The iconic bear made by TOUS, Spain’s top brand of affordable luxury jewelry and accessories, will form part of the permanent exhibition at the Barcelona Design Museum from today. Entitled From the World to the Museum. Product Design, Cultural Heritage, the show was curated by Pilar Vélez, the director of the institution, as a monograph itinerary for the design created or made in Catalonia over recent decades.

The prototype of the classic icon was donated to the museum by the jewelry brand in 2017 and has formed part of the institution’s collection of product designs since then. From now on, visitors will be able to judge the piece’s value for themselves as a symbol of contemporary design and its international commercial impact.

The pendant on display is made of 18-kt, is 19 millimeters high, 14 millimeters wide, 0.80 millimeters thick and cut by hand using a saw on a plain plate. It was hand crafted in the workshop in Calle del Borne in Manresa.

The well-known pendant in the shape of a bear was designed in 1985 by Rosa Oriol, who drew inspiration from a teddy bear and from the tender memories of childhood it evokes. The aim of the creator was to transform this idea into an affordable, versatile piece of jewelry able to arouse tenderness in all those who wear it. “More than 30 years later, the piece created by my mother has not only become the principal emblem of affordable jewelry but also an icon of universal design”, said Marta Tous, the brand’s Art Director, who attended the opening of the new exhibition.