Did we really need for a new Luxury magazine? There are already many magazines about jewellery, art, design, fashion, food and wine, tourism, architecture… That’s very true. But there wasn’t one that “closed the circle”, that connected all these worlds transversally and according to a non-ephemeral logic and investigated them in depth, making each of their hues usable. This is how Huesers was created, an Italian-style magazine with an international flair, with an innovative concept, style and way of communicating: the key theme is jewellery, in all its forms - precious, fashion and designer jewellery - constantly interacting with every area of luxury. A publishing project by Prodes Italia - a company that has been active for years in the areas of jewellery, wine and design by organising high-profile events - the magazine is created by an independent editorial team of experts from various industries directed by Domenico Festa, and will be issued quarterly. In addition, it will often feature inserts with a focus on special issues, without ever pretending to be exhaustive but, on the contrary, with the aim of arousing curiosity, putting little-explored productive niches in the spotlight and investigating the very concept of excellence. According to the Huesers team, this will be the real key to getting out of all crisis.
01 | Dec21
EDITORIAL OFFICE
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Domenico Festa
domenico.festa@huesersmagazine.com
ART DIRECTOR
Fabrizio Majerna
CONTRIBUTORS
Rosa Chiesa, Angelica Coluccini, Dalila Daffara, Sandra De Feudis, Simonetta De Pasca, Aurora Dolce, Michela Falcone, Riccardo Ferrato, Anna Franceschini, Vito Francone, Didier Frevert, Simona Infantolino, Nicolino Martino, Samantha Primati, Simona Romano, Marco Serravalle, Giovanni Tritto, Claudia Valente, Donatella Zappieri.
EDITORIAL CONTACT
editorialstaff@huesersmagazine.com
HUESERS IS PUBLISHED BY
PRODES ITALIA SRL
Via Sansovino, 6 - 20133 Milano - Italy +39 02.36580208
info@huesersmagazine.com
ADVERTISING adv@huesersmagazine.com
Italy
Barbara Pedone barbara@prodesitalia.com - +39 3286345142
Other Countries
Eleonora Varotto
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PRINTED IN DECEMBER 2021
All rights reserved. Total or partial reproduction of this work, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical or otherwise, is strictly prohibithed without prior permission of the author.
Right from the beginning of her career, Elsa Schiaparelli claimed that «designing is one of the most difficult and frustrating arts, because as soon as the dress is born, it already belongs to the past». It is precisely because of this reflection that we are able to enter in full in the universe which Daniel Roseberry, the creative director of the maison, has been able to recreate for the historic brand, by making Elsa’s greatest legacy his own: awareness that imagination is the fundamental ingredient in the most complicated moments, and that it is only by dreaming that we can develop a new concept of fashion and accessory. The Spring/ Summer 2022 collection shown in Paris last October is the most sublime synthesis of this idea, “a surrealist holiday”: the collection is entitled “Psycho Chic” and is an interpretation of a woman fascinated by the dawn of the technological era, by advances in textiles and engineering, by the avant-garde in film and art. In Roseberry’s vision, the designer was a patron of the arts and an artist herself, but also a kind of scientist who experimented with innovation and celebrated progress of all kinds: creative, social and cultural.
Elsa Schiaparelli, with her eccentric and extravagant style, was one of the two leading actors of fashion in the 1930s along with Coco Chanel. Cecil Beaton calls them “Two women sandwiched between two world wars, between Poiret’s harem and Dior’s New Look,” who dominated the field of Haute Couture. In fact, it was Paul Poiret who introduced Schiaparelli to the world of couture. Poiret gave her an evening dress and lent her some models because her beauty, far from the classic aesthetic canons of the time, fully represented his imagination of the feminine. This experience opened the door to the world of couture for Elsa. Even at an early age, her mother never missed a chance to remind her how ugly she was, so Elsa thought of a way to become more beautiful: turning her face into a flower garden. She got seeds from the gardeners, planted them in her throat, in her ears, in her mouth, expecting them to blossom thanks to the warmth of her body... she sat and waited to see the blossoming but nearly choked! Elsa Schiaparelli became Salvador Dali’s muse: together with him she created legendary items such as the lobster print dress, the skeleton dress and above all the Roy Soleil perfume bottle. Her surrealist and artistic spirit led her to imagine a rhodoid necklace encrusted with insects and a handbag with luminous decorations fed by a battery hidden inside. Her research into the development of new materials led her to develop a revolutionary fabric, called rhodophane, as transparent and fragile as glass, not to mention the profusion of pink, the colour par excellence of the fashion house, which boasts its own shade, shocking, intense and provocative: the Schiaparelli shocking pink. Over the years, Elsa surrounded herself with the best talents - Jean Schlumberger, Jean Clément and Lina Baretti for jewellery, Jean-Michel Frank for decoration and design of perfume bottles, André Pérugia and Roger Vivier for shoes, François Lesage for embroidery, and Marcel Vertès and Raymond Peynet for communication. On 13 August 1934, Time magazine dedicated a cover to her, describing her in these words: “Madder and more original than most of her contemporaries, Mme Schiaparelli is the one to whom the word ‘genius’ is applied most often”. In 1954, she decided to close her haute couture atelier and devote the rest of her life to writing. She published her memoirs, Shocking life, in which, as
“Designing dresses and jewels, by the way, is not a profession, it’s an art”.
well as recounting anecdotes and adventures, she wrote down the 12 commandments for women. One among them: “Ninety per cent [of women] are afraid of being conspicuous and of what people will say. So they buy a grey suit. They should dare to be different”. Her archives and rights were acquired in 2006 by the Tod’s group. In 2012, her atelier was reopened at the Hotel de Fontpertuis, 21 place Vendôme, right where Elsa had left it. On 10 May 2012, the exhibition Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations opened at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, marking the brand’s rebirth and bringing back to the forefront the objects that made Elsa a style icon. In 2014, the first haute couture show and the appointment of stylist Daniel Roseberry as creative director in 2019 brought the brand back to the splendour of its past, creating a new way of interpreting fashion and using accessories, increasingly as a sublimation of art and a way of listening to a dreamlike universe, sometimes bizarre but always extremely elegant and in step with the times. Roseberry’s mastery focuses on the body and on bijoux. «I wanted to honor the potential and power of the art form by returning to the fashion I loved in my youth. Blind nostalgia isn’t healthy: we can’t romanticize the past, especially when, for so many groups of people, the past wasn’t romantic at all. But the gift of fashion is its ability to allow us to pretend, and that is its promise as well; if we dream hard enough, maybe we can will that beautiful past into existence». In his creations, Roseberry focuses on the body and bijoux, a key element of the fashion house’s visual vocabulary. Here, power and softness, machine and man, metal and fabric carry on a dialogue. In the Autumn/Winter 2021 show, a delicate pair of human lungs, seemingly made from a network of capillaries dipped in gold, lights up an austere black crepe dress and makes it breathe differently. While for this collection the bijoux become hand-patinated gold embroidery inspired by Giacometti, the new Spring/ Summer 2022 collection plays on the dualism of the representation of Elsa in the city, where
the codes of the maison meet the twists of the classic language of French prêt- à-porter of the ‘70s, and the transposition of Elsa on holiday, with clothes designed, not for a physical destination but for a state of mind. A collection where the imagination can wander without boundaries, in a constant state of being and mind, in a David Lynch surreal landscape. From the observation of these clothes and bijoux there emerges a figure of an extremely modern woman, sartorial but relaxed, private but also a performer. Roseberry fully interprets this duality that has made Elsa Schiaparelli a myth, and makes the woman who wears these masterpieces obstinate in her search for her aesthetic, and for this very reason, inimitable. Once again a strong projection towards dreaming, with the desire to imagine a better world, grasping each piece of beauty with both hands, translating and embodying these dreams in clothes and bijoux that open a new frontier of wearability and dialogue between body and object.
Born in Medellín, Colombia, Nicolas Estrada became aware of his artistic vein after studying Marketing and International Business at the Babson College in Massachusetts, achieving a master’s degree in marketing in Barcelona and after spending several years in business. It was in Barcelona, at the Massana and Llotja schools of art and design, that Nicolas made his first contact with the world of jewellery, and realised that this world offered him endless and inimitable possibilities of expression. Since then he has never ceased to explore his own possibilities and, driven by his passion and inexhaustible curiosity, has delved into various artistic territories: he studied gemmology, setting and engraving, specialised in Gemstone and Jewellery Design at the German University of Trier, mastered the traditional techniques of Berber jewellery in Kabylia and the filigree typical of the Colombian town of Santa Cruz de Mompox. He has attended countless courses all over the world to learn the most diverse techniques, and he has held countless workshops and lectures on jewellery in universities and art centres in Europe and the United States. Curiosity and attention to everything that surrounds him is a constant feature of all his work: «I am always well aware of my surroundings and my reality; sometimes this is even painful, since reality is far from ideal. Yet curiosity and exploration are fundamental in my work: I am always looking for the perfect way to connect materials, for the best way to express my feelings in my work, attending courses with masters and always being open up to cultures and techniques I don’t know about. The craft world is immense, and I am always observing, researching, learning… making lots of mistakes as well!». Nicolas Estrada’s pieces, visible on @nicolasestradajeweler, though inspired by the reality and humanity around him, never pose ultimatums or try to teach; they represent the pure and clear gaze of an artist who seeks to provide new perspectives. For Nicolas, each piece of jewellery is imbued with immense power and value, and his meaningful artistic reflections are conveyed in
The concept behind my jewellery is my life itself, since jewellery is my life’s complement. It allows me to define myself, to say who I am.
an intimate dialogue between the maker, the wearer and the observer’s gaze.
