A large high-end jewelry atelier opens its doors to the creative spirit of young designers. The result is the collections created during the Triennial course in Jewelery Design of the European Institute of Design in Turin, in collaboration with Palmiero Jewelery Design, an atelier-laboratory in Valenza.
The Maison, famous for its high jewelery sculptural creations, was also a partner in the thesis projects for the year 2019/20. The agreement with the institute had the objective of designing jewelry for the Chinese market, in particular for a target of women between 25 and 55 years. Carlo Palmiero himself had confronted the young designer students of the last year of the IED Turin course.
The project in collaboration with Ied Torino was a very interesting experience for the opportunity to interact with the students and their vision, and to take them to a distant world, that of the East. A successful project, born from the desire to encourage young people to approach this noble art, which requires a lot of creativity and innovation to become master goldsmiths. It is important to rehabilitate a concept I really care about: the art of knowing how to do and knowing how to do with art. It was curious and very exciting to see the different interpretations and creative developments that each student managed to achieve in compliance with the brief. I wish them all the best of luck.
Carlo Palmiero, Founder of Palmiero Jewelery Design
The jewels made are inspired by classic Chinese cultural topos, from calligraphy to zhezhi, from mahjong to shan shui, up to the symbolism of natural elements, animals and flowers.
Like Bloom collection of the thesis project Road to East by Marzia Gasparotto, who chose the lotus flower as an inspiring idea: an envelope of petals in white gold and amethysts of various shades encloses a core of opals tending to light blue. In the brooch and bracelet, an intertwining of branches with elegant plastic movements, adorned with diamonds and black pearls in bluish tones, directs the iridescent light in a reminder of the aquatic environment in which the flower is born.
The Origin collection by Shuang Liang instead starts from the ancient Chinese calligraphic art. The graphic symbols inspired the yellow gold necklace (auspicious in the culture of the Middle Kingdom) together with earrings, ring and brooch, in line with the oriental market taste for parure. The shades of pavé in earth tones give plays of light to the sinuous surfaces of the jewels, in a tribute to the ink strokes of Chinese characters.
Breaking with tradition, however, is the collection of Francesca Azais, which has put imperfection at the center, moving away from the aesthetic canons that have prevailed for centuries in both the West and the East. Concept that inspired Imperfect, a jewelry line that enhances diversity and imperfection, transforming them into witnesses of uniqueness. For example, with the white gold set that uses asymmetry, with the apparently random arrangement of sapphires, aquamarine and diamonds in round and shuttle cuts.
Another collection: Good Luck by Dajana Ferrara, which takes its cue from mahjong, a game but also a socialization tool. In the collection, small tiles are superimposed on each other, in a rotation that embraces the part of the body for which the jewel is designed. The gradation of the stones, set in shades from green and blue of aquamarines and sapphires to white and beige of colorless and fancy brown diamonds, further emphasizes the visual sensations of volume and movement. And among the 13 proposals presented, Good Luck was selected by Palmiero Jewelery Design for the creation of a prototype.
Thesis projects are the culmination of our students’ three-year journey, the springboard towards their professional future. It is the moment in which they are free to express their creativity and the skills acquired during their studies to the fullest. This year, more than ever, our students have shown that they know how to face challenges, reacting to difficulties and completing the design with courage and determination, sometimes from other continents. The prestigious collaboration with Palmiero Jewelery Design has allowed the young designers to deal with the demands of a company of excellence in the sector and with the needs of a foreign market, bringing out their personality and passion.
Paola Zini, Director of IED Torino
The projects in collaboration with Palmiero Jewelery Design were created by Francesca Azais, Gaia Cozzi, Dajana Ferrara, Elena Frigierio, Marzia Gasparotto, Shuang Liang, Marzia Marangon, Giulia Milan, Arianna Orla, Delia Perna Ruggiero, Giorgia Pezzano, Gavrylyuk Yana, Ilaria Zardo, graduates of the Triennial course in Jewelery Design IED Turin, under the guidance of the Course Coordinator Daniela Bulgarelli.
