He was inspired by a gift from his grandmother María de los Milagros . «When he passed away, he left me a pendant of those that were worn before, with a photo of him inside, and from there I got the idea of ​​transferring that concept to the present day, with a more modern design and making use of the technology with which we count today », explains the Cercedense Borja Regueiro .

This is how this graduate of the University School of Industrial Design (EUDI) of Ferrol founded in the year 2019 Reliqium , a firm specialized in a jewel that reinvents the traditional locket or locket with a minimalist design and a chip in which more than two hundred "memories" can be stored in the form of photos or videos . "Thanks to contacless technology, it is enough to bring the mobile closer to the necklace to have access to all those memories," explains Borja, who these days celebrates that his invention has been awarded one of the most prestigious international design awards.

And the thing is that Marble Collection -the collection of these digital reliquaries launched by Reliqium- has just been awarded a IF Design Awards in the product discipline and the category of jewelry . "Big firms like Apple, Google or HP receive it every year and now we are lucky to be among the big ones", says Borja.

The designer speaks in the plural, because, although the idea of ​​starting Reliqium was his, he is no longer alone in the project. In the design of the pendants, the support of Vasile Ganea and Alonso Bastos , his colleagues in Nacar, the studio for which Borja works in Barcelona, ​​was essential. And furthermore, three months ago, two old friends from the Ferrol campus joined Reliqium as partners: Camila Sánchez , also graduated in Industrial Design from EUDI, and Roi Sánchez , graduated in Industrial Engineering. "They live in A Coruña and I live in Barcelona, ​​but we get on well and each one is assigned a very specific task, so the distance is not a problem," he points out about his fellow travelers on the Reliqium adventure.

Borja, who already in his student stage stood out with Mywo -a brand of bow ties, watches and glasses made of wood-, appreciates the support he has always had from his parents. He also does not forget to mention his companions from Nacar. And he also has words of thanks for the teachers and the school where his dreams began to take shape. « The EUDI of Ferrol gave me a very solid base to undertake successfully . It is a center that has nothing to envy to other internationally renowned schools. And proof of this is that EUDI designers have a very good reputation in Barcelona », says Borja Regueiro.

IN SHORT

Work . After studying at EUDI, Borja went to Barcelona to work at Seat. He now has a job as a designer at the Nacar studio in the Catalan capital, and in parallel, in 2019, he founded the firm Reliqium. «I created the company and the product from scratch. From idea and concept to execution and commissioning. Perhaps this demonstrates all the skills that a student acquires during their training at EUDI ", explains the designer.

Prize . The IF Design Awards enjoy international prestige. Reliqium was chosen by a jury of 98 design experts. In the 2021 edition, 10,000 references from 52 countries competed in different categories.

Marble Collection . The Reliqium collection includes four types of pendants, all made with a stainless steel base: black, copper, silver, and 18-karat gold.