I will begin this Design Archive blog with a jewellery story, the first and perhaps the one that sparked everything, as I said. Two words, one jewellery house: Glenn Spiro.
Before we speak of diamonds or design, let us ask ourselves something deeper. Why are we drawn to beauty? To light, to shimmer, to the quiet awe of art? Perhaps beauty is not vanity, but memory, the soul recalling something it once knew. A glimpse, a longing, a desire to savour... to live more vividly.
Materials of the Old World
Beneath the roof of this house, and under the love of two united hearts, lives the Materials of the Old World collection, also known as MOTOW. Perhaps, after all, we are drawn to the things that carry time within them, not polished into perfection but softened by it: a stone, a wrinkle, a dent, a scar. A jewel with bruises and breath. There’s something human in that, something eternal... like the wrinkles and scars of our own souls that hold time itself.
And MOTOW is just like this, not only a high jewellery collection, but something quieter, deeper, a remembering, or even a resurrection.
Where the story begins
It began over time. Glenn Spiro, once a diamond dealer and now a couturier, held a personal relationship with stones and materials most others overlooked: fragments of forgotten lands, ancient artefacts too delicate or wild for conventional design. We are talking about treasures that had crossed lands, like carnelian beads from Mesopotamian queens, gold discs from the Baoulé people, and turquoise kissed by the dust of ancient Egypt. In the older days, as Glenn recalls, a man would simply pick up a stone, turn it in his hand, weigh it in his palm, and trust his heart, or even his nose, to tell him if it was right. That instinctive bond between human and material, unclouded by markets or trends, is what Spiro has carried into his work.
Something new, something old
Perhaps a very important figure at the heart of this story and art collection is his own son, Joe Spiro, who joined the family business in 2017. It was he who brought something new, yet something old and mysterious, breathing a different air into the house. What I can say now, after reading, discovering, and seeing their work...
MOTOW would not exist without Joe. And it would not breathe without Glenn.
Joe unearthed the past, its stories, its textures, its power. Glenn gave it feeling, his years, his hands, his heart. One brought history back to life, the other gave it a soul. Together, they created something more than an art collection, they unearthed the soul of time, of earth. They’ve crafted a piece of art.
This is what true luxury is, the rare alchemy of tradition and transformation, where beauty is born from memory, and memory from devotion. In their bespoke creations, you do not just see gold or gems, you see a family’s soul, the echo of hands that built, and the promise that what is made with love will always live forever.
Time made tangible
Within MOTOW, time itself collapses. Here, fragments of forgotten empires are not merely displayed but reborn. Gold beads once etched by the Baoulé people of West Africa in the 17th century sit beside ancient Mesopotamian relics and Egyptian carnelian, their surfaces still whispering of temples, markets, and sunlit rituals. Each artefact carries the soul of its origin, worn by centuries but never diminished, they breathe eternity into the present.
These are the materials that once adorned queens, warriors, and priestesses. Yet in the hands of Glenn and Joe Spiro, they are given new breath. Paired with rich cognac diamonds, old-mine Colombian emeralds, or soft, milky rose-cut stones, these ancient elements are not overwhelmed but exalted.
The contrast is deliberate: the old world, mysterious and eternal, held in tension with the precision and fire of contemporary craftsmanship. What emerges is jewellery that doesn’t just decorate, it remembers.
Now, let me introduce to you, two beauties
The collection first saw the light in 2022, unveiled in only a handful of pieces… rare, singular, and impossible to replicate. They remain as they were, untouched in essence, yet since that moment, the collection has continued to blossom with each passing year.
The Baoulé Dream was the first, the very first piece I encountered from the MOTOW collection, unveiled at PAD London in October 2024. It stood there like a relic from another lifetime, not displayed but almost resting. A necklace that does not merely adorn but speaks softly, timelessly, in the language of worlds long past. At its centre lies a 24.36-carat cognac diamond, warm and radiant, like honey captured in sunlight. It rests within sculptural petals of ancient Baoulé gold — gold spun by hand centuries ago in a technique now nearly lost. But what surrounds it is just as haunting: a strand of antique turquoise, each bead unique, irregular, imperfect, and utterly alive. Look closer, and you’ll see that no two stones are the same. Some bear the memory of a desert wind, others the quiet crackle of age. Each has its own wrinkle, hue, and breath. It is as if a soul has been trapped in every piece, waiting to be worn once more.
And if I may, to make this story even more enchanting, this necklace offers three lives in one: strung on vivid turquoise beads for when your spirit seeks colour and strength, with G’s signature gold strands necklace for a sleeker silhouette, or worn as turquoise alone for days when you wish to leave the diamond behind, yet still carry the past close to your skin. How beautiful this is?
Just steps away, another presence drew me in, quieter but commanding. The Baoulé Necklace spoke not of dream but of grounding — solid, structured, elemental. A torque of deep, glowing gold, its surface like sunlight filtered through earth. At its centre, a vertical pendant descended in rhythm: antique Baoulé forms, rounded amber beads like droplets of sap, and diamonds that pulse with quiet light. I remember seeing this necklace on Ms. Spiro, Glenn’s wife, one day at PAD, and it was even more gorgeous because every woman adds her own charm to jewellery. Don’t you think?
From a storyteller’s side
I am not a gemmologist, nor do I pretend to be one. I am not here to classify stones or trace carat weights with technical authority, and I don’t plan to be either. I am just a storyteller. But what I do know is how true beauty moves us, how certain pieces live beyond their materials. I read, I listen, and in MOTOW, I’ve found something worth sharing: a collection that doesn’t just celebrate jewellery but elevates it. It’s bold, it’s profound, a step forward, yes, but one deeply rooted in history. In many ways, it recalls the monumental moments of jewellery design we’ve seen from the great houses.
Looking back into time
When I mention Cartier’s Egyptian collection, we think back to the 1920s, when Tutankhamun’s tomb was found and Egyptomania swept the world. Cartier captured that fascination — not in replicas, but in modern abstractions of scarabs, lotuses, and falcons, in faience blues, lapis, and turquoise, all refracted through the geometry of Art Deco.
And if I mention Bvlgari, we think of the Roman Collection, where the pulse of ancient Rome is alive in cabochon domes, bold architectural settings, and necklaces strung with genuine Roman coins — fragments of empire made wearable. In the 1960s and 70s, Bulgari fused heritage with audacity, reshaping high jewellery.
It wasn’t just design, it was legacy. A kind of modern mythology carved in gold and colour. That same spirit lives here, not in mimicry but in intent: a celebration of time, culture, and a contemporary continuation of what jewellery has always done at its best, remind us of who we are, and where we come from.
Closing the story of Spiros
MOTOW is more than an art collection of the earth. It is a pure invitation into its soul... into beauty, memory, and meaning. To feel. To remember. To cherish what endures. To ask: What is worth carrying forward? What is eternal?
And the greatest truth is this: some creations are not made for a moment, but made from time itself. Born of the earth, shaped by time, and destined to endure as long as we wonder, love, and remember. MOTOW is not just for our generation, it is a legacy for every generation to come.
And in the quiet gravity of this legacy, we see something else. This is not just the pinnacle of jewellery-making, it is poetry and art forged in gold, spirit captured in stone, time made tangible.
And to wear a Spiro creation is to perhaps remember something eternal within yourself... something that never truly forgot. As I said before, and will always say, Spiro’s creations don’t just sparkle. They spread love. They tell a love story.
With admiration and love,
Design Archive.
(If I'm not here writing, I'm in the office or on Instagram sharing design sparkles…)