«The concept behind my jewellery is my life itself, since jewellery is my life’s complement. It allows me to define myself, to say who I am; to show my feelings, my skills. It allows me to create. Before starting to make a piece of jewellery I think a lot, really a lot. I am very bad at drawing and sketching, so I keep thinking about the piece all the time: I imagine it, I solve every possible problem in my head. I take my time. Then, when I finally decide to go to the bench, time flies: I can sit there the whole day, or even a few days, until the piece is finished».
Nicolas Estrada’s work is a hymn to irreverence and reflection, and it is immersed in the aura of a discipline practised with judgment and deep thought. He uses all kinds of materials, especially natural ones like wood, fibres, seeds, found objects, while for more commercial jewellery he tends to use yellow gold, silver and stones - colourful and big. Guns and skulls are recurrent symbols in his jewellery, a reminder of the violence associated with the drug business which plagued Colombia in the 1980s, especially in Medellín: «I grew up in a city
breathing out violence: violence was all around me, with bomb explosions, kidnapped friends, people killed… Now that this reality is more distant, I have found a way - disseminating my jewellery with weapons - to exorcise violence and pacify those daemons I have been close to for so long. With skulls, it is different: they remind me of my childhood full of books and comics where the skull played a main roll. On the one hand, Salgari’s stories with pirates, corsairs and buccaneers, sailing the Caribbean with the skull waving on their ships’ flags. On the other hand, The Phantom, this hero created by Lee Falk, with his ring marking the skull in every villain’s chin. There is also a religious echo from Catholicism that preaches: ‘You are dust and to dust you shall return’. And the Mexican skulls, connected to the cult of the dead, when you transcend to another reality. So in a way skulls, my skulls, are the memory of a childhood full of brave characters».
Nicolas’ jewellery is meant for people who dare to wear something different, extravagant and more innovative pieces. «I feel very attracted to interesting people who dare to adorn themselves in an unconventional way. Right now I am interested in topics like motorcycles and the sea and I am very interested in developing a much more masculine language that is both aggressive, interesting and wearable».
Nicolas’ publishing activity deserves a chapter of its own: five books in ten years, appreciated by experts and simple enthusiasts, dedicated respectively to earrings, brooches, necklaces, rings and bracelets: each volume contains hundreds of images of creations made by about 200 artists, and is enriched by important contributions from experts. «Right now I am enjoying the good reviews from the latest book on bracelets, its publication was delayed for almost a year because of the pandemic». And it was during the pandemic that the special project “99 Days” - which is how long quarantine lasted in Barcelona - was born. «This is a set of 99 rings that I finished last August, one for each day of confinement, each ring expressing my feelings during this unique experience and made under very special conditions: carving wood, improvising because my favourite tools were in the studio, not at home; painting according to emotions, forging the metal with a hammer, lots of rivets and repairs in the wood cracks. Some rings have words engraved, that act like a cry for help. Many of the cracks happened while taking the wood to its extreme, like this pandemic did in most of us. But I love even these cracks».
Creations so peculiar demand special attention even when selling them:
«I perceive the online world as cold and massive - Nicolas concludes - and I am still trying to figure out how to get into it. At the moment I prefer to take my time, meet the client and explain my work, understand his needs and make a great sale leaving us both completely satisfied».
«We are used to thinking of art as something to be admired from afar, filtered by the barriers of distance, of critique, of a certain inaccessibility... Instead, in my opinion, art should not arouse any reverential fear, on the contrary it should “go among the people”, bring emotions into the places of our everyday life...”. Inspired by her great passion for contemporary art, in 2018 Barbara Lo Bianco opened BABS, an art gallery specialising in artist’s jewellery, in the very centre of Milan: a field in which Italy’s history boasts sacred monsters such as Pietro Consagra, Lucio Fontana, Giò and Arnaldo Pomodoro, Giorgio de Chirico and Enrico Baj, just to mention a few illustrious names, but which has been somewhat left aside since the mid-1990s. Having left her previous working lives behind her (she was first a lawyer, then a teacher and finally went into business), Barbara has thrown herself headlong into this new enterprise, making it a unique case in Italy. In fact, BABS mainly offers unique pieces or very limited series, made specifically for the gallery by contemporary artists, who are asked to translate their usual artistic language and the essence of their works - whether sculptures, paintings or photographs - into a piece of jewellery: a small work of art to be worn and exhibited, to be touched and made to touch. This is a great challenge for the artists, who are called upon to export their art to the world of jewellery, which is almost always unknown to them, and a great emotion for customers: because an artist’s jewel is a small masterpiece, perhaps created by an artist that
Art should not arouse any reverential fear, on the contrary it should “go among the people”, bring emotions into the places of our everyday life...”GIANCARLO MONTEBELLO
GIANCARLOMONTEBELLO BARBARA LO BIANCO
we already know and love, and wearing it all day long conveys the same feelings that moved us so much in the “canonical” works by that same artist. «Certainly compared to classic jewellery, however well-made it may be, artists’ jewellery has an extra magic, it expresses something that goes beyond the beautiful shapes, the technique, the cost or the preciousness of the materials - explains Barbara - Those who buy an artist’s jewel do so for a question of cultural and spiritual affinity, I would even say of personality, because it is a piece of jewellery that should be worn with an awareness of what it is you are wearing, and why. Works of art interact with the wall or the space where they are exhibited: artists’ jewellery interacts with the body of the person wearing it, with her personality, attracting attention and arousing curiosity. And the person wearing it must also be ready to explain that object and, implicitly, why she is wearing it, in a certain sense “revealing” herself». Barbara selects the artists around the world, at fairs, exhibitions, art galleries - some of them propose themselves. «I start ‘courting’ the artist, and this is where their personality comes into play, the feeling that is created, the affinities between their artistic language and the jewellery. For example, with Jessica Carroll, the artist with whom we inaugurated the project, it was quite easy, whereas it took me two years to convince Alex Pinna, but I wouldn’t have given up for anything in the world! Then comes the creative phase, the real collaboration, with meeting after meeting, sketches, waxes, prototypes, miniatures, and then the meetings with the goldsmiths and craftsmen who will make the pieces... I love this phase, which lasts an average of six months to a year, because every time it is like witnessing a new beginning, the start of something new and unique that comes from nothing, and this process gives me immense joy and energy». BABS then works with the artists to create an exhibition design that presents their work in its various facets, displaying the jewellery - all destined to become part of the gallery’s permanent collection - together with other works or draft drawings, to contextualise the journey they have made together.
In these few years, the magic of BABS has captured important names on the contemporary art scene: Jessica Carroll, Antonio Paradiso, Alex Pinna, Orna Ben-Ami, Chiara Dynys, Ugo Nespolo, Riccardo Gusmaroli, Emilio Isgrò, Alfredo Rapetti Mogol, Elizabeth Aro... No preclusion with respect to their backgrounds or artistic choices («In the catalogue I also have pieces that I personally don’t like very much!» Barbara smiles) or materials, as long as they are consistent with the artist’s market value, and there are many projects: participation in Rome’s Arte in Nuvola in November, an exhibition dedicated to Alberto Zorzi’s sculptures and jewellery in December and one in January focusing on Davide Bramante, and the project for a tribute to Giancarlo Montebello. «Basically, the whole BABS project stems from my love of artist’s jewellery. I received my first one as a gift from my mother when I was twenty years old and since then I have never stopped collecting historical pieces. The gallery also has a space dedicated to many masterpieces signed by great Italian and foreign artists: and I hope that the artist’s jewellery exhibited by BABS will also be sought after by the collectors of tomorrow!»
The individual components of watches find new life thanks to IngranArt, the jewellery brand founded by Simona Della Bella in 2014. The Milanese designer transforms gears, dials and hands into necklaces, earrings, rings and bracelets or, as she would define them, into “wearable art”. «In the gears of old watches I can read untold stories; I imagined times of wealth and moments of unexpected joy, but also abandonment and solitude. I thought of seconds that seemed to last forever, or hours that seemed to flow at surreal, dreamlike speeds. Piece by piece, I slowly awakened all these stories, which were dormant in
ingranart.com
dusty, unused gears. It was almost magical to be able to redeem this lost time». IngranArt was created out of Simona’s passion for sculpture which led her to show her panels/sculptures at an exhibition. There, the designer wore her first piece of jewellery made from watch gears. The journey of IngranArt started after the huge success of that piece. All the brand’s creations are showy and voluminous, designed for customers with a strong personality. The designer sees every single element as an endless source of energy and dynamism ready to be released through the art of jewellery making.
by Samantha Primati
The new canons of elegance are here and now. Not the one shouted out by the business suit, so highly revalued in recent years. A man in a good tailor-made suit always stands out, but times have changed. There is no longer any need for antidotes to casual clothing. Reality calls for inevitable reflection, ranging from ecology to the strengthening of interpersonal and family ties. Simplicity and substance. The cornerstones of modernism are returning and moving into the field of dress, through eternal, iconic codes, renewed through a language that includes the present, because man is constantly evolving. One example is Miuccia Prada, who has constantly been inspired by this movement and has become a benchmark.
Virgil Abloh, who, with his constant references to Mies Van Der Rohe, has brought to the surface in his creations the study of lines and the ability of the modernist style to refract itself in local cultures. And then there is Lawrence Steel, Aspesi’s new creative director, who designed a collection steeped in authenticity and modernist codes.
The wardrobe is thus composed of garments with multiple uses, designed to be transversal and interchangeable. Jackets, trench coats and shirts are stripped of frills and set in a
dialectic of forms in which air fills the voids around the human figure to create a simple, yet inevitably personal aesthetic. The same garment worn by different people of different generations changes, remaining deeply tied to itself and its message of pure simplicity. An apparent simplicity that includes values of durability and quality: the clothes are handed down from person to person, they are useful pieces for every occasion of use, can be worn by multiple individuals. Once born they can live for a long time. The entire wardrobe becomes unique through the choice that each person makes according to his or her own culture, strengthened by a pragmatism that hints at a very deep sense of intimacy. Giving life to a discreetly impeccable neo-minimalism. Which does not mean a fashion of negation or deprivation: the dress, the accessory, the look in its entirety are not defined by what is not there, but by the exactness of what is there and the richness of the sensation generated by it. All the rest is unnecessary.
