metal work, he began producing fine jewellery using silver and gold, as well as the highest quality precious stones. With him, a unique style was born that was characterised by each piece’s artisanal work, the quality of materials used, and the creativity and daring nature of his art deco-inspired designs.

Lorenzo Marzo was a man with a vision, who saw the need to open the Marzo brand up to markets outside of Spain. With two boutiques in Madrid and San Sebastian, 1923 saw the opening of boutiques in Paris and Biarritz. He also enjoyed distribution in Cuba in the 1920’s, where he held private meetings with the most discerning clients of Latin and North America. He brought the brand to the international stage in the only way that he could in the early years of the 20th century. His designs were synonymous with quality and design, and were widely known among high society in Spain and France, as well as in other countries.

In 1930, Rafael Marzo (Lorenzo Marzo’s son, and the family’s third generation) would take over the family business while maintaining the exquisite quality of design and care for raw materials.

Rafael not only cared for and maintained the quality of designs, handcrafted work, and raw materials, but also the marketing strategy as seen in the follow example (a Christmas greeting from 1926).

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Blackarat foto antigua

Rafael Marzo’s unexpected death in Barcelona’s Ritz hotel in 1957, as well as the loss of his son and heir a few years later, cut short the brand’s evolution and growth during the second half of the 20th century.

Now, the fifth generation of the Marzo family is carrying on the BLACKARAT legacy that Francisco Marzo started more than 120 years ago in a small silversmith shop, and that Lorenzo and Rafael Marzo grew into one of the most prestigious jewellery brands of the era with boutiques in Paris, Madrid, San Sebastian, and Biarritz.

The Marzo Joailliers brand continues on into the 21st century with BLACKARAT, maintaining the same values that made the brand unique in its time: superior quality materials, artisanal work with the best metalsmiths and artisans of the age, bringing the brand to the international stage, satisfying the customer, and looking after every detail… Its essence will continue on in the same way that the Marzo brand’s founders imaged more than 120 years ago…

Begins to be part of the Blackarat universe

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