The building housing the Ruys jewellery store.
Jean van der Haegen, the grandson of Raymond Ruys, who runs the jewellery business today.
Above and below, examples of the jewellery created by Ruys.
Antwerp museum displaying history of renowned Ruys jewellery firm
The Diamond Museum of the Province of Antwerp is running a special exhibition until September on well-known Belgian jewellery company Ruys.
June 02, 2010
The Diamond Museum of the Province of Antwerp is running a special exhibition until September on well-known Belgian jewellery company Ruys.
The firm was established 184 years, or five generations ago, by Jacques Ruys who opened a workshop in the family house in Sint-Jorispoort, and in the year of his wedding, in 1854, opened a store with his wife.
Their eldest son, Albert Ruys, took over the store in 1885, the year of his marriage to Joséphine Ramboux, daughter of another well-known Antwerp jewellery family. Together, they developed the business, and extended the store to both houses adjacent to the family house.
They rebuilt them in 1902, and the magnificent building, perfectly preserved, still stands. There also remain from this period the magnificent drawings of the romantic jewels of the Belle Epoque period [turn of the 19th-20th century] made by the store for the rich traders and industrialists of Antwerp at the time.
One such jewel was discovered in Canada and acquired last year by the Diamond Museum of the Province of Antwerp.
Meanwhile, Raymond Ruys, the son of Joséphine and Albert, took over the store in 1919. He was responsible for the creation of beautiful Art Deco style jewellery and silver items which spread the name of Ruys far and wide, both at home and abroad, for connoisseurs of such items.
Ruys became especially well known for its silver items and tableware for which Raymond Ruys was particularly renowned. The company was well known for the quality of the diamonds it used at that time, commonly referred to as "blue-white and flawless diamands”.
This led to a jewellery shop specialising in silver, gold and platinum jewellery set with diamonds and rubies, sapphires, emeralds, silverware, and watches.
Since 1956, his son Raymond's son Robert and, later, his grandson Jean, have continued the family tradition at the magnificent Antwerp store where beautiful pieces of jewellery continue to be made.