A new fashion is born whose codes are exactness, authenticity and the richness of the experience it generates. Because man is constantly evolving.
Total look by Aspesi, the collection was designed by Lawrence Steele
GIVENCHY LEATHER TRAINERS
ACETATE GLASSES BY PRADA
Velvet microbags, chandelier earrings and metres of brocade. Fairytale and childlike dimensions combine with sophisticated details that evoke post-Victorian extremism.
Metallic
and vibrant colours that celebrate positivity. Hyper-feminine dresses alternate with silhouettes soft ones. The approach is projected towards a future of renewal.CAROLINA HERRERA PROENZA SCHOULER PRABAL GURUNG RODARTE MOSCHINO
by Samantha Primati
Maxi chains, colourful jewellery, dresses and accessories revive iconic canons from a glorious past. Fashion comes back with glorious audacity.
Workwear in the spotlight, reworked in a super glamorous version, accessories in view but no logo, fringes and vibes that take you straight back to the 2000s.CAROLINA HERRERA DOLCE&GABBANA SALVATORE FERRAGAMO
Graduated from the GIA - Gemological Institute of America in London in Graduate Gemologist and Graduate Pearls, Giulia Rastello sees creativity as the ultimate expression of a person’s inner complexity and lightness at the same time. So in 2017 she founded her own jewellery brand - Jeanne Laumier - where design meets coloured stones, diamonds and pearls. «For me, creating is not just a matter of inspiration but, above all, of sensations or feelings that arise within my being. When I create something I always think of the person who will have to receive that piece of jewellery, trying to empathise with them to understand their desires and needs». The jewellery designed by Giulia are able to meet all tastes and requests, thanks also to the use of various materials - including gold, platinum and titanium - and the most diverse processing techniques, from the oldest to the most innovative. «My jewellery is for customers who look for unique, personalised products. Each piece is unique, so I cannot speak of collections but rather creations that represent my customer as well as myself». Started with word of mouth among friends and acquaintances, Jeanne Laumier jewellery can now be found in Monte Carlo and in New York, as well as online on a London platform.
jeannelaumier.com
Renaissance Précieuse necklace by Claude L. Creations in steel, brass, resin and gold with concrete and gold pendant with cultured pearl. Clothes by Alberto Zambelli.
by Domenico Festa
Photos Riccardo Ferrato
A new avant-garde vision breaks the rules and goes beyond the boundaries of the visible to explore a different reality, bringing us back to modern, fluid, vibrant and elusive aesthetics.
Dreaming Queer brooch by Linda Giacalone in resin, silver and golden bronze. Clothes by Alberto Zambelli.
Bronze ring by Laura Volpi with citrine and amethyst. Clothes by Alberto Zambelli.
Gold plated silver bracelet from the Onda collection by Gioielli dalla Terra. Clothes by Alberto Zambelli. Shoes by Bruno Bordese.
Struttura II ring by Pietragrezza in gold plated bronze. Clothes by Alberto Zambelli.
Bronze rings by Autofocus Gioielli by Monica Ercolani. Clothes by Alberto Zambelli.
Necklaces by Claudio Canzian in gold plated brass. Clothes by Bartolotta & Martorana.
Brass and sterling silver Poetry Slam bangle with Herkimer diamonds. Clothes by Bartolotta & Martorana.
A cactus, a mouth, a lawn, iconic objects that are now familiar and part of the collective imagination, were the expression of an immense countercultural movement and a rejuvenated society which, in the 1960s, redesigned everyday life to combat bourgeois respectability, with brightly coloured miniskirts, synthetic materials, new gestures and communal living, clear signs that the fight against the “old” had begun.
Founded in 1966 in Turin, Gufram, an innovative company in its aesthetic research, technological experimentation and contamination between art and industry, stood out right from the start with the creation of “domestic sculptures”, unique pieces made of polyurethane foam (which need no internal structure) inspired by American Pop Art and socalled “Poor Art” (Arte Povera), which soon met with great success with the public and the specialist press. The artificialised nature evoked by the artist Piero Gilardi’s I Sassi (1967), by the Pratone sofa (1971) and the Cactus coat stand (1972), together with the vivid colour and the use of off-scale dimensions, all helped to bring the design practice closer to the world of art. Indeed, after the presentation at the Salone del Mobile furniture show in Milan in 1968, the objects were brought together in a single collection, then produced in a limited series, called I Multipli (“The Multiples”), another unequivocal reference to a customary method in vogue in the Sixties and Seventies, the reproduction of a work in multiple copies.
The avant-garde Turin design studio signed the eleven pieces in polyurethane foam of the revolutionary I Multipli series, consisting, at different times, of Bocca, Capitello, Pratone, Torneraj, Sassi, Massolo, Attica, Puffi, Cactus, Baby-lonia and Pavé Piuma, which subsequently entered the design collections of the most prestigious international museums.
Ironic objects that often played on the surprise effect: for example, I Sassi or Pavé Piuma by Gilardi are soft, despite their granite-like appearance. Pratone, by the group of architects Ceretti-Derossi-Rosso, a sofa made up of forty-two ‘blades of grass’, lets the user change its shape in the most relaxed way. Again Capitello (1971) opens up to surreal scenarios, as in a theatre
made of symbols, history, fragments, anticipating the post-modern poetics that followed shortly afterwards, and masterfully interpreting the cultural and lifestyle changes taking place in those years. The meeting between art and design, now such a widespread trend that it has earned itself a name of its ownart design or design art - has been a constant for Gufram which, as a forerunner of this method, maintains the same attitude today in the projects and contemporary directions of its entrepreneurial course, as evidenced by the re-edition of MAgriTTa, the armchair sculpture designed in 1970 by the multifaceted Sebastián Matta. Relaunched in 2012 by entrepreneur Sandra Vezza, Gufram, which celebrated its first fifty years in 2016, is now under the artistic direction of Charley Vezza who, as he tells us, interprets the company’s heritage by reproposing historical icons, made more functional, such as Pratone (now out again in smaller size and with a fabric cover in three different shades of green), and by encouraging special collaborations with other sectors, from fashion to automotive: «For Gufram, a company that is currently experiencing a new course, after the wellknown one of the counterculture years, the heritage passes through the products. For us, interpreting tradition means providing continuity to a way of conceiving projects, imagining new products that have the same capacity to arouse emotions as the famous icons, the Cactus, I Sassi, the Bocca». Gufram is not only targeting an increasingly transversal public, no longer limited to collectors, amateurs and the curious; it is expanding its projects with important artistic collaborations: «Our collaboration with Toiletpaper is first and foremost a friendship - he continues - and it stems from a photo of the Gufram Cactus, part of one of the world’s largest collections of radical design, interpreted by Maurizio and Pierpaolo in a provocative way. Toiletpaper has a radical, pop, but up-to-date approach, and together with them we have gone the other way around: we started from images and went on to create ironic, irreverent objects».
A historical protagonist of the avant-garde in research on aesthetics, technology and materials, Gufram is back to day with its products and projects - playful, subversive, demystifying, but especially with a pop soul.
The outcome is a capsule collection signed by the two creatives, artist Maurizio Cattelan and photographer Pierpaolo Ferrari, who create, working together with Gufram, accessories such as The End, a faux-marble stone-sculpture handcut from a block of polyurethane, Soap, a soft coffee table and God, a contemporary reinterpretation of the iconic Cactus.
Collaborations include one with Moschino, a brand with a similar unconventionality, part of a wider multidisciplinary dialogue with the fashion world, which also involves the field of communication: «Fashion teaches us how to communicate - Charley continues - fashion is costume, it is the construction of a world, of an imagination. We have a product and, as if it were a character, we build narratives around it».
The company’s new direction, studded with spin-offs such as Disco Gufram, a contemporary reinterpretation of the historical theme of disco furniture, in vogue in the Sixties, is an opportunity to meet new professionals such as Atelier Biagetti (Alberto Biagetti and Laura Baldassari), Rotganzen (Robin Stam and Joeri Horstink) and GGSV (Gaëlle Gabillet and Stéphane Villard), all of whom share a contemporary pop attitude.
In this journey, which interprets and keeps history alive by renewing it every day, Charley Vezza is the director while the role of designer is played by the company: «I am not a designer - Gufram is. We are often called upon by others to offer our view of things, even beyond furniture, as happened with Lavazza and Samsung», further partnerships that confirm the company’s non-conformist vocation, open to contaminations between languages and aesthetics of the contemporary world.
Saliscendi - 1957 Achille e Pier Giacomo Castiglioni
by Rosa Chiesa
A product-designer and artist-illustrator, Elena Salmistraro represents the harmonious blend of art and design, going beyond functionalism to leave room for a poetic world, populated with items of affection, “fetishes” such as Primates: «For the first time, this design let me express my language with courage. This design is completely free from any market logic, yet it turned out to be a best seller. It is a bold design, which even today manages to transmit the same energy and strength to me as it did when I designed it».
Elena’s output is multi-faceted, ranging from furnishings and accessories to interior design and objets d’art, while maintaining an original and recognisable narrative style. Her designs for Vitra, Cappellini, Moooi, Bosa and De Castelli (to name only a few), while belonging to various specific typologies, are linked together by a fil rouge: «What my designs share is the vision, a story and the attempt to represent what is contemporary. Today, an object has to tell a story, has to raise emotions, but it must also propose new methods of production, answer to something that is missing, and become a symbol of its contemporary context».
Attention first of all to the communicative function of the object, and not just to its functionality tout court, is what guides the designer’s imagination, a sensitive interpreter too of other aspects of contemporary design: «What is crucial is a conscious return to the local, knowledge and revaluation of the local supply chain. Sustainability is not limited to the mere use of certified and guaranteed materials, but goes beyond this, looking at the entire production process, from production to disposal and recovery.»
