The know-how

Catalan weaving

Weaving is a Catalan know-how renowned throughout the world. In linen or cotton, the fabrics produced are used to make high-quality household linen or even for espadrilles and Vigatanes

In 1993 Henri and Françoise Quinta took over the historic factory Sans and Garcerie founded in 1897. The factory The Stars of the Sun à Saint-Laurent-de-Cerdans becomes one of the last in office. It is labeled as a LIVING HERITAGE COMPANY with points of sale and shops on all continents.

Warping workshop

Warping is an operation that consists of winding the threads to form the warp under the same tension, parallel to each other and in a certain order to give life to the design.

Weaving workshop

Weaving is the art of interlacing two series of threads to produce fabrics, these two series of threads being perpendicular.

Clothing workshop

The fabrics are cut and sold by the meter or made up to be offered in the form of tablecloths, napkins, placemats, table runners, aprons, cushion covers, curtains, bags, deckchairs...

Espadrilles and Vigatanes

The sneakers and vigatans are canvas shoes and hemp rope soles. The sneakers are closed while vigatans are open and held at the ankle with laces. The latter are used by sardana dancers.

ironwork

The iron of the Canigó is tamed by the fire of the Dragon! These ancestral gestures perpetuated from generation to generation since antiquity shape this black gold with a silver heart offered to men by the Canigó.

Every two years, in October, an ironwork meeting takes place at the symbolic place mine tile in Arles-sur-Tech. Blacksmiths from all over the world come to make a common sculpture and offer it to a village in the territory.

cutlery

Artistic cutlery is one of the essential skills of Catalonia. Catalan knives are distinguished by their typical shape with a sage leaf blade. Angled in the center, they end in a conical bolster. We sometimes find there, on the most ornate ones, the famous Catalan Garnet.

The Catalan Garnet

It is credited with many virtues, it would develop self-confidence, perseverance and protect evil and hidden dangers.

This know-how is characterized by three "secrets" of manufacture: the closed bezel*¹, garnet cut without cylinder head and paillon*². This technique consists in perfectly illuminating the stone in order to reveal its brilliance. The size of the garnets mounted by the jewelers of the department is the "Perpignan size" which is approved geographical indication (IG) and also called pink size. Its particularity is to present facets only on the top of the stone, the setting is made with 18 carat gold.

*¹Closed kitten: it is the frame, receptacle of the stone made entirely by hand and adapted to each stone, in the bottom of which is positioned a paillon.
*² Mat : it is a metallic sheet of red color which slips at the bottom of the bezel