Issue #9 with Francesca Grima
Brutalism, Baguettes & Big Diamonds.
Inside This Week's Full Set:
We meet Francesca Grima, the designer carrying forward one of the most iconic names in modern jewelry. From brutalist shapes to emotional design, Omega watches to 55-carat diamonds, this is a story about legacy, intuition, and the quiet power of restraint.
On Carrying a Name
To design under the name Grima is both a gift and a weight. Francesca Grima, daughter of Andrew Grima—one of the most celebrated names in 20th-century jewelry design—knows the tension well.
"Impostor syndrome still creeps in from time to time," she admits. "But this keeps me grounded and focused. I love creating designs that feel uniquely mine—yet they inevitably carry the essence of 'Grima'. It couldn’t be any other way."
Early on, she was determined to break away. "I was young, naive and headstrong. I wanted to make jewelry that looked nothing like his." But over time, she embraced the inheritance: the design language, the attitude, the irreverence. "If anyone has the right to be shaped by that legacy, it's me."
Today, she still works with the same master goldsmiths who once worked with her father—alongside her mother, Jojo. "There's something very special about that continuity."
Memory, Materials, Emotion
Where do Francesca’s designs come from? The answer isn’t linear. "My inspiration often comes from a place I can't quite pinpoint," she says. "Subconscious memories, things I’ve seen or felt."
Modernism, mid-century design, brutalism—these are the movements that speak to her. She photographs obsessively: vintage cars, textures, architecture. "Whatever catches my eye. I revisit those images later to see if there’s something there that might evolve into a piece."
And then there are the stones. "Sometimes they’re the protagonist. Sometimes the final punctuation. But they always play a role."
The Watches That Broke the Rules
In the 1970s, Andrew Grima designed an entire collection for Omega—despite having never designed a watch before. The result? Cult classics.
"I’ve always thought it was incredibly bold of Omega," Francesca says. "But that’s what made it so extraordinary. He had no rules about what a watch should look like. That freedom created something otherworldly."
She adds, "It was the most challenging, yet most rewarding chapter of his career. And while I admit I’m biased, I genuinely believe no collection since has been as revolutionary or as daring."
Diamonds and Defiance
When asked to name a piece from the archive that stops her in her tracks, Francesca tells the story of a 55-carat, D-colour, flawless diamond. Most designers would have showcased it in a traditional mount. Not her father.
"He set a line of baguette diamonds across the table, as if to mask a flaw. But the diamond was flawless." It was a tongue-in-cheek move, a rebellion against the idea that diamonds were superior to other stones.
"It encapsulates his irreverent humour and his refusal to play by the rules."
Closer to the Skin, Closer to the Soul
Does she see jewelry as collectible, like watches? Yes and no.
"Watches have a function. Jewelry doesn’t. It simply is. It lives closer to the skin, closer to the soul."
Where watch collecting often leans academic—reference numbers, engineering, provenance—jewelry is about feeling. "People don’t choose it because they need it. They choose it because it speaks to them."
A Dream in the Making
There’s one path Francesca hasn’t yet explored: fashion. "I’d love to collaborate with a fashion house that embraces minimalism and timeless design."
Unlike her one-of-a-kind pieces, such a collection would need to be reproducible. "That kind of constraint forces you to be intentional. There is power in restraint."
She won’t name the brand, but adds with a smile: "They know who they are."
The Grima Spirit
Who wears Grima? Francesca answers without hesitation. "Those with a sense of individuality. People who don’t follow trends and wouldn’t want to."
Grima jewelry isn’t seasonal. It’s not fast. It’s for those drawn to the thrill of discovery. "That one piece that speaks to you on a personal level—that’s the connection we look for."
Where to Find Francesca Grima
For those looking to follow Francesca’s latest finds and insights, check out:
📍 Website: grimajewellery.com
📷 Instagram: @francescagrima