Elena’s designs are evocative even in their names, from the metal cabinet Polifemo to the dainty rattan armchair Lisetta, not to mention a collection of carpets - they constantly express the quest for an expressive language which reveals a strong artistic root: «Though I first graduated in Fashion Design and later in Product Design, I have always loved to draw, and over the years I have tried to cultivate this passion of mine». This can be seen in her surprising illustrations, visions free from any constraint or superstructure, by the designer who calls herself “an outsider of illustration”: «Over the years, I have developed a style of my own, a grammar; I play with geometric and angular aspects, and with others which are more harmonious and natural, telling my feelings, my fears and joys».
Founded in Cardinale, Calabria, as a startup in 2014, Officina Orafa is now an innovative SME in the Smart Manufacturing industry. Founded by Paola Cunsolo, Nicola Macrì, Stella Posca, Francesco Rotiroti and Simona Staglianò, the company deals with assisted design, rapid prototyping and jewellery making using cutting-edge technologies to create different types of jewellery: from rings for special occasions to contemporary designs. «We have chosen to operate in a small town near Catanzaro, in the Serre national park, to help counter the depopulation of Calabrian villages. The project aims to enhance the culture and traditions of the Calabria region, translating the visions and emotions evoked by its atmospheres with a modern twist». In addition to the traditional direct sales system, Officina Orafa offers customers the support of a designer to help them design and create jewellery. For jewellers, they have thought of exclusive services that make it possible to customise individual pieces of jewellery or entire collections by choosing the style, materials, stones, packaging and branding. The rings of the Cocktail collection certainly hold an important place among the brand’s latest products. The range includes seven rings in white, yellow or pink gold with multicolour precious stones, which are combined to make up a single band. «This collection stems from a desire to break down and reassemble individual elements to form ever-changing creations».
officina-orafa.com
A pop dream for jewellery with a strong character. To be admired and flaunted, for women with a desire to assert their femininity without misunderstandings.
Photos: Didier Frevert Styling: Simonetta De Pasca
Groumette bracelet by Massimo Raiteri in rose gold with diamonds.
Pouch by Themoirè in vegan nappa leather. Gloves by Sermoneta.
Un jardin sur la lagune eau de toilette by Hermès.
Goldmask necklace by IngranArt by Simona Della Bella in silver and zamak with dial, hands and gear from vintage watches. Jacket: Pasquale De Lise
Silver necklace and ring from the Aria collection by Laura Volpi.
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Dress: Pasquale De Lise
The texture of time is dynamic and elusive. The search for an ancient warmth and new balances takes shape through an unprecedented, sophisticated and eccentric romantic style.
Photos: Sandra De Feudis | Styling: Claudia Valente
Set Assistants: Giovanni Tritto and Aurora Dolce | Hair: Simona Romano Artwork and Mua: Vito Francone | Models: Duda Iankoski and Gabri
Approach ring in silver and paper.
Fragments of Thought necklace in silver, steel and paper. All from the Encounters collection by Iraia Aizcorbe. | Jumpsuit and Gloves: Francesco Murano
Roxy sterling silver necklace by Anna Maria Pitt with 9 kt gold details. | Jacket: Pasquale De Lise
0.3 silver ring and Geometric Study #1 silver ring by Shelley Smatana. | Knit: If Possible Make Love | Skirt and Leggins: AT Insight
Caput Mundi necklace by Ellence in copper wire with jasper and quartz. | Cape: CHB Christian Boaro
@ Vivian S.Q _ The death of Mr Sparrow
Project by Prodes Italia
Artistar Jewels is the reference event for artistic jewelry. Synonymous with quality and uniqueness, every year it shows a selection of unique pieces. The event has reached its eighth edition and is the largest and most cosmopolitan collective of artists of the Milano Jewelry Week, the week of the Milanese schedule entirely dedicated to the world of jewelry.
Palazzo Bovara in Corso di Porta Venezia in Milan will host body ornaments for experts and enthusiasts from 20 to 23 October 2022.
The Founder of Artistar Jewels Enzo Carbone, CEO of Prodes Italia, company that conceived and organizes the Milano Jewelry Week states: «Artistar Jewels is a project that has grown exponentially in recent years, gathering support from both professionals and lovers. The success of Artistar Jewels has allowed us to intercept the need to give the right prominence to the artistic jewel, which has been rapidly expanding in recent years».
Among the over 700 applications received from all over the world, the curators of Artistar Jewels have selected 200 artists from 40 different countries. The evaluation criteria were high artistic values, technical experimentation, design, stylistic research, personal interpretation of traditional techniques, originality of the themes and technological innovation. Artistar Jewels is an event that offers, at each edition, an unprecedented reading on artistic jewelry by proposing the trends of recent years. Nature with its many shades, the exploration of the human body in an ironic and sometimes uninhibited key, the critique of consumerism and the problems brought by global pollution are the recurring themes of the 2022 edition. The techniques used range from laser
cutting to lost wax, from filigree to hand finishing, passing through 3D printing, increasingly widespread in this sector, as well as the use of materials, increasingly green and the result of recycling and upcycling. The creations of the protagonists of Artistar Jewels 2022 are shown in the book published by Logo Fausto Lupetti, through the images of the jewels captured by the photo shoot entirely curated by the Artistar Jewels team. This book, published in September 2021, portrays the work of 200 jewelry artists. It is a tribute to their creativity and manufacturing ability, a way to celebrate them with anticipation at the Artistar Jewels exhibition that will take place during the next edition of Milano Jewelry Week in October 2022. A heterogeneous blend of oneof-a-kind creations, often on the verge of wearability, that combine innovative technological experiments with traditional craftsmanship and ancient technique, designs that are sometimes extravagant, sculptural, avant-garde or refined and, at the same time, jewelry that possesses raw beauty or delicate elegant silhouettes. In addition to the exhibition and editorial publication, Artistar Jewels also creates a Contest, which was created with the aim of giving greater prominence to the artists who have distinguished themselves among the already deserving participants. The jury of Artistar Jewels is made up of important exponents of the sector: Vanessa Cron - Jewelry Historian, Donatella Zappieri – Jewelry Business Consultant, Guido Solari –Director of Scuola Orafa Ambrosiana in Via Tortona, 26 and Director of SOA Lab & Factory in Via Savona 20, Laura Inghirami – Founder DONNA JEWEL, Assamblage – National Association of Contemporary Jewelry, Lucia Massei – Creative director of Alchimia Contemporary Jewellery School in Firenze.
Preeta Agarwal started his love story in the world of jewels when she was a child and in 2019 was nominated blogger of the year in London. She graduates as Jewelry designer at NIFT - National Institute of Fashion Technology at Gandhinagar and realises that this passion would become a profession: today, after spending more than 13 years working in the sector, Preeta is an important advisor and professional based in New Delhi, India. Her Instagram page offers a peculiar point of view on the world of jewels focusing on India, but with an international and highly contemporary breadth.
How do you choose what to post and the audience to address to?
My research is addressed to jewels characterised by exceptional design, innovative use of technology, materials and “impressive” stones. I also like giving space to new talents and I always apply this view towards exceptionality and peculiarity in the selection of images. I often try to create a story around my posts. My audience consists of jewel lovers from all over the world, both experts in the sector and collectors. They follow me as they know that I am continuously looking for this innovation ingredient in my selections and, above all, I always tell a short anecdote connected to the manufacturing of the item itself. This is how I educate the collectors so that they can make informed purchases.
Do you support any brand with your blog or Instagram page?
I work for many brands on an international level in the jewellery and high jewellery sector, but I always pay the utmost attention when selecting the companies to collaborate with. Their collections must be unique, and never banal. I also ask for a complete freedom to do my shooting and create my digital story telling based on my own style.
What are your “secrets” to create engagement and interest and increase the number of your followers?
Being genuine and spontaneous is my way of obtaining a greater engagement. I don’t promote my face and to me jewels are always the unique protagonists on which I focus in my selections. My presence is limited to my hands, nails and smile. Today many followers recognise me just from my hands.
How do you bring your vision to the world of jewels? My greatest objective is to make people fall in love with jewels and to help them make the right investments. Anyone can become a collector and start building their collection piece by piece. This is why I insist when I emphasise the item design, materials and manufacture.
As you often travel on business, what are your main destinations and how do you select them?
I go where my job goes. In India, Jaipur and Mumbai are two quite frequent destinations. Lately, I often go to Hyderabad. My international itineraries often include such cities as Dubai and Doha. And then, of course, the capitals of European jewels: Paris, Milan and London.
And for what concerns the new talents? Do you follow your own method to recognise future designers?
I like giving space to new talents, especially to those creating items characterised by relevant design and that use materials in an innovative way. In early 2021 I designed a series entitled “Rising Stars”. I obtained a highly positive feedback and I am planning to repeat it shortly. I also organised a contest, “CaratLane Designathon”; designed on purpose to give the right importance to new talents.
What are your favourite stones and jewel styles?
I am fond of such unusual gems as morganites,
malachites, lapis lazulis, especially when used in high jewellery, but who can resist the magic of a green emerald? As for jewels, I like multifunctional items. Recently you can find so many innovative ideas and I think that transforming the use of a piece can add much value to the object.
Do you personally take your pictures or do you rely on a team?
Both. If I travel alone I use both my Iphone or my Digital Single-Lens Reflex or I avail myself of a professional photographer.
What are your hobbies, apart from jewels? Jewels are my hobby, so, even when I am not working I always have a look at a new collection, gem or new designer. Travelling with my husband is my other hobby. We love visiting new places and, once again, we always end up looking for unique items!
by Simona Infantolino
The true essence of the brand lies at the root of its production, in the way materials are chosen.
Emotion is a driving force that generates and transforms, pushing the human spirit to its limits, giving life to something new and often unpredictable. It is precisely from emotion that Mara Bragaglia, who founded Maraismara in 2012, approaches the world of jewellery, transferring all her cultural riches to it. «Emotion was born from a passion that I cultivated from a very young age and to which, at a certain point, I could no longer say no - comments Mara - Even when I began my studies in philosophy, which have certainly influenced my entire career, the desire to create has never abandoned me». In fact, the brand uses Fairtrade certified gold to make each piece of jewellery, being the first certified workshop in Italy to do so. «This certification identifies a type of fair trade that involves jewellery, in my case, but also farming, cosmetics and sport. My choice goes beyond merely using a sustainable material - continues Mara - By using Fairtrade gold, I contribute not only to safeguarding the environment, but also to the livelihood of many communities that work and live in the places where it is mined». The project Mara took part in, organised by the international Fairtrade consortium, promotes precise standards that producers must respect in order to be certified: among others, a minimum purchase price for raw materials, respect for soil biodiversity, the prohibition of forced or child labour and the institution of a Fairtrade Prize, an additional sum of money that the partner company donates to improve the lives and working conditions of farmers and workers. «The certification allows me to offer the end customer a product whose entire supply chain is known and, thanks to Fairtrade, is monitored from extraction to the finished jewel». The ethical path of Maraismara jewellery is further confirmed by the designer’s choice not to use invasive chemicals in production and to use sustainable materials, such as recycled paper, for the packaging too.
Maraismara jewels are creations with a strong visual impact and deep emotional value. This
is because every single piece is born from an idea that takes life around a particular element such as pearls. These gems, almost never the same, give life to unique jewels, impossible to replicate faithfully. One example is the Goethe ring, in which the designer sees herself well represented: «This ring has a special story. It all stems from a Baroque South Sea pearl that is very unusual, both for its size and for the presence of a flatter side. It was precisely from this side, which could be seen as a defect, that I made the ring’s distinctive element: I hollowed out the surface further, and applied a gold plate to it engraved with the translation of a sentence by Goethe: “Love! Love let me go”». A hymn to freedom also underlined by the way the pearl is almost suspended on a light gold frame.
A Millennial and digital native, Mara took her first steps in jewellery thanks to social media and the online world, which continue to be a fundamental tool for the brand’s development. In fact, Maraismara jewellery is available exclusively online, on the brand’s website, and through the Instagram profile @maraismara one can discover all the curiosities and the behind-the-scenes of the creation of a piece of jewellery. «Especially in this last period, the digital world has helped all the companies that were forced to put a computer between themselves and their customers. I was actually born that way and, with the pandemic, I had confirmation that I had made the right choice almost ten years ago by presenting my jewellery through social media».
However, the last year and a half has brought other profound changes besides the pandemic. At the beginning of 2020, the United Kingdom left the European Union for good. This has inevitably brought
consequences, especially in trade. «When Brexit was announced, I decided to move ahead by contacting my suppliers in the UK so that I could fulfil all my orders and place new ones before the official exit came into force. I certainly didn’t decide to abandon them! We are continuing to work together on a precise and detailed order schedule, as shipping is now slower and more expensive. Fairtrade has also recently welcomed the first Italian ethical metal bank, Altro Carato, as a partner. So now I can also buy Fairtrade gold in Italy».
As we approach 2022, Mara is preparing to celebrate the brand’s tenth anniversary with new challenges and exciting creative projects. Among these, the idea of a celebratory piece of jewellery that encapsulates sustainable values and, above all, the founding element of Maraismara: emotion.
Maraismara jewels are creations with a strong visual impact and deep emotional value. Every idea takes life around pearls.
by Donatella Zappieri
Yianni Melas - gemmologist and lecturer at the GIA, designer, artist, consultant for major companies - is a long time, staunch activist in support of artisanal mining and has been fighting against corruption in the sector for years.
He caused a sensation when he went on hunger strike in 2017 to protest against the sale at a Christie’s auction of a 163-carat diamond linked to the family of the former president of Angola, the proceeds of which would have gone to the politician’s daughter instead of being used to build a children’s hospital in the African country. Yianni has also been an advocate of ceaseless struggles for the emancipation of independent miners, their education and the dignity of their families. Yianni Melas’ passion for gems and ancient treasures began at an early age: at the age of four, he would search in his backyard for Napoleon’s sword, as legend has it that it had been given to one of his ancestors...
Born in Rhodes, Yianni continued his studies in the United States and enrolled at the Gemological Institute of America where he graduated and became a lecturer. It was at the Institute that he met Helmut Swarovski and began working for him with the responsibility of founding the Natural Gems Division and purchasing rough in the most remote countries and continents. He then became a consultant for Stephen Webster in the search for precious stones and cutters in Asia. Thanks to his work and his passion, Yianni has travelled to the most remote places on various continents, and has had the opportunity to observe work in gemstone mines at first hand, experiencing for himself the excitement of extracting these gems from the ground. In 2009, there was a turning point in his life’s journey: Yianni found a previously undiscovered stone in Africa, Aquaprase™, which was later classified by the GIA as a new stone and consequently accredited under the name of Yianni Melas, becoming part of his legacy for future generations.
Today, Yianni lives in the city of Limassol, Cyprus. With his Gem Explorer account and blog, he is a spokesperson for many battles in favour of artisanal mines and the defence of the rights of small cutters’ workshops against the supremacy of large multinationals. He has often found himself in
extremely dangerous areas where the management of mines is in the hands of corrupt politicians who use force and violence to prevent independent miners from digging. He also understood how local people were often prevented from cutting diamonds because they were unaware of how much the rough would increase in value after cutting, and that the lack of training and specialisation would keep local people ignorant of the value of the country’s natural resources.
We met him on his return from the Copenhagen Forum, where representatives of the major associations and the industry met to talk about sustainability in the world of jewellery and its supply chain. It was in Copenhagen that the new AMO (Artisanal Miners Organisation) was created to finally give artisanal miners a united voice in the gemstone industry and to provide them with an association that supports them and defends their rights by protecting the work of these small operators against the major multinationals. He has travelled and spent many years in such “troublesome” countries as Botswana, Burma, Africa, always in contact with miners, following the extraction of minerals and learning the process of cutting.
You have worked for so many multinationals and supported so many businesses, what inspired you to become an activist?
When I returned from one of my trips to Africa I infected my daughter with whooping cough, she was sick for months and I promised God that if she survived I would spend the rest of my life helping parents with children in need. My daughter recovered and now every day I try to keep that promise. Sometimes I hate being an activist, the responsibility and stress is often overwhelming, but I truly believe that ethos is much more important than ego and through my struggle I can carry on the values my parents’ taught me, and my responsibility to society.
As an activist you use social media to carry out your campaigns, how else are you able to be a spokesperson for injustices in the industry?
Thanks to my past as a lecturer and researcher at GIA, I have had the opportunity to learn about the sector and become aware of what is happening in the various territories and above all to get to know so many miners and cutters, whom I now see as my family. My struggle is also expressed through constant support for them with their problems,
the desire to facilitate synergies and educational projects aimed at giving them visibility but also structure of thought and capacity for emancipation. I have often found myself in uncomfortable situations, at times even risking my life. Yet I have always saved myself, which is why I continue my battle and my work of raising awareness.
Yianni, who has spent a lot of time in the mines and been in contact with the local people and the many governments involved, has gained an extraordinary knowledge. Today, this knowledge allows him to be a spokesperson for how exploitation, corruption and violence are still present in the areas of greatest gem extraction.
What have you been most proud of so far?
Without a doubt the opening of a school for gem cutters in Botswana in 2005, followed by the creation of projects focusing on training local people and protecting local know-how. It was at the end of last September that AMO (Artisanal Miners Organisations) was founded, whose name already brings to mind the universally known word, in Italian Amore, Love: I hope that there will be a desire to change towards a better future, also thanks to our battles and international visibility.
Since ancient times, the elites have collected and invested in works of art and rare objects, considered among the goods that could be easily transported and monetized.
For centuries, auction houses have hosted the rarest and most prestigious works of art and collectible goods, always adapting to difficult times and pursuing business even during the world wars. Their ability to shape themselves to meet the needs of the time makes auction houses reference points for global markets of prestigious second-hand goods. Over the past two years the world has changed dramatically due to the COVID disease with a radical impact on people’s habits. Traveling and meeting has suddenly become difficult, or even impossible, for everyone. On the other hand, for most people, time seemed to slow down and immediately enjoy their passions was the reaction to this disruptive historical moment.
Once again, the major auction houses have demonstrated their ready ability to adapt to the new scenario by implementing and increasing digital tools that allow collectors to live immersive experiences in complete safety from the comfort of their home.
Last year the Italian auction house, Il Ponte Casa d’Aste launched an online tool to enhance physical auctions and increased online-only ones. This efficient multi-channel approach made it possible to reach 70% more new international bidders from over 50 countries and attract interest of Millenials for categories such as the Arts and XX Century items. Remarkable sales like the Asger Jorn painting sold for € 75.000 attested that the barriers of distance are definitely overcome.
Collectors needs are also at the forefront of Artcurial’s activities: since 2020 the international auction house increased its online auction calendar and implemented digital tools to accompany its Live Auctions. Artcurial has successfully closed 2020 with almost €150 million in turnover. Among its 25 areas of expertise, Artcurial organizes thematic online auctions highlighting every single piece of a selection to an international audience of collectors as the one dedicated to furniture from Cartier boutiques around the world.
Faraone Casa d’Aste, specialized in Fine jewelry and watches, launched its own platform where customers can virtually attend live stream auctions or bid on monthly online-only format dedicated to more affordable items.
Dorotheum empowered its dense calendar of 700 auctions through digital tools as well and keeps its proposals up to date with the changing times. During the pandemic the demand for luxury bags strengthened: according to Deloitte’s, Hermès Birkin second-hand bags generate an annual return of 14.2%. Dorotheum hosts four auctions a year dedicated to Fashion and Accessories, in October 2021 a Hermès Birkin bag sold online for € 17.000. Auctions are an almost 350-year old business that is always able to ignite collectors’ passion, evolving with time like a gold phoenix and embracing the future and the past in a magical hammer-blow.
Seemona Arnalkar’s love for jewelry was born from her passion for art. Just while studying to become an artist, specifically for a college project, Seemona bumped into the jewelry world. «For that project I had to design a jewelry book’s cover. That was the first time I had designed a neckpiece ever». The illustration turned out to be outstanding and was appreciated by everyone, so Seemona began to develop a keen passion for jewelry design. Then, she completed her academic career with a graduation in Jewellery Design Studies at the Gemological Institute of America in Mumbai. «Having a strong background in artistic skills provided an additional support for me while pursuing my jewelry design studies. I absolutely loved and enjoyed the whole process. I discovered a deeper connection between me and designing. This is how the beautiful journey began». After her graduation in 2016, Seemona started to create her personal design portfolio focus on sketches: statement, classy and elegant jewels, bold contemporary pieces, colorful enamel works, watches and accessories. All her works are inspired by daily life, flora and fauna, art, architecture, geometric figures, texture, traditional and contemporary designs. «It all begins with research and concept creation, followed by moodboard making, element or motif creation, sketching various combinations of jewelry designs. Then I select gemstones, metals, textures, techniques and so on, followed by the final design. Then comes the most crucial part: the gouache painting. A perfect painting technique can bring to life the designs».
INDIA
From architecture to art, over the years, Raffaella Camisani’s interdisciplinary approach has inspired her to tackle the world of jewellery too. «When I realised that the complexity of designing a piece of jewellery provided a stimulus that satisfied my personal need to express creativity, my passion for jewellery design was born». In 2016, Raffaella founded her jewellery brand that draws inspiration from nature, art, history and her background in the world of architecture. Every piece of her jewellery comes from the desire to communicate a message or an emotion, also through the combination of
precious metals with poorer materials. «I have always thought of jewellery as an object that has the potential to convey meanings that go well beyond its ornamental function, through its ability to evoke emotions by becoming a symbol». The jewellery she creates is mainly made to order, and comes from a design idea. «In the near future I would like to create two collections that are still just an idea. The first one talks about love in a simple yet totally innovative way; the second line would seek to be a project promoting the territories and specialities of our peninsula».
Painter, sculptor, accessories designer for prominent fashion maisons (Valentino Garavani being the most recent) and jewel artist, since she was a child Giulia Iosco has shown all her passion and talent for art in every form and, still today, experimentation and contamination between various expressive worlds are founding features of her artistic sensitivity. Born in Rome, where she has now opened her workshop in the city centre, after studying at the Fashion School in her hometown, she specialised in the creation of jewels obtained using the lost wax and the fired enamelling techniques at the jewellery school in Vicenza. Her jewels - rings, charms, bracelets - are the synthesis of different working techniques, always a perfect balance between innovative design and a tradition reinterpreted in a contemporary key. From drawing to the finished jewels, in every detail of each item the mastery of complex techniques, such as enamelling, lost wax, microengravings, is well evident, complemented by an attentive and curious view on the world, free from prejudices and preclusions. Giulia Iosco represented Italy in prestigious international events; her works were on display in important artistic shows and seats in Italy and abroad.
Alessandro Paronuzzi’s career path was written in his childhood. It was written in those afternoons spent watching the jewellery worn by his mother, grandmother and their friends gathered at tea time, as well as in the shiny jewellery shop windows that enchanted him so much in Sanremo. Back in his hometown after studying industrial design and product design for innovation in Milan and Genoa, Alessandro launched his own brand, Conte di Ramello, named after his maternal grandfather. In Sanremo, he also opened a showroom to sell his collections and where he designs exclusive custom pieces for his customers. «My goal is to bring the point of view of a product designer into the world of jewellery. My aesthetic research is based on my observation of the world and its graphic reinterpretation». Alessandro combines his
main sources of inspiration, design and jewellery making, tapping into all possible metal design and processing techniques: from 3D to hammering, gold thread spinning and sandblasting, through to laser engraving and nano ceramic coating. The result is a unique, entirely customisable product that draws on the emotions and feelings of those who create it and those who wear it. «The Costiera collection, for example, comes from a childhood memory of mine, when I used to go to the cliff with my father. When I saw some special pebbles, I was always fascinated by them! The idea was to use a few lines to represent the black pebbles with white veins that are typical of the Ligurian coasts. For my other creations I rely heavily on my relationship with the customer; their requests are always different and it is a new challenge every time».
When Santiago Dominguez began his studies at the Montevideo Pedro Figari art school he immediately decided that he would dedicate his life to jewelry.«It was love at first sight: I saw the perfect way to materialize my ideas. I believe in art, I believe in stories: a jewel must tell a story, and all my pieces have one».
Santiago is driven by curiosity: he continuously seeks to innovate and find new inspiration for his art. According to him, we all share reality, but everyone of us has also an inner world of his own, and it is this intimate world that the artist is inspired by. «Well inside my mind, there is that world that seeks inspiration in everything and in turn in nothing, in what is new or what has already been seen: I aim to show that world to the world. There are no bad ideas, just poorly executed ones: therefore any idea can be transformed into a beautiful jewel».
Santiago’s creations - unique pieces or limited editions - are mainly made of noble metals, enhanced by stones, corals, mother-of-pearl as well as pieces of old coins. «I’m always looking for new materials and I combine them in innovative ways. For example, the Kingdom line focuses on transformation, through one-of-a-kind pieces generated by old coins, without destroying or changing the material, just “transforming” it». Santiago works with his partner Shirley, who is in charge of administration and sales; while planning to grow internationally, they feel happy with the results achieved and they do not set limits for the future: «As a teenager I fell in love with illusionism, it was a way to transform everyday items into magical illusions. That is why all my creations contain something hidden: an illusion, a secret, something mystical or magical!».
Stefania Ulivi founded Sula Italian Design a few years ago, adding a touch of modern art to easily wearable jewels as well as to small pieces of furniture and textiles. Art is a fundamental element in the creations by Stefania, who has always nourished a special interest in the abstract art born at the beginning of the 20th century, when the rules of artistic production were rewritten, opening the path to contemporary art and giving life to a new artistic language whose original message, according to Stefania, is «the base-alphabet for the artistic expression of contemporary feeling».
Sula jewellery with its innovative, contemporary forms, brings art into everyday life: pure geometrical
shapes move in the space giving a sophisticated character even to the simplest outfit. Each piece is designed by Stefania and then hand made by selected Italian artisans using not only gold and precious stones but also wood, silver, titanium, Plexiglas, semi-precious stones. «I have recently created jewels made on a base of natural wood, with eye-catching geometrical shapes in silver or gilded, and embellished with semi-precious stones, carefully chosen for their shape and color, inserted in the wood. All my jewels are one-of-a-kind pieces or available in very small series: in consideration of this limited production, I only sell them through selected channels aimed at art lovers».
Born in Northeast China, Yuheng Zhang studied for an MA in product design at Shenzhen University: he is currently studying for a master’s degree in Arts Jewellery and Related Products at the School of Jewellery at Birmingham City University. His passion for jewellery aroused at a design event while studying at Shenzhen University: in this occasion he understood that jewellery design would be the perfect design area where to express his ideas more freely, and he felt fascinated by the perspective of designing and creating with his own hands. In his pieces great attention is paid to the relationship between time and object, between old and new, as shown in the series of jewellery “The trace of time”. «Time leaves traces on the object - he explains - The colour of the object changes, as well as the shape and the texture change... Although human beings try their best to seize time and achieve eternity, all
things will eventually flow through the river of time and never stop. Before this final annihilation, though, the object is always reincarnating in transformation and rebirth: this is a gift of time».
Yuheng Zhang’s creations are unique pieces designed and made by himself in silver, gold plating and clay: their particular charm originated from a failed experiment with plaster materials, as the artist explains:
«The gypsum liquid began to solidify when it wasn’t being used, so I tried to add water to make it available again, the result were different forms of semi-dry plaster fragments. Normally these plaster blocks would have been considered garbage. But I found the shape and texture of these plaster blocks - so fragile, so fleeting - so beautiful that I decided to set their shape in that instant!».
A travel and mineral enthusiast since his childhood, Yuriy Plekhanov studied at the mining and geological faculty of the Donetsk Polytechnic Institute. He worked for several years as an engineergeologist but he finally decided to follow his passion for jewellery, specializing in the cutting of gems for jewellery pieces and becoming a professional in this field. In 2005 he began to use jewellery wax for carving: «It was a revolution! The wax gave me the freedom to transform practically any shape I could think of into metal, and my previous experience in cutting gems allowed me to choose the components of my creations in full freedom. My work should be perceived as a symbiosis of the material embodiment of an idea and its verbal description». It is not easy
for Yuriy to describe his sources of inspiration: «Sometimes it takes a lot of effort to come up with something. But most of the time, I sit with my net in an ambush like an entomologist catching butterflies. The main thing is to catch them and have time to sketch them without damaging the idea. I think of my creations as living creatures who have evolved from sketches in my head to be embodied in silver or gold jewellery, according to evolutionary laws defined by myself. I think that the goal of any creative work is to combine two or more contrasting elements into a harmonious whole. As for me, I have chosen contrasts of movement and direction; and most of all, I aim at living my life in harmony with myself and the world around me».
Following in the footsteps of his mother, a professional jeweller, after graduating from the university Antoni Figueres started to work as an apprentice at one of her shops. He later opened a jewellery store of his own, followed by another shop and by another small silver wholesale business. At the same time, he studied jewellery design, deepening the study of fire enamelling. «I embraced this technique because it best suited my own approach and vision of how to design jewellery through painting and coloring each piece. This technique boasts an established tradition in the Catalan jewellery sector: the name of my workshop itself, Mountaber, comes from the Mont Tàber, the hill on which the ancient Romans founded the citadel Barcino, which later became the city of Barcelona. I have chosen this name for my workshop to highlight the origin and history of Catalan jewellery». For Antoni Figueres, a piece
of jewellery - be it either a personal creation of the artist projecting his own imaginary world or an interpretation of a particular artistic style or of an organic piece - should feature first of all a clear personality. «The source of inspiration for my collection has been the modernist style, reinterpreted in a modern perspective. Catalan Modernism became very popular in Catalonia, especially in Barcelona, at the beginning of the 20th century, and, as is known, is closely tied with nature and its elements».
Mountaber’s jewels are in 18 carat gold (but other caratages are also available), enhanced by precious and natural stones. «Next year - Antoni Figueres concludes - I will launch a new collection: modernist style and fire enamel will be again the common threads of the new pieces».
People’s nature and creative instinct are features hard to hide. Very often they influence everyone’s life, directing their choices and decisions. It was exactly because of her strong passion for arts and creativity that, about 7 years ago, Melanie Pilote abandoned her career in science and engineering to become president and designer of the jewelry company Melanie Stones. «Since its foundation in January 2015, the brand has been proudly standing as a celebration of nature, beauty and life’s true colors, in the form of a jewelry collection. My creations are built upon the unique nature of each gem and pearl laying at the heart of each piece of jewelry». Melanie’s creations are made with pearls, semi-precious stones and diamonds and online distributed, through the website of the brand. «Over the last year and a half, I have worked hard to increase my visibility and also strengthen my relationship with my existing customers. Although we are in the internet age, more and more, people are looking for authentic connections with creators and want local products. My strength is the special bond I develop with my clients and also my intuition which guides me in my creation and which is truly unique: I rely on these two assets to develop a strong brand».
Winner of the HMC Award Grand Prize for two years in a row, Hiyu Hamasaki founded his own jewelry brand - Hiyou - just over a year ago. Based in Osaka, Japan, Hiyu Hamasaki is inspired by surrounding world’s energies. «My main source of inspiration is my daily life. I feel different emotions for each person and for each place where people live. I get inspiration from seeing things from a slightly different perspective». The designer works with common materials such as silver and with unusual jewelry materials like PVC, layered and thermocompression bonded with a heat gun. The Hiyou creations are made for people who gravitate towards the idea of being an artist and for people who want to create their custom-made jewelry. «One
of my favourite collection, the Scramble, is made in plastic. Excessive use of plastic is one of the most serious problems in the modern world and with this collection I would like to attract the interest of people regarding the proper use of this material. I really like to experiment, also with the design. For example, with the Half and Half collection I tried to cut a seal ring in half and so I found a new style for this kind of rings». All the jewelry collections are available worldwide thanks to the e-commerce of the brand and social media. «I think taking part in online exhibitions will be my next step. The digital world represents the future: all you have to do is to see something interesting online and buy it, without even leaving home».
«I was born in a family devoted to art: my mother was a plastic artist, therefore I learned from a very early age to express my emotions through painting and manual arts. Since I was a little child, I loved to go to museums - where I was often struck by the exhibition of pre-Columbian jewels - and to leaf through my mother’s art books where I could admire both sculptures and jewels in detail». As a teenager, Andrea learned the goldsmith’s artisanal work, watching other prominent goldsmiths and moving her first steps, to take it up a few years ago. After studying art and theater and after working in the sector of painting auctions and antiques, she has opened her own workshop at home, where she designs and manufactures her jewelry. She is currently dedicated to rescuing ancient techniques
to transform them into contemporary, often abstract pieces that represent her own sentiments, open to any interpretation.
«At present I am experimenting techniques where metals are mixed or fused through different processes. Sometimes I also like to use textiles combining them with precious or semi-precious stones. At the same time I am fascinated by forging - my grandfather used to forge metals and at a certain point he also discovered the fascinating work of Mokume Gane, an ancient and very difficult technique through which metals take on the appearance of wood grain: I am working on these themes, putting together a collection of different pieces, without forgetting the most classic styles to continue with my learning practice».
Architect and designer Marco Guardincerri works in London and in 2020 he founded REA, a computational design jewellery project. The elegant design of each piece is made by an algorithm, which simulates the natural evolutionary process of imaginary tiny animals wrapped around a finger.
How did you get started and how much your architecture background blends in this jewellery project?
REA started in 2017. At that time, I was deeply involved in readings about evolution, biology and genetics, and curious about the possibility of challenging my architectural know-how on a smallscale project related to those topics.
I brought in REA the computational tools I use on a daily basis as an architect, but above all the love for organic forms and elegant curves.
Each piece seems unique and has a deeper story: what’s the process like, from your initial “sketch” to the product?
Basically, the whole concept behind REA it’s not to sketch anything! REA is an algorithm that instructs the “rings” to evolve, potentially covering all the possible configurations and permutations. Thus the product is the algorithm I wrote, while the ring is the by-product of it. As Richard Dawkins would say, the DNA is the true life form in the universe, while all the organisms on the planets are just its by-products. Of course, i am the one who selects the specimens to be investigated and refined at the end of the computational process. Due to the evolutionary process, each model inherits a story of previous shapes, which is what I try to highlight in the postproduction refinement.
Is there space for instinct in this process?
This is a good question. An algorithm it’s like a sculpture: some strict rules must be followed to keep it stable and balanced, but far from the core, on the surface, you can have fun adding randomness and uncertainty... this is what brings mutations and surprises.
Glauco Cambi’s workshop in Rome is a creative forge where the author accomplishes jewellery, sculpture, painting and furnishing creations following a continuously evolving intimate and personal path. «The perceptive alternation on materials, the mobility of mechanics, the visual mutability and instability, the evocative and symbolic power of such dynamic elements as bindings are at the basis of my style - Glauco explains - My jewels always start from a concept, a basic element, hardly ever a defined form». For Glauco Cambi jewels - the perfect synthesis between sculpture and function, wearability and the contact with the body, their natural vital space - are sculptures to be considered small only as far as their size is concerned, making sense also for those wearing them. Experimentation and research are the key elements of his work. «A space between
ancient techniques. as cuttlebone and niello, and modern ones, ranging from traditional and innovative materials, as well as the most classical and unusual stones characterised by distinctive peculiarities. I love the mutability of some stones when they play with light, I am fond of gems with peculiar inclusions like true geological “relics”. And I also love metals that oxidise and are influenced by patinas: visibly unstable, ready to change appearance like silver, bronze and, recently, titanium». For Glauco Cambi the enjoyment of the jewel in its artistic form goes well beyond its superficial perception (aesthetic-ornamental) «Among my items and their users an exclusive and unconscious relationship is established going beyond conventions and rational explanations. Those who choose my jewels do it out of empathy and not following a mere aesthetic sense».
Surrounded by jewellery items since her childhood, Laia Alcala started her professional studies at the Superior School of Design and Art at Llotja, in Barcelona. «Jewellery became a real charm for me as I spent my entire childhood in my mother’s shop where I found all kinds of jewels. Now, that I grow up, I work in the same shop which my mother and I refurbished in 2016. It is Cal Sastre, a concept store mainly based on signature jewellery where I also established my workshop, so I can combine both activities». Laia creations, inspired by nature, combine different metals with organic wasted materials such as coal, wood, hare droppings, coral, stones and glass. Each jewels is a unique piece based on personalised orders. «Jewellery is the accessory par excellence that conveys the identity code of each individual, their beliefs, their history and their style. I always try to reflect in each design the harmony and subtlety that make up the symbiotic balance between textures, materials and shapes». During the pandemic crisis the designer started to think about human impact on environment. Therefore she started getting involved on the bioplastic project “Embrió” and now she is planning to start making her bioplastic jewellery line.
Born in Poland, Joanna studied Architecture Renovation and achieved later an MA in American Poetry. She has always looked for a way of expressing herself, her visions and dreams, aiming at the same time to reveal and restore the connection with the Spirit of Nature encoded in our surroundings. «I was enchanted by crystals as a little girl and I have always been gathering and treasuring natural objects, contemplating their beauty. As a young adult I developed a special passion for expressing my individuality and the beauty of the natural world, writing poems and sculpting, making jewellery using natural objects like shells and crystals». In her opinion, making jewellery is an act of transforming the energies and creating a unique micro scene that can be worn, expressing themes and emotions. «I also believe in the act of reconnecting with the pivotal energies of creation, present in nature and told in myths: nature, myth, literature are my main sources of inspiration, both for my life and my work». Joanna designs and makes unique pieces in silver art clay, which she considers the perfect medium for making sculptural jewellery, with gold plating and natural crystals, employing their energies by using the knowledge handed down over the centuries by our ancestors. She founded her brand 6elements Jewellery after moving to Edinburgh, addressing individuals who appreciate uniqueness. «I believe that each story I present in my works animates subconscious energies; and I believe that creating and contemplating art helps us to reconnect with our inner self on the deepest and most intimate level and this enables us to achieve emotional, mental and spiritual growth».
With Sam Lane, jewelry becomes a game and an interactive experience: the most common jewelrymaking techniques are replaced by the art of crochet. The fabric becomes the soul of soft and squishy jewels that mix contrasting colors and various textured yarns, fabrics and embellishments. After graduating in BA (Hons) Contemporary Jewellery at UCA Rochester (UK), Sam started working for the largest arts and crafts retailer in the UK, Hobbycraft, where they helped to launch the ‘Artisan programme’. «The programme aims to celebrate Hobbycraft colleagues from all around the country by enabling them to achieve their crafting aspirations through various creative opportunities, such as leading workshops, developing products and expanding their social media presence». Sam’s jewels arise from the playful interaction between people and their artworks: the driving force towards play and pleasure is the curiosity and the thirst for knowledge and discovery. All their jewelry pieces are unique, such as the Connect collection: a range of connectable crochet objects, part of a participatory event which enables the expression of personality through interactions with individual elements. After a year and a half of global crisis, Sam is in the process of opening an online store to sell their own downloadable cross stitch patterns. «In a bizarre way, the pandemic changed my life for the better as it gave me time to create new jewelry and to challenge myself in the most exciting of ways. I see my business being developed towards a more commercial market but also through exploring the more witty and playful conceptual side of my work through cross stitch patterns. I also see myself continuing to create more silly crochet jewelry collections to be worn and played with. Exciting times ahead!»
In some way Lior Barash was predestined to become a jewellery designer and creator: his grandpa and grand-grandpa before him had been jewelers and as a child he was fascinated by the work itself and the way metal chunks could be transformed into beautiful pieces of wearable art. He abandoned this early passion and pursued a brilliant career as a cyber security business owner until, at the age of 38, on a vacation on a beautiful beach in the Philippines it just woke up in him again and overwhelmed him. «I’ve started learning more professionally how to work precious metals with several teachers in Israel, and working on my designs I’ve started promoting and exposing my art».
Lior’s designs are inspired by the most different sparks: it may be a song, or a visual image, a smell or a conversation: «Most of the time, when I do custom
work - he explains - I design from the energy I get when I talk and get to know the person I’m working with. I am inspired by what I learn about my clients and I create a new design that will not only bring beauty and joy into their life, but also support and guide them».
For Lior, a jewel worn on the body is an extension and an energy source that must be perfectly aligned and balanced with where the wearer is and what he needs at that precise moment of his life. Since each jewel is completely hand crafted, there are no identical pieces and each creation is an expression of a singular event, hence the name, singuLJewel.
«Now, at 40, I have been just blessed with my first baby boy - Lior concludes - and I’m so happy to bring beauty into the world… I make every effort to live up to my dream and purpose!».
From the cradle of the Conca d’Oro plain in Palermo, Sicily, where colours blend with scents and atmospheres, Lucia Scavo is welcomed by the Strait of Messina. Her passion for jewellery started when she was a child and flourished there thanks to an unexpected gift. «Francesca, a very dear, super creative cousin of mine, gave me a ring, and it came with the right ingenious vibes. My new adventure started from that single piece of jewellery». In 2010, Lucia launched iSole, a jewellery brand created out of passion and with passion. «I have a special weakness: jewellery with a mobile soul. Created to be transformed, enjoyed according to the inspiration of the moment, for ever-new challenges». The combination of her pieces gives shape to the iSole
ring, designed so that its parts - a double supporting base and two mobile accessories - can be arranged together in multiple colour and metal combinations. «It is an innovative patented system of connections and hooks, which makes it possible to create different designs, from the Atollo band to the Arcipelago ring with charm. I like to think of iSole as a symbol of an infinite energy arising from the harmonious union of the parts, from an enveloping, welcoming feminine style and from a masculine one that dives to fit in and complete it». The iSole ring is made of Argentium silver, a patented English alloy that guarantees tarnish resistance and the hypoallergenic properties of the metal, and which is suitable for casting and setting precious stones.
ITALY
For Marina Louw, founder of Klip Colab Jewelry, the jewelry design process starts with a stone. And also from a stone she took the name of her brand: indeed, Klip means stone in Afrikaans. «The story of stones goes further to gemstones, semi-precious stones and natural uncertified diamonds. For me all of them are equal, they come from the earth as they are. My work can be described as naturalist, brute, simplistic, wearable art. In short, I made art jewelry». Before the pandemic crisis, Marina opened a boutique jewelry gallery in Johannesburg where she tried out different sensorial experience for her customers: she changed displays and interiors almost monthly using different material such as autumn leaves, glass, stones and metal wire. «Covid and lockdown arrived and I just closed it all down. Silence overnight. But my old clients still found me through internet. Indeed, nowadays I sell a lot on Instagram, the distance is not a problem any more». In the near future, Marina will fly to the US for several months to be with her significant other after two years apart and to have a full immersion in the forest. «Nature will tell me what my new range will be. Creativity is impossible to stop. There is always a new way that brings new inspiration».
Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister
Until January 2, 2022
Johannes Vermeer. On reflection
gemaeldegalerie.skd.museum
Palazzo Reale
Until January 30, 2022
Masterpieces from the Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris palazzorealemilano.it
The long-awaited show dedicated to Claude Monet puts together 53 works by the master impressionist, including some of his best known masterpieces: Water Lilies, the House of Parliament. The Thames Below Westminster, The Roses, Water Lilies and Japanese Bridge. We are speaking of extraordinary loans by the Musée Marmottan Monet, which hosts the largest set of paintings by Monet in the world. The show, promoted by the Municipality of Milan-Culture and by Arthemisia, is curated by Marianne Mathieu, scientific director of the prestigious Parisian museum.
No fewer than ten of the approximately 35 known works by Vermeer are on display for public admiration in the largest exhibition ever devoted to the Dutch master in Germany. Outstanding is the famous Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window, shown for the first time after a major restoration that lasted years and revealed an original Cupid hidden under successive layers of paint. Some fifty works by Dutch painters of his time provide context to Vermeer’s artistic environment.
Museo del Gioiello
Permanent Exhibition
Italian Jewels
museodelgioiello.it
The mastery of the goldsmiths of Vicenza, Valenza, Arezzo and Torre del Greco and the aesthetic and manufacturing values of Made in Italy jewellery are back and shining live at the Museum of Jewellery in Vicenza. The “Italian Jewels” exhibition, which brings together 270 creations by Italian goldsmiths, maisons and designers, is part of the museum’s permanent programme, which, every two years, is flanked by a series of temporary exhibitions dedicated to jewellery.
Fondation Louis Vuitton
Until February 22, 2022
The Morozov Collection
Icons of Modern Art
fondationlouisvuitton.fr
More than 200 works from one of the most famous collections of modern art in the world, that of the Morozov brothers, have crossed the Russian borders for the first time. On view are masterpieces by the greatest French and Russian painters, including among others Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Matisse, Goncharova, Malevich and Konchalovsky. Another exceptional event is the exhibition of the splendid Music Room of Ivan Morozov’s Moscow home, with panels by Maurice Denis and sculptures by Aristide Maillol.
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Until September 5, 2022
An Anthology of Fashion metmuseum.org
Put on hold for one year due to the pandemic, the MET’s much-anticipated annual fashion exhibition in New York will come in two chapters: InAmerica:AnAnthologyofFashion, open until 5 September 2022, and In America: A Lexicon of Fashion, which will complement the first part from 5 May next. The exhibitions are a tribute to American fashion, its emotional qualities and identity, thanks also to the contribution of well-known directors who have given voice to the most representative narratives in this field.
152 pages
in Italian/French/English
Sculptor, painter, draughtsman, writer, goldsmith and creator of sculptural jewellery that defies all classification, Faust Cardinali is an eternal explorer of art in all its forms: in his works, which are present in renowned international public and private collections, precious materials coexist alongside poor, unexpected materials and the most diverse disciplines and experiments intersect. This volume, in which the artist imagines a poetic and joyful end of the world with a happy conclusion, contains testimonies of over thirty years of artistic work.
Carlo Moretti Glass and Design
Marsilio Editore
191 pages
_Milan Armani/Silos
Until February 6, 2022
The Way We Are armanisilos.com
“Armani fashion for everyone”. It was from this thought that the Emporio Armani brand arose 40 years ago. After four decades, Giorgio Armani celebrates the anniversary of the brand with an exhibition which he himself has curated at the Armani/Silos in Milan. It is a monumental installation that, through moodboards, videos and clothes, allows you to touch 40 years of Milanese fashion history. The exhibition supports Save the Children’s projects dedicated to education and the fight against children dropping out of school.
IIJS India International Jewellery Show
Mumbai, 6/9 January 2022 • info: gjepc.org/iijs
International Jewellery Tokyo
Tokyo 12/15 January 2022 • info: ijt.jp
Bijorhca Who’s Next
Paris 21/24 January 2022 • info: whosnext.com/bijorhca
Maison et Objet
Paris 20/24 January 2022 • info: maison-objet.com
VicenzaOro
Vicenza 21/26 January 2022 • info: vicenzaoro.com
Bisutex
Madrid 3/6 February 2022 • info: ifema.es
Junwex St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg 3/7 February • info: junwex.com
Inhorgenta
Munich 11/14 February 2022 • info: inhorgenta.com
Homi Fashion & Jewels
Milan 18 /21 February 2022 • info: homifashionjewels.com
JGT Jewellery Gem & Technology
Dubai 22/24 February 2022 • info: jgtdubaijewelleryshow.com
Doha Jewellery & Watches
Doha 22/27 February 2022 • info: decc.qa
White Milano
Milan 24/27 February 2022 • info: whiteshow.com
Bangkok Gems and Jewelry Fair BGJF
Bangkok • info: bkkgems.com
Hong Kong International Jewellery Show
(by HKTDC) • Hong Kong 3/7 March 2022 • info: event.hktdc.com
Desire Jewellery & Silversmithing Fair
London 4/6 March 2022 • info: desirefair.com
Première Classe Who’s Next
Paris - 4/7 March 2022 • info: premiere-classe.com
Amberif - Gdansk
23/26 March 2022 • info: amberif.amberexpo.pl
Istanbul Jewelry Show
Istanbul 24/27 March 2022 • info: istanbuljewelryshow.com
Tarì Mondo Prezioso
Marcianise • info: tari.it
Watches & Wonders
Geneva 30 March - 5 April 2022 • info: watchesandwonders.